Search results for ""Peter Lang Publishing Inc""

This book analyzes Web page design from a visual communication perspective. Visual communication is an emerging field which draws on numerous disciplines concerned with the creation, perception, and interpretation of visual messages. The transdisciplinary nature of the field allows us to see the sites examined from new visual vantage points – metaphorical, cultural, and rhetorical; cognitive, perceptive, and evaluative. With an introduction and eight essays by visual communication scholars, the book also includes an insightful interview with Hillman Curtis, one of the foremost Web page designers in the world.

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Women, Feminism, and Pop Politics: From "Bitch" to "Badass" and Beyond examines the negotiation of feminist politics and gendered political leadership in twenty-first century U.S. popular culture. In a wide-ranging survey of texts—which includes memes and digital discourses, embodied feminist performances, parody and infotainment, and televisual comedy and drama—contributing authors assess the ways in which popular culture discourses both reveal and reshape citizens’ understanding of feminist politics and female political figures. Two archetypes of female identity figure prominently in its analysis. "Bitch" is a frame that reflects the twentieth-century anxiety about powerful women as threatening and unfeminine, trapping political women within the double bind between femininity and competence. "Badass" recognizes women’s capacity to lead but does so in a way that deflects attention away from the persistence of sexist stereotyping and cultural misogyny. Additionally, as depictions of political women become increasingly complex and varied, fictional characters and actual women are beginning to move beyond the bitch and badass frames, fashioning collaborative and comic modes of leadership suited to the new global milieu. This book will be of interest to students and scholars interested in communication, U.S. political culture, gender and leadership, and women in media.

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In today’s public schools, teachers are often discouraged by the restrictions placed on them by the education system: federal mandates such as No Child Left Behind, excessive emphasis on standardized testing, pre-packaged curricula, inadequate funding, overcrowded classrooms, cultural incongruence, and social injustices. Teachers feel thwarted from meeting the unique needs of each student, and students continue to fall between the cracks in the system. This book encourages educators to teach boldly, using wisdom and courage to do what they know is best for their students despite the obstacles. A collection of letters from leading educators and scholars to practicing and future teachers, Teach Boldly! offers advice, encouragement, and inspiration in the form of bold, innovative ideas to ignite teachers’ passion for their work in the midst of a range of discouraging situations. The book can be used as a resource for practicing teachers or as a textbook in teacher education programs. It is relevant to courses in foundations of education, curriculum studies, issues in education, education policy, critical pedagogy, ethics in education, school reform, and educational leadership.

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Mirror Images: Popular Culture and Education is the first international and multidisciplinary effort to coalesce knowledge on education and popular culture studied as broad phenomena and not as a collection of case studies. In this volume, popular culture has been thematically treated as it appears in a variety of media, including movies, digital games, advertising, television, popular songs, and the internet. The book considers education in both formal and informal settings, and looks critically at the accepted dichotomy between education and popular culture. It argues that popular culture is capable of educating and that education shares many characteristics with popular culture, and tries to overcome these dichotomous relationships while also trying to clarify the reciprocal effects between the two. The book calls disciplinary and media boundaries into question in an effort to widen the possibility of enlarging the vocabulary and the verbs of all that stays unnamed by what is considered knowledge.

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Oaths of Peace is an important contribution to the field of African theology, as it offers a model of contextual theology that holds together the two dimensions of inculturation and liberation, often perceived in opposition. Furthermore, this book contributes to research on theology and peacebuilding by providing a hitherto unavailable account of the grassroots theology that supported the People to People Peacemaking Process that was conducted in Southern Sudan from 1997 to 2002. By telling the story of the People to People Peacemaking Process, Oaths of Peace shows how grassroots peacebuilding initiatives contributed to the national peace process and the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South of Sudan in 2005. While the primary focus of the present study is the articulation of theological reflections on inculturation and liberation in relation to peacebuilding, Oaths of Peace also contributes perspectives on religious and grassroots peacebuilding. A large portion of the book is devoted to material drawn from interviews with actors in the process, allowing the reader to read the stories and hear the voices and reflections of religious actors—both women and men—engaged in peace work. This study is relevant for anyone interested in contextual theology, African theology, liberation theology, inculturation theology, theology of peacebuilding, and religious peacebuilding. Oaths of Peace is particularly suitable for students at the bachelor’s and master’s level.

