Sex, Religion, Media [Paperback]

Dane S. Claussen (Editor), Shelly Arsneault (Contributor), Philip J. Bakelaar (Contributor), Iain A. G. Barrie (Contributor), Natalie Jo Brackett-Vinyard (Contributor), William J. Earnest (Contributor), Herman R., Jr. Foushee (Contributor), Lisa R. Grunberger (Contributor), Felix Herndon (Contributor), Justin Jagosh (Contributor), Anton Karl Kozlovic (Contributor), Michael Lesher (Contributor), Terrence R. Lindvall (Contributor), Kathy Brittain McKee (Contributor), Robert R. Mendenhall (Contributor), Amy Neustein (Contributor), Mark D. Ogletree (Contributor), Carol J. Pardun (Contributor), Todd Rendleman (Contributor), Brian K. Simmons (Contributor), Valerie J. Smith (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0742515583 | ISBN-13: 978-0742515581 | Publication Date: October 16, 2002

Each chapter in this unique volume explores intersections of sex, religion, and media in our society. An interdisciplinary cast of contributors examines a wide variety of themes, including entertainment producers' roles in disseminating sexual and religious content; news coverage of stories about sex and religion; religious conservatives' efforts to influence media coverage of sex and 'values;' and how religious consumers are influenced by and react to sexual content in media.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A rich collection that does much to lay out the range of work in the field. Claussen demonstrates a keen sense for the issues in this collection that includes a broad cross-section of method, theory, and writing style. . . . Well-structured, engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking. It would serve [as] a substantive reader on the topic for an academic audience or as a text for senior/graduate level students in an appropriate course. (Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly )

This edited volume provides several snapshot views of sexuality and religious content in the media, and locates them within a historical context of how American religious organizations and media entities have interacted with each other in the 20th century. Data sources tapped by its authors range from interviews with individuals to empirical surveys to content analysis of news, magazines, films, and music videos. This book is a fascinating read for anyone who seeks to understand sexuality in a cultural context, and it treats organized religion as a definite part of that context. (Archives Of Sexual Behavior )

Sex, religion, and the media are ubiquitous. But in the past, each has been studied individually. Therefore, a book such as this one that examines sex, religion, and the media together is a valuable contribution to the literature. (Journal Of Media And Religion )

A superb integration. [This] book is an unsurpassed reference source for sociology of religion. I will begin using it immediately in religious studies classes and in religion in media classes. (Allen Podet )

A rich collection that does much to lay out the range of work in the field. Claussen demonstrates a keen sense for the issues in this collection that includes a broad cross-section of method, theory, and writing style. . . . Well-structured, engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking. It would serve [as] a substantive reader on the topic for an academic audience or as a text for senior/graduate level students in an appropriate course.... (Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly )

About the Author

Dane S. Claussen is associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Point Park College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (October 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742515583
• ISBN-13: 978-0742515581
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,169,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating study about the relationship between the three subjects., November 9, 2008

By 

B. Adducchio - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sex, Religion, Media (Paperback)

The editor, Dr. Dane Claussen, does a fantastic job finding a wide range of case studies that discuss the three different topics. Overall, I thought that this book was very interesting and a must read for students in media, religion, and sexuality. The only study that I felt was missing is the relationship between atheism and the media. Very good, overall.

5.0 out of 5 stars Second review, March 10, 2003

By 

Dane S. Claussen "Dane S. Claussen, PhD, MBA" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sex, Religion, Media (Paperback)

A "valuable contribution to the literature...."
"He [Claussen] concludes with a thoughtful essay"
"This book does an admirable job of covering the subject and covering it well. Both casual readers and scholars who specialize in religion and the media will find something of interest. The book is also appropriate for use in upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses on media and society and religion and popular culture. Some chapters could also themselves to use in media history, film studies, rhetoric, media effects, and communication research courses."
"There are...unexpected gems. These include Lisa R. Grunberger's 'Bernarr Macfadden's "Physical Culture,"' Anton Karl Kozlovic's 'The Whore of Babylon, Suggestibility, and the Art of Sexless Sex in Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah,' and Shelly Arsneault's 'Morality Politics Associated with the Abstinence-Only Sex Education Sought as a Remedy to Welfare Dependency."
"Particularly noteworthy, from a theoretical perspective, are Robert Mendenhall's use of Reinhold Niebuhr's theory of Christ and culture in his study of Donald Wildmon's organization and its practices, Natalie Jo Brackett-Vineyard's used of the rhetorical theory of Anthony Weston in her study of media coverage of Wildmon, and Philip J. Bakelaar's used of William Gamson's 'issue culture' perspective to examine conservative and liberal rhetorical strategies in the debate over homosexuality are particularly noteworthy."

"Perhaps the trwo most valuable studies in the collection are Brian K. Simmons' 'Media Cultivation and Perceptions of Sexual Morality in Church of Christ Adolescents,' which is based on the author's analysis of survey data from 814 United Church of Christ teens, and Randal A. Wright and Mark D. Ogletree's 'Family, Peers, Religiosity, Electronic Media and the Risk of Adolescent Sexual Activity,' based on survey data from 467 Texas high school students."
--Judith M. Buddenbaum, Colorado State University; co-editor, Journal of Media and Religion

5.0 out of 5 stars First reviews, June 8, 2002

By 

Dane S. Claussen "Dane S. Claussen, PhD, MBA" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sex, Religion, Media (Hardcover)

"A rich collection that does much to lay out the range of work in the field. Claussen demonstrates a keen sense for the issues in this collection that includes a broad cross-section of method, theory, and writing style . Well structured, engaging, entertaining, and thought provoking. It would serve [as] a substantive reader on the topic for an academic audience or as a text for senior/graduate level students in an appropriate course."- Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly

"A superb integration. [This] book is an unsurpassed reference source for sociology of religion. I will begin using it immediately in religious studies classes and in religion in media classes."-Allen Podet, University of Potsdam

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK SINCE NOVEMBER 2002