Download Arthur Asa Berger

Arthur Asa Berger
Academic Murder Mysteries
Postmortem for a Postmodernist. 1997. AltaMira Press.
Ettore Gnocchi, the great theorist of postmodernism, is murdered four different ways on the first
page of this book. Inspector Solomon Hunter and his sidekick Sergeant Talcott Weems investigate
the murder and learn that there are numerous conflicting ideas about what postmodernism is and isn’t
from a bizarre cast of characters.
The Hamlet Case. 2000. Xlibris.
Agostno Glioma, a berserk literature professor from the University of California at Berkeley murders
the board of editors of a journal he edits on Shakespeare studies, but not before each of them has
offered a different interpretation of Hamlet. But whose interpretation is correct?
Aristotle: Comedy. 2001. XLibris.
This mystery involves a literary hoax. The first part of it claims to be a translation by Arthur Asa
Berger of Aristotle’s lost book, Comedy. The second part of the book is a mystery that takes place at
a meeting of the Modern Language Association in San Francisco in which the authenticity of the
translation is debated by members of the Aristotle society, whose relationships with one another are
very complex.
The Mass Comm Murders: Five Media Theorists Self Destruct. 2002. Rowman &
Littlefield.
Five media theory scholars kill each other after they offer explications of their theories of mass
media and attack on theories of media held by other scholars. A number of theories by well-known
media scholars are offered readers.
Durkheim is Dead: Sherlock Holmes is Introduced to Social Theory. 2003. Alta Mira Press.
Some of the greatest social theorists of the 20th century explain their theories of society to Sherlock
Holmes as he investigates a diamond theft. Including in the cast of characters are Sigmund Freud,
Max Weber, and Lenin.
The Kabbalah Killings. 2004. PulpLit Press.
Inspector Solomon Hunter learns about Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism as he investigates the
murder of a professor leading an interdisciplinary research effort into Kabbalah and its curious
popularity. A Madonna-like singer makes an appearance.
Mistake in Identity. 2005. Alta Mira Press.
The leader of a team of scholars investigating identitry is murdered on a cruise ship hours before it is
schedule to sail to Alaska. Inspector Solomon Hunter and his assistant Talcott Weems are invited by
the ship’s captain to sail on the ship and find the murderer.
The Rashomon Case. 2005. Lulu Press.
A number of professors are having dinner the night before they are to offer their interpretations of
Rashomon at a panel on the film at a meeting of the Modern Language Association. Inspector
Solomon Hunter learns about the different ways of analyzing the film as he investigates the murder.
Terminal Papers. 2005. Lulu Press.
An English composition teacher and failed poet at San Francisco State University is brutally
murdered. Readers of this mystery will also learn how to write compositions as Inspector Solomon
Hunter investigates the killing.
Arthur Asa Berger
Professor Emeritus
Home Address:
Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts Department
SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY
San Francisco, CA 94132
118 Peralta Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941-3519
USA
Home E-Mail:
arthurasaberger@gmailcom or [email protected]
Home Telephone:
(415) 383-2999
Education
BA
MA
Ph.D.
English
Journalism
American Studies
University of Massachusetts
University of Iowa
University of Minnesota
Teaching Experience
1960-1965
1963-1964
1984-1985
1965-2003
English and American Studies, University of Minnesota
Fulbright Lecturer, University of Milan, Italy
Visiting Professor, Annenberg School for Communication, Univ. Southern Cal.
San Francisco State University
Books
Li'l Abner, 1970 (Twayne), 1994 (Univ. of Mississippi Press)
The Evangelical Hamburger, 1970 (MSS Publications)
Pop Culture, 1973 (Pflaum)
About Man, 1974 (Pflaum)
The Comic Stripped American, 1974 (Walker & Co., Penguin, Milano Libri)
The TV-Guided American, 1975 (Walker & Co.)
Language in Thought and Action (in collaboration with S.I.Hayakawa, 1974, 1978) (HBJ)
Film in SOCIETY, 1978 (Transaction)
Television as an Instrument of Terror, 1978 (Transaction)
Media Analysis Techniques, 1982 2nd Edition 1998 (SAGE) (in Chinese, Korean, & Italian.) 3 rd
Edition. 2004.
