Understanding American Icons - Arthur Asa Berger

This brief, student-friendly introduction to the study of semiotics uses
examples from 25 iconic locations in the United States. From Coney
Island to Las Vegas, the World Trade Center to the Grand Canyon, Berger
shows how semiotics offers a different lens in understanding locations
taken for granted in American culture. He recasts Disneyland according
to Freud, channels the Mall of America through Baudrilliard, and sees
Mount Rushmore through the lens of Gramsci. A seasoned author of student
texts, Berger offers an entertaining, non-threatening way to teach
theory to undergraduates and that will fit ideally in classes on
cultural studies, American studies, social theory, and tourism.