Catalog

Designed as a main textbook for social work courses at the bachelor’s and master’s level or for social work practitioners in the field, this work moves beyond a traditional medicalized and segregated approach (i.e., chapters organized around impairments) to the exploration of disability-specific populations, instead taking a more intersectional approach in discussing specific service areas and practice issues while weaving in stories about the lived experiences of disabled people with a range of social identities. These issues include parenting, mass incarceration, ableism, aging, and employment, among many others.

A key goal of this book is to introduce an intersectionality-informed and critically culturally competent approach to anti-oppressive social work practice with disabled people, primarily in the United States. To do this, we present an innovative practice model for social workers to use in their work with disabled people and communities, which is incorporated throughout the book in a variety of practice considerations. The main themes woven throughout our practice model are intersectionality theory, critical cultural competence, and anti-oppressive practice.

The Data Renaissance  is a comprehensive exploration into the pivotal role of data in shaping our contemporary society. This book, a collaborative effort with significant student involvement under expert guidance, delves into the intricate and often opaque world of data practices across various industries. With a focus on the guarded nature of these practices, as exemplified by platforms like TikTok, it offers a rare glimpse into the mechanics behind the algorithms that drive user engagement and business success.

The book is designed to function as a living document, changing and growing with every iteration of the course it is meant to accompany. With the quick advancements in the world of digital data, this dynamic method guarantees that the content is current and relevant. It is a helpful tool for teachers and students alike since it is more than just a list of facts and theories—rather, it is a guide filled with real-world knowledge and experiences.

Central to the book’s narrative is the exploration of how data is wielded and its profound implications across different disciplines. It addresses the challenges inherent in studying data practices, especially when these practices are closely guarded as proprietary secrets by corporations and businesses. The ethical ramifications of these acts are critically examined throughout the book, especially in light of contemporary digital platforms and technologies.

Further, the text takes a deep dive into the practical applications and implications of data in various domains. From the influence of data on consumer behavior and business strategies to its role in shaping public opinion and social dynamics, the book covers a broad spectrum of topics. It goes beyond mere theoretical discussion, offering practical insights and real-life examples that illustrate the pervasive impact of data on our daily lives.

In summary, anyone wishing to comprehend the intricate relationship between data, industry, and society should read this book. It is a useful tool for both individual study and classroom instruction since it provides fundamental insights that can inspire more research and conversation. By presenting a nuanced view of the digital data landscape, the book encourages readers to critically engage with the topic and consider the far-reaching implications of data in our interconnected world.

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.

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.

The authors of this book adapted homework problems to improve accessibility and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the introductory statistics course they teach at Fitchburg State University. The purpose of this book is to share these updated problems with other instructors. The problems originated on WeBWorK, an open-source online homework platform in which students answer questions in an interactive manner. We have incorporated the updated problems into our existing problem sets on WeBWorK, which can be used as a companion to the OpenStax textbook Introductory Statistics by Barbara Illowsky and Susan Dean or any other textbook for a semester-long introductory statistics course. For a fuller experience for you and your students, we encourage you to contact us for help accessing the problem sets on WeBWorK. On that platform, students will engage more fully with the questions, and a slightly different version of the same problem will be generated for each student.

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.

Bodies reflect not only individual lifestyle choices but also an individual’s freedom or constraint in navigating health options and healthcare systems.  Reporting on “the obesity crisis” in America often overlooks the socioeconomic forces that allow or limit individual choices in food intake and physical activity, so while the first part of this book focuses on developing students’ scientific thinking and their ability to seek out and evaluate information, the second part of this book encourages skepticism in detecting misinformation in the study of the causes and nature of obesity.

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.

The Whole Child is a textbook that gives an overview of development, beginning in the mother’s womb through the age of eight. It starts with a look at perspectives of early childhood, including how children have been viewed historically as well as cross-culturally. There is a complete overview of the important theorists that have helped to deepen and bring clarity to how children develop. These theories include psychodynamic, behavioral, social cognitive theory, cognitive theory, humanistic, multiple intelligence, growth mindset, and Bloom’s taxonomy. Understanding the implications of each theory is important foundational knowledge for the study of development. Developmental domains at each stage is examined alongside important milestones. The biology of the brain is given important consideration. Some of the many factors that influence a young child’s development are also included in this text.

Maura Reilly defines curatorial activism as “the practice of organizing art exhibitions with the principle aim of ensuring that certain constituencies of artists are no longer ghettoized or excluded from the master narratives of art.” We can expand that definition to include not only “art” but also “cultural heritage” more broadly. When first-year writing students engage in curatorial activism, they directly address marginalization and related issues, giving them an opportunity to explore not only the heritage of these issues but their own stances, experiences, and beliefs while also delving into curation and exhibit-making. More importantly, this approach emphasizes how writing can address those issues and seek to rectify exclusions from cultural heritage spaces. Students can begin to understand the impact that their writing can have on others and what they can convey when they write both effectively and passionately.

This textbook, Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing, includes principles of writing and information literacy through the lenses of curatorial activism, cultural heritage, and curation/exhibition. Heritage topics that students are introduced to include (but are not limited to): anti-racism, #MeToo, indigenous peoples, women/gender/LGBTQIA+, climate change, etc. They gain a broader understanding of cultural heritage and heritages of change, particularly disability heritage, in general in order to apply the concepts through their writing. This textbook presents these topics, but more specifically how to communicate about and research them.