Arthur Asa Berger

Arthur Asa Berger

Arthur Asa Berger (* 1933 ) is an American media scientist and Professor Emeritus in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University .

Although he came from a Jewish family, he attended a Catholic school, where he was taught by mostly Catholic teachers who came from Boston College or Holy Cross . As he grew up, Berger developed an increasing interest in writing and drawing. In the early 1950s he began studying literature and philosophy at the University of Massachusetts , graduating with a BA in 1954 . From there, he then applied to graduate schools to take up a journalism degree, assuming that this degree, together with his interest in writing, would help him find a job later and have an interesting career. In the summer of 1954 he was accepted by the School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley to study journalism . However, he decided to transfer to the University of Iowa , where he could work with writers like Marguerite Young, and also take courses in philosophy under Gustav Bergmann from the Vienna Circle . In the summer of 1956, only 11 days after Berger had received his MA , he was drafted into the army, where he served until 1958. In 1958, after his discharge from the army, Berger first traveled through Europe before enrolling in a doctoral degree in American studies at the University of Minnesota .

After completing his doctorate, he applied for various academic positions and finally got a chair at the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts faculty at San Francisco State University, where he taught courses in critical discourse and media analysis , among other things . Over the course of his career, Berger has published more than 130 articles and more than 70 books. These include books for analyzing comics, television, advertising, and everyday objects, as well as textbooks disguised as crime stories. He has also written travel guides for Southeast Asia. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Milan from 1963–1964, and as a Fulbright Senior Specialist he has taught at a number of universities in many countries, including Argentina and China.

Bibliography (selection)

• Media Analysis Technique (1982)
• The art of comedy writing (1997)
• Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture: Advertising's Impact on American Character and Society (2000)
• Media and communication research methods: an introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches (2000)
• Shop 'til you drop: consumer behavior and American culture (2005)
• Vietnam tourism (2005)
• Media, Myth, and Society (2012)
• Bali tourism (2013)

Web links

• Literature by and about Arthur Asa Berger in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.sagepub.com/authorDetails.nav?contribId=501254
2. ↑ http://www.enculturation.net/writing-myself-into-existence
3. ^ L. Ralon: Interview with Arthur Asa Berger Professor Emeritus Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts San Francisco State University. In: The Popular Culture Studies Journal. Vol. 1, No. 1 & 2, pp. 126-137.