Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Lost Without It: How GPS is more than just navigation
Chris McAlister; Deborah King; Samara Hoffmann · University of Southern Queensland · 2023
The navigation that we get from GPS is just a tiny component of how it impacts our lives - from banking to mapping to just knowing where stuff is, it's now a critical part of how humanity functions. This book takes you through all the basics of how GPS works, kind of like a how-to, just in case zombies take out all those smart scientists that keep it all running!
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ReCentering Psych Stats
Lynette Bikos · Seattle Pacific University Library · 2023
To center a variable in regression means to set its value at zero and interpret all other values in relation to this reference point. Regarding race and gender, researchers often center male and White at zero. Further, it is typical that research vignettes in statistics textbooks are similarly seated in a White, Western (frequently U.S.), heteronormative, framework. ReCentering Psych Stats seeks provide statistics training for psychology students (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral) in a socially and culturally responsive way. All lessons use the open-source statistics program, R (and its associated packages). Each lesson includes a chapter and screencasted lesson, features a workflow for statistical decision-making, and includes all R code necessary to conduct the statistic. Research vignettes are drawn from the published psychology literature. When possible, these articles are authored by individuals who hold identities that have, been marginalized in the scientific literature; correctly use the statistic that is being taught in the lesson; and focus on issues of justice, equity, inclusion, or and diversity. When possible, lessons include interviews with researchers from the featured vignettes. Each chapter includes suggestions for practice that are graded in complexity, such that learners can choose the degree of challenge. ReCentering Psych Stats is perpetually-in-progress; suggestions for corrections or chapters are welcomed: ReCenteringPsychStats@spu.edu
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Romance Lands and Conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Jerry Johnson · Montana State University · 2023
To fully grasp the significance of this story we explore the history of the West, the development of Yellowstone National Park, something about the discipline of conservation biology and related policy sciences, Grizzly bear recovery, and eventually the contemporary economy and social setting of the region. The Greater Yellowstone is a model of how to build a regional system of international importance and local well-being.
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Introduction to Women’s & Gender Studies
Colleen Clemens · The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT) · 2023
Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (2023) is an eTextbook designed to provide an introduction to the fields of Women’s Studies and Gender Studies for students taking introductory courses. The textbook touches on a variety of subjects including gender theories, feminisms, intersectionality, equity, and activism. Chapters contain questions to consider and list of suggested readings by theorists and activists. This multimedia eTextbook incorporates videos and podcasts to create a rich introductory experience for students.
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Fundamentals of Psychological Disorders
Alexis Bridley; Lee Daffin Jr. · Washington State University · 2022
Fundamentals of Psychological Disorders (formerly Abnormal Psychology) is an Open Education Resource written by Alexis Bridley, Ph.D. and Lee W. Daffin Jr., Ph.D. through Washington State University. The book tackles the difficult topic of mental disorders in 15 modules and is updated through the DSM-5-TR. This journey starts by discussing what abnormal behavior is by attempting to understand what normal behavior is. Models of abnormal psychology and clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment are then discussed. With these three modules completed, the authors next explore several classes of mental disorders in 5 blocks. Block 1 covers mood, trauma and stressor related, and dissociative disorders. Block 2 covers anxiety, somatic symptom, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Block 3 covers eating and substance-related and addictive disorders. Block 4 tackles schizophrenia spectrum and personality disorders. Finally, Block 5 investigates neurocognitive disorders and then ends with a discussion of contemporary issues in psychopathology. Disorders are covered by discussing their clinical presentation and DSM Criteria, epidemiology, comorbidity, etiology, and treatment options.
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Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics
Dino Bozonelos; Julia Wendt; Charlotte Lee · Academic Senate for California Community Colleges · 2022
Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics, 1st edition, is an Open Education Resource Textbook that surveys contemporary comparative politics. The textbook is organized thematically and includes chapters that cover a wide range of topics in comparative politics: how and what comparativists study; methods in comparative politics; states and regimes; democracies and democratization; non-democracies and democratic backsliding, political identity, including culture, race and ethnicity, gender, nationalism, religion, and class; political economy; collective action and social movements; comparative public opinion; political violence; and globalization and fragmentation. Each chapter accompanied by a case study or a comparative study, one of the main methodological tools used in comparative politics. By contextualizing the concepts, we hope to help students learn the comparative method, which to this day remains one of the most important methodological tools for all researchers.
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Human Geography
Christine Rosenfeld; Nathan Burtch · Virginia's Academic Library Consortium (VIVA) · 2023
Welcome to Human Geography! If you are interested in how humans interact with the environment and how human systems are geographically distributed over space, then you’ve found your place. We hope that find this textbook useful and enjoyable; please dive in by clicking “Contents” to immerse yourself in all-things-human geography.