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This book examines Nietzsche’s claim that he could be the "Buddha of the West." A close reading of his texts shows substantial similarities with the Buddha’s teachings, suggesting a potential basis and a potentially promising future for a Western Buddhism that would be based on Nietzsche’s philosophy. The book first provides a brief comparative biography of Nietzsche and the Buddha and then a review of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path and of what there is in Nietzsche’s writings that is his equivalent to those teachings. While the West often looks to neuroscience to validate the Buddhist teachings and practices, this book suggests it would be better to study Nietzsche’s thought to discover not only validation for Buddhist teachings but the very foundation of a "Buddhism" that is of the West, by the West, and for the West.

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Prelude to Disaster is the most comprehensive account of the fateful decision to tax American colonists. Unlike other studies, it emphasizes the central role of the young George III in the process. Central to this examination are George’s principles of statecraft and government, his thoughts on pre- and post-war empires, his assessments of future relations with Britain’s great antagonist France, his personality and its development before and after his accession to the throne, his friendship with the earl of Bute, and his attitudes toward domestic policies and politicians, especially George Grenville.

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Basically Queer offers an introduction to what it can look and feel like to live life as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, two spirited and trans. Written by youth and elders who’ve lived these lives first hand, the book combines no-nonsense explanations, definitions, and information with engaging stories and poetry that bring them to life. Basically Queer answers those questions that many want to ask but fear will give offence: What is it really like to be queer? What’s appropriate language? How can I be an ally? It also provides a succinct and readable account of queer history and legal rights worldwide, addresses intergenerational issues, and offers some tips and tricks for living queer. It does so in an easy and conversational style that will be accessible to most readers, including teens. The text will be of interest to those teaching courses in gender, sexuality, queer and women’s studies. It will be a useful resource for those who are questioning or examining their sexual or gender identities and those who are in relationship with them, such as doctors, teachers, parents, or friends.

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Research on the dark side of communication has typically been studied from a single standpoint confined to a specific context. As an intradisciplinary project, this volume transcends the traditional unilateral perspective and focuses on a wide range of communication topics across a variety of contexts. From interpersonal communication, organizational communication, computer-mediated communication, and health communication, the book presents a collection of essays that merges theory with practical application. Chapter contributors write candidly and unapologetically about how they and various populations under investigation mitigate a wealth of dark side behaviors spanning sexualization, cyberstalking, bereavement, and various illnesses. The different perspectives offer a lens through which students and academics can enhance their understanding of how dark side behaviors are experienced and communicated. They enlighten our understanding of the dark side of human communication, initiate thought-provoking conversations, and inspire future studies that will advance the limitless inquisitions of contextual dark side research.

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Storying Learning in Early Childhood documents philosophical, research, and critical questions about notions of childrens’ experiences and learning potential that heavily influence the profession. Critically created, child-centered curriculum and assessment collaborations focus on contexts of homes, schools, and communities. This book brings into focus policy issues, economic issues, and political realities that affect us all as we engage in curriculum and assessment. Patterns of findings under the foci of critical, responsive curriculum and authentic assessment for all children have illustrated new questions, provoked new trajectories of informants, and reiterated connections to dynamic issues in early childhood internationally. The work involved in curriculum and assessment points to international discussions about what is «quality» in early care and education and who has the power to decide. These international dynamics highlight the inevitable connections among programs for young children, policies, and politics. Further consideration regarding multiple histories, strengths, and needs of young children also illustrate little-discussed refugees and migrating people around the world – and their children – who are growing and experiencing life wherever they are living in a variety of situations with or without support.

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Comunidades efímeras estudia una de las vetas más interesantes, y menos visitadas por la crítica, de la imaginación literaria hispanoamericana: la representación novelística de pequeños grupos de vanguardia y neovanguardia que transforman la vida en arte, conspiran contra las instituciones oficiales y experimentan con nuevos modelos de existencia social. Este libro ofrece lecturas críticas de la imagen ficcional de estos grupos en novelas de Roberto Arlt, Leopoldo Marechal, Julio Cortázar, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Fernando del Paso y Roberto Bolaño. Comunidades efímeras propone que el etos de las vanguardias históricas es transfigurado en el contexto hispanoamericano por dichos cenáculos, los cuales llevan a cabo el doble proyecto de estetizar su vida comunitaria y de producir campos culturales alternativos, extraoficiales, tal vez secretos. En estos espacios de alteridad estética y vital, se desafían los relatos hegemónicos del arte, la política y la pertenencia nacional. Comunidades efímeras será de interés para los investigadores de la novela hispanoamericana, la vanguardia y las neovanguardias, y los estudios latinoamericanos en general.

