This edited collection from Atay (College of Wooster) and Fassett (San José State Univ.) is a timely release, given the rise of “alternative facts,” “fake news,” and Twitter today. Contributors examine provocative themes ranging from the significance of diversity in mediated critical communication pedagogy to the use of film as a conduit to the application of critical communication pedagogy while interrogating possibilities for maximizing theory and praxis in classrooms. Another key contribution is the synthesis of several concepts, such as mediated communication and critical communication pedagogy, to create new ways of talking about complex relations between media and technology uses and teaching and learning communication. Of particular significance is the contributors’ attention to issues of social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom. For instance, David Kahl Jr.’s chapter makes a compelling case for how mediated communication can promote “special” student populations’ marginalization in the classroom, and Allison Brenneise proposes a new, universal design for communication learning to advance ways teachers can reach diverse learners through new media technologies. This collection is a useful resource for scholars and students in communication education, instructional communication, media studies, and critical cultural studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.

Choice Reviews

For those who believe Critical Communication Pedagogy to be vital to the contemporary university classroom, Ahmet Atay and Deanna L. Fassett offer a compelling collection of essays that provide both scholarly insights and practical implications for teaching and learning. Readers will be challenged--and sometimes provoked--in the best possible way!

Jimmie Manning, University of Nevada

Mediated Critical Communication Pedagogy explores how mediated forms translate—communicate—the abstract into the everyday. The accessibility of the writing makes Mediated Critical Communication Pedagogy an excellent undergraduate or graduate textbook for courses in critical media or education. Mediated Critical Communication Pedagogy is also ideal for instructors looking to apply the teaching and learning tools across many disciplines, not just communication. This anthology also theorizes and challenges the role of mediated pedagogical practices in our classrooms and public spaces. The editors and authors ask important questions—and provide relevant, applicable answers—about the liberating and constraining aspects of our mediated lives.

Danielle Stern, Christopher Newport University