Catalog

Introduction to Communication and Media Studies is an in-depth exploration of how communication shapes our world. This book traces the historical evolution of media, from the early days of the printing press to today’s digital age, examining key developments such as the telegraph, radio, television, and the internet. It also covers critical theories that explain media’s impact on society, including the effects of advertising, the role of public relations, and the emergence of social media as a powerful force in modern communication. Chapters on media literacy, critical thinking, and rhetorical analysis help students develop critical skills for understanding and analyzing media messages.

This textbook provides students with guidelines for understanding writing tasks as intellectual work using Bloom’s Taxonomy and for treating the writing process as a set of variable activities that move along a trajectory from idea or assignment to a finished product. The book also includes chapters on strengthening reading strategies and on finding, evaluating, and using sources effectively.

“Culturally Responsive Computing” is a groundbreaking textbook that addresses the critical intersection of technology and cultural diversity in our increasingly interconnected world. This comprehensive guide delves into how cultural contexts influence every aspect of computing, from the fundamentals of programming languages to the intricacies of human-computer interaction.

The book begins by exploring the cultural dimensions of core computing concepts, including data types, algorithms, and information security. It then expands into more complex topics such as artificial intelligence, user experience design, and the ethical considerations of technology deployment across different cultural landcapes.

Key features of the book include:

1. In-depth analysis of how cultural factors impact technology’s design, implementation, and adoption worldwide.
2. Exploration of computational thinking techniques that promote inclusive and culturally aware problem-solving.
3. Practical strategies for developing culturally sensitive user interfaces and accessible design practices.
4. Case studies from diverse global contexts illustrating real-world applications and challenges in cross-cultural computing.
5. Ethical considerations in technology design and deployment focus on respecting cultural differences and promoting digital equity.
6. Interdisciplinary connections, linking computing concepts with insights from anthropology, psychology, and other relevant fields.
7. Newly added AI-Powered Adaptation Tool that will help educators customize the content for their specific teaching contexts.

This textbook is an invaluable resource for computer science students, software developers, UX/UI designers, and technology professionals seeking to create more inclusive and globally relevant digital solutions. It challenges readers to think beyond technical specifications and consider the broader cultural implications of their work.

By bridging the gap between technological innovation and cultural understanding, “Computing Across Cultures” prepares the next generation of tech leaders to build a more equitable and culturally responsive digital future. It is an essential read for anyone looking to thrive in the global tech industry and make a positive impact through culturally inclusive computing practices.

Biological psychology is the study of the biological bases of behavior and mental processes. It explores how biological factors like genes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and brain structures influence psychological components like thoughts, emotions, memories, and actions. This free and open textbook provides a wide ranging and up-to-date introduction to the main topics and methods of biological psychology. It starts by covering foundations of biological psychology (brain anatomy, neurons, research methods), continues to higher-level topics that link biology and psychology (how drugs and hormones affect the brain and behavior; brain development; genetics; and emotions) and concludes with neural and behavioral differences associated with brain damage, neurological diseases, and psychological disorders.

This text is an accessible interactive workbook designed for future teachers with material on algebra, patterns, functions and statistics as they relate to elementary and middle school mathematics and beyond. It aims to use a universal language with clarity of expression that is reader friendly for all.  It includes word problems and activities (in various formats) that strive to be relevant to a variety of cultures and genders.  Mathematical concepts are defined in multiple ways and extra explanations and scaffolding are included. A variety of examples and activities are incorporated to accommodate different learning types.  The text includes corresponding mathematics standards from both the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework which is based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

This lab manual introduces students to Human Anatomy and Physiology concepts.
The laboratory exercises contain applied activities and experiments to help students visualize anatomical structures and relate them to specific functions and the complex physiological events that allow us to maintain homeostasis.

Shared Voices is a student-centered cultural anthropology mini textbook built with an equity lens.  We are excited to share this with you all. This book attempts to address the lack of current, reliable, and relevant resources for introductory anthropology courses that center equity and anti-racism.

We set out to create a culturally responsive and inclusive textbook with an anti-racist and global citizenry perspective. We center marginalized voices, stories, and community.  This text is a starting point for any introductory anthropology course recognizing that cultural change is constant and the familiar is cousin to the weird and unusual. A work in progress, this text aims to provide students an opportunity to build content as they explore the topics within.

The Art of Music: Music Appreciation with an Equity Lens is a comprehensive music appreciation textbook with musical and cultural examples from medieval to present times. The text, photographs and musical examples represent populations typically underserved in professional music. Women, minorities, and practitioners from the music’s areas of origin are highlighted in each chapter. The text can be used in its entirety, or by choosing specific time periods or chapters.

Children, Families, Schools, and Communities is an introductory text in the field of Child and Family Studies.  It provides a lens for understanding the evolving definition of “family” through socially constructed and ecological theory frameworks.   It promotes strategies for culturally sustaining and deeply collaborative relationships between families, schools, and communities through the use of home-grown advocacy strategies based on community-driven data.  Children, Families, Schools, and Communities is an adapted OER text from Rebecca Laff’s and Wendy Ruiz’s Child, Family, and Community.

This Open Educational Resource (OER) carries a significant responsibility by presenting statistics through an equity lens. The metaphor of a lens is used intentionally–as the glasses one wears can have a profound effect on what one sees. The book encourages further inspection of the ways in which data is collected, interpreted, and analyzed on a variety of social justice issues, such as health disparities, hunger and food insecurity, homelessness, behavioral health (mental health and substance use), and incarceration of males of color. It also attempts to reveal how the misuse of data can reinforce inequities, for example, by stigmatizing people and labeling neighborhoods as high poverty, violent, and having poor educational opportunities. Whether an intended or unintended consequence, irresponsible data use can contribute to racist impressions of people and communities.

Additionally, there are thousands of students studying animal science, biology, education, economics, medicine, nursing, public health, psychology, and sociology who thought they would be free of mathematics and suddenly discover they have to take a statistics course in order to graduate.  Even students who are majoring in the most mathematical disciplines like physics, engineering and mathematics itself, somehow have an aversion to statistics.  Regardless of your race/ethnicity, income status, gender or your zip code, taking a statistics course is accompanied by feelings of anxiety, dread and even panic.  This book lessens the fear of statistics by transferring statistics knowledge to the real-world, and applying  statistical concepts and procedures to social justice data. In this way, the student is exposed to both statistics and its application to social justice scenarios.

The essence of this book is that quantitative skills are important for studying and understanding social injustices and inequalities. Its premise is that keeping compassion as a core value of data equity analysis changes our lens. The book helps us to stop seeing Statistics as abstract and inhuman but rather as a science that can help create a culture of empathy and understanding of social justice issues.  Having this perspective encourages us to develop sustainable solutions, prioritize the well-being of individuals, families, neighborhoods and whole communities, and just simply work towards a more equitable and just world.