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Women are taking the lead in today’s workforce. They hold half of America’s jobs, 51% of supervisory and managerial positions, and nearly 60% of all college degrees. A woman starts a business in the U.S. every 60 seconds. Without women, the U.S. economy would be 25% smaller than it is today. Women Lead is an in-depth examination of women’s role in today’s workplace. Drawing on interviews with nearly 200 women leaders, and survey responses from more than 3000 male and female managers, the book explains 21st-century career trends and provides practical advice to help women excel in the new world of work. Readers will discover facts, figures, and real-life stories about leadership, education, and career planning, and learn how women are using negotiation, networking, and other collaborative practices to lead their organizations into the future.

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Women are taking the lead in today’s workforce. They hold half of America’s jobs, 51% of supervisory and managerial positions, and nearly 60% of all college degrees. A woman starts a business in the U.S. every 60 seconds. Without women, the U.S. economy would be 25% smaller than it is today. Women Lead is an in-depth examination of women’s role in today’s workplace. Drawing on interviews with nearly 200 women leaders, and survey responses from more than 3000 male and female managers, the book explains 21st-century career trends and provides practical advice to help women excel in the new world of work. Readers will discover facts, figures, and real-life stories about leadership, education, and career planning, and learn how women are using negotiation, networking, and other collaborative practices to lead their organizations into the future.

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The Propaganda Society analyzes the rapid expansion of propaganda and promotional activities in the leading «post-industrial» states under the regime of neoliberalism. With the outsourcing of manufacturing, these states have converted to service, selling, and speculative economies, with a concurrent rapid growth of advertising, marketing, public relations, sales management, branding, and other promotional enterprises. Aided by digital technologies and the removal – «deregulation» – of political, legal, administrative, and moral barriers to state and corporate expansion on a global scale, a group of dominant political and commercial actors have brought about a common discourse and convergent set of practices rooted in sophisticated and unprecedented levels of propaganda and promotion. Written by leading scholars in the field, each of the eighteen chapters in this book discuss the ways in which elite uses of propaganda have radically transformed media and information systems, political and public culture, the conduct of war and foreign relations, and the overall behavior of the state.

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How does one make sense of YouTube? There is no reliable sample of videos on YouTube; no easily identifiable way to determine its dominant themes; no way to evaluate quality or impact; no seminal literature. Through genre analysis and digital media criticism, this book presents an accessible, yet critical introduction to «reading» YouTube. The book identifies certain videos by genre – from The Phenom and The Short to The Morph and The Experiment – and provides a thumbnail textual analysis of the videos – from celebrity culture to identity politics – that make up each of these genres. Each one starts with a brief summary/background followed by a theoretically informed mapping of the key issues. Designed primarily for classroom use, the book develops a conceptual language for students to use as they engage with the complex, interactive texts of YouTube and digital culture more generally.

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Discourses and Identities in Contexts of Educational Change presents the work of fourteen scholars concerning the United States and Mexico. The authors explore current and changing educational contexts through the relationship between discourses and identities. These are contexts in which the participants must negotiate multiple, and sometimes conflicting, positions. The empirical studies reported here are grounded in contemporary theories of sociolinguistics and literacy practices, social relations conceptualized in dynamics of power, and identity representations. The book uniquely contributes to the challenges facing different educational communities in specific contexts by using discourse and identity as the conceptual tools to analyze the problematic and often unclear relationship among diverse educational actors immersed in contexts of change at the local, national, and global levels.