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Conflict, War and Revolution: the problem of politics in international political thought
Paul Kelly · LSE Press · 2022
Violence and war were ubiquitous features of politics long before the emergence of the modern state system. Since the late 18th century major revolutions across the world have further challenged the idea of the state as a final arbiter of international order. This book discusses ten major thinkers who have questioned and re-shaped how we think about politics, violence and relations between states – Thucydides, Augustine, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Clausewitz, Lenin and Mao, and Schmitt. Conflict, war and revolution have generally been seen in political thought as problems to be managed by stable domestic political communities. In different ways, all the paradigmatic thinkers here acknowledge them instead as inevitable dimensions of human experience, manifested through different ways of acting politically – while yet offering radically distinct answers about how they can be handled. This book dramatically broadens the canon of political thought by considering perspectives on the international system that challenge its historical inevitability and triumph. Drawing on history, theology, and law as well as philosophy, Paul Kelly introduces thinkers who challenge fundamentally the ways in which we should think about the nature and scope of political institutions and agents. He illuminates many troubling contemporary conflicts with a critical and historical perspective. This book is primarily intended for second year and upwards undergraduate students in general political theory and international theory, and advanced international relations students. Each chapter is also downloadable on its own for use in courses considering only some of the ten theorists covered. Written in an accessible way Conflict, War and Revolution will also interest advanced general readers with interests in the historical thought underpinnings of political ideas and today’s international politics.
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Cases on Social Issues: For Class Discussion
Deirdre Maultsaid; Brianna Doyle; Celine Wai Shan Li; Gregory John · Kwantlen Polytechnic University · 2023
This Open Education resource, “Cases on Social Issues: For Class Discussion – 2nd Edition”, includes valuable cases for student use on issues of discrimination, diversity, equity, inclusion and general social issues in the workplace. Included are cases for discussion on workplace scenarios as follows: homophobia; working with Indigenous communities; oil and gas pipelines and the family ranch; invisible disabilities; employee anxiety; safety for women, transgender women and non-binary people; and the bullying of new immigrants and refugees. The critical events portrayed in the cases are realistic and emotional, and most feature the experiences of under-represented and marginalized people. These thoughtful, contemporary cases pose ethical dilemmas about social issues that encourage post-secondary students and instructors to have stimulating, inclusive, and compassionate discussions. Inspired by input from post-secondary students and authored by students and people who are usually under-represented in education material, this resource is designed for upper-level undergraduate or graduate students in the humanities, social sciences, business, healthcare, science, agriculture, environmental studies, Indigenous studies, land use studies, law and more. Each case is supplemented with modifiable discussion prompts, notes for teaching strategies, and a short reading list.
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Common Client Issues in Counselling: An Australian Perspective
Nathan Beel; Christine Chinchen; Tanya Machin; Carol du Plessis · University of Southern Queensland · 2023
Common Client Issues in Counselling: An Australian Perspective focuses on common mental health issues, such as grief and loss, anxiety, and depression, experienced by clients presenting for counselling. The focus throughout is on providing an Australian perspective, highlighting contemporary understandings, as well as suggesting practical and integrative responses to each common issue. All of the authors, reviewers, and editors work within Australian counselling settings, including private practice, not for profit organisations and academic contexts. By drawing on the authors’ extensive experience, and using a contextual rather than diagnostic approach, each chapter is brought to life with valuable insights and suggestions.
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Introduction to Political Science Research Methods
Josh Franco; Charlotte Lee; Kau Vue · Academic Senate for California Community Colleges · 2020
Introduction to Political Science Research Methods, authored by Dr. Josh Franco, Dr. Charlotte Lee, Kau Vue, Dr. Dino Bozonelos, Dr. Masahiro Omae, and Dr. Steven Cauchon, is an Open Education Resource textbook licensed CC BY-NC that surveys the research methods employed in political science. The textbook includes chapters that cover: history and development of the empirical study of politics; the scientific method; theories, hypotheses, variables, and units; conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of political concepts; elements of research design including the logic of sampling; qualitative and quantitative research methods and means of analysis; and research ethics.
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Fundamentals of Human Geography
Wing Cheung · Wing Cheung · 2023
Fundamentals of Human Geography is a college-level digital textbook aimed at introducing undergraduate students to the field of human and cultural geography. This digital textbook was initially conceived as an interactive supplemental guide for an open-source textbook on Human Geography (Introduction to Human Geography ). However, as more materials were added to this digital textbook, it slowly evolved into a standalone textbook on Human Geography which can be used by itself or as a supplemental guide. Be sure to explore all of the interactive content in each chapter and read the captions carefully, as a number of critical concepts are introduced in the interactive content. Be sure to also review the FAQ section for answers to commonly asked questions about technical aspects of this textbook.
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Practicing and Presenting Social Research
Oral Robinson; Alexander Wilson · University of British Columbia Library
This open-access textbook is for those who want to write exemplary social research. It provides an extensive outline of each step of the research process: outlining practical tools for conceptualizing its beginnings, generating proposals, getting ethics approval, relaxing from the stresses of research, writing academically, conducting a literature review, drafting a methods section, collecting the right data, formulating the findings, and sharing the results. Woven throughout each chapter are testimonies of other students who have likewise persevered through the research process, relating their obstacles, solutions, and motivations to each stage of the research process to illuminate not only the technical goals of research, but also the emotional maturity that research entails.
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Sexuality, the Self, and Society
Susan Rahman; Nathan Bowman; Dahmitra Jackson · Susan Rahman · 2022
Content included in Sexuality, the Self, and Society is aligned with the typical scope for an introductory, interdisciplinary Human Sexuality Textbook. It is written to be a complete text for a semester length course but could be used, in part, reorganized, or edited in true OER fashion. It is meant to be accessible, relevant, and inclusive. It