Signs in Contemporary Culture, 1984 (Longman); 2nd edition, Sheffield, 1998. (Indonesian edition,
2003)
Television in SOCIETY, l986 (Transaction)
Semiotics of Advertising, 1987 (Herodot)
Media USA, 1988, (Longman 2nd Edition, 1991
Seeing is Believing: An Introduction to Visual Communication, 1989, 2nd edition 1998 (McGrawHill).
Political Culture and Public Opinion, 1989 (Transaction)
Agitpop: Political Culture and Communication Theory, 1989 (Transaction)
Scripts: Writing for Radio and Television, 1990 (SAGE)
Media Research Techniques, 1991, 2nd edition 1998 (SAGE)
Reading Matter, 1992 (Transaction)
Popular Culture Genres, 1992 (SAGE)
An Anatomy of Humor, 1993. (Transaction)
Improving Writing Skills, 1993 (SAGE)
Blind Men & Elephants: Perspectives on Humor, 1995 (Transaction)
Cultural Criticism: A Primer of Key Concepts, 1995 (SAGE) (Swedish edition, 1998)
Essentials of Mass Communication Theory, 1995 (SAGE)
Manufacturing Desire: Media, Popular Culture & Everyday Life, 1996 (Transaction)
Narratives in Popular Culture, Media & Everyday Life, 1997 (SAGE) Chinese edition (2000)
The Genius of the Jewish Joke, 1997 (Jason Aronson)
Bloom’s Morning, 1997 (Westview/HarperCollins) (German edition, 1998) (Chinese edition, 2001)
The Art of Comedy Writing, 1997 (Transaction)
Postmortem for a Postmodernist, 1997 (AltaMira).
The Postmodern Presence , 1998. (AltaMira)
Media & Communication Research Methods, 2000 . (SAGE)
Ads, Fads & Consumer Culture, 2000 . (Rowman & Littlefield)
Jewish Jesters, 2001. ( Hampton Press)
The Mass Comm Murders: Five Media Theorists Self-Destruct. 2002 (Rowman & Littlefield).
The Agent in the Agency 2003 (Hampton Press)
The Portable Postmodernist, 2003 (AltaMira Press)
Durkheim is Dead: Sherlock Holmes is Introduced to Social Theory, 2003 (AltaMira Press)
Media and Society, 2003 (Rowman & Littlefield)
Games and Activities for Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Students. 2004. (Rowman &
Littelfield)
Ocean Travel and Cruising, 2004 (Haworth)
Deconstructing Travel: A Cultural Perspective, 2004 (AltaMira Press)
Making Sense of Media: Key Texts in Media and Cultural Studies, 2004 (Blackwell)
Shop Till You Drop: Perspectives on American Consumer Culture. 2004. (Rowman & Littlefield)
The Kabbalah Killings. 2004. (PulpLit)
Vietnam Tourism. 2005. (Haworth)
Mistake in Identity: A Cultural Studies Murder Mystery 2005. (AltaMira)
50 Ways to Understand Communication. 2006. Rowman & Littlefield.
Thailand Tourism. 2007. (Haworth) in press
Bali Tourism. 2007 (Haworth) in press
Translations
Media Analysis Techniques:
Italian, Chinese, Turkish
Seeing is Believing
Korean, Russian
Bloom’s Morning:
German, Chinese
Cultural Criticism:
Swedish, Arabic
Narratives
Chinese
Postmortem for a Postmodernist
Chinese
Media and Communication Research
Chinese, Korean
Essentials of Mass Communication Theory Chinese
Signs in Contemporary Culture
Indonesian
The Hamlet Case
Chinese
The Mass Comm Murders
Chinese
Durkheim is Dead
Chinese
Publishing Activities
Editor, Classics in Communications
Transaction Books
Consulting Editor
Humor
Lecture Topics (lectures, readings, workshops)
Communication
Media Studies
Popular Culture
Advertising and American Consumer Culture
Humor
Postmodernism
Tourism and Travel