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Education in the Creative Economy explores the need for new forms of learning and education that are most conducive to supporting student development in a creative society. Just as the assembly line shifted the key factor of production from labor to capital, digital networks are now shifting the key factor of production from capital to innovation. Beyond conventional discussions on the knowledge economy, many scholars now suggest that digital technologies are fomenting a shift in advanced economies from mass production to cultural innovation. This edited volume, which includes contributions from renowned scholars like Richard Florida, Charles Landry, and John Howkins, is a key resource for policymakers, researchers, teachers and journalists to assist them to better understand the contours of the creative economy and consider effective strategies for linking education to creative practice. In addition to arguments for investing in the knowledge economy through STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math), this collection explores the growing importance of art, design and digital media as vehicles for creativity and innovation.

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There is widespread recognition that large enrollment introductory classes are a significant problem. Lack of engagement, incongruous learning styles and teaching methods, and high failure/dropout rates are some of the symptoms. Recent developments in accountability at both state and federal levels make addressing the problem even more crucial. The University of North Texas has developed and promulgated a process for redesigning these classes that brings to bear the creativity of the faculty, resulting in higher-level student learning without increasing instructional costs. This groundbreaking book provides the reader with a theoretical foundation for course redesign that employs assessment-driven experiential learning and tools and examples to bring all or part of the process to their campus.

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Now in its second edition, Entertainment & Politics is an essential text for understanding how young people acquire and hold political beliefs over time. In this updated and expanded edition, the author reaches beyond the U.S., including research on Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland to investigate a broader international picture of the effect the entertainment media has on the socio-political beliefs of young people. The book examines the many ways that the entertainment media influence young people, and the extent to which young people’s beliefs differ from those of their parents, teachers, and peers. Findings indicate that media’s influence does not fit into neat «conservative» and «left/liberal» patterns, but interacts with parental and peer influence in heretofore unexamined ways. This up-to-date text is designed for undergraduates, graduate students, professors, and interested lay readers.

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Information communication technologies (ICT) permeate almost every facet of our daily business and have become an important priority for formal and informal education. This places an enormous responsibility to achieve equitable deployment of ICT on governments, education systems, and communities. Important equity issues examined in this book include gender issues, disability, digital divide, hardware and software developments, and knowledge transfer. Previous books have tended to concentrate on single aspects of equity and computer use; this book fills the pressing need for a comprehensive look at the issues. Equity and Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Education is an essential book for professionals involved in this emerging area of study, and a useful text for undergraduate and graduate classrooms.

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Zadie Smith: Critical Essays is a timely collection of critical articles examining how Zadie Smith’s novels and short stories interrogate race, postcolonialism, and identity. Essays explore the various ways Smith approaches issues of race, either by deconstructing notions of race or interrogating the complexity of biracial identity; and how Smith takes on contemporary debates concerning notions of Britishness, Englishness, and Black Britishness. Some essays also consider the shifting identities adopted by those who identify with both British and West Indian, South Asian, or East Asian ancestry. Other essays explore Smith’s contemporary postcolonial approach to Britain’s colonial legacy, and the difference between how immigrants and first-generation British-born children deal with cultural alienation and displacement. This thought-provoking collection is a much-needed critical tool for students and researchers in both contemporary British literature and Diasporic literature and culture.

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Der Sammelband bietet einen Ueberblick zu den unterschiedlichen kulturellen Repraesentationen des Holocaust in Deutschland und den Vereinigten Staaten. Die Frage nach den Moeglichkeiten und Grenzen der Darstellbarkeit der Shoah steht im Zentrum der hier gesammelten Essays. Wie kann ein solches historisches Ereignis, das sich jeder abschliessenden Definition entzieht, dennoch kuenstlerisch gestaltet werden? Welche Narrationen bestimmen unser Bild der Shoah? Wie rahmen die unterschiedlichen Genres und Medien unsere Interpretationen? Diese und aehnliche Fragen werden zunaechst bei der kritischen Analyse von Filmen (Der ewige Jude, Shoah, Schindlers Liste, Hitlerjunge Salomon) und der Fernsehserie Holocaust zu beantworten gesucht. Als typische Beispiele der Holocaust Rezeption in den Vereinigten Staaten werden die Bearbeitung des Tagebuchs der Anne Frank (Theater und Film), des Comics Maus von Art Spiegelman und des Holocaust Museums in Washington interpretiert. Paedagogische Probleme der Behandlung des Holocaust im amerikanischen Hochschulunterricht schliessen den Band ab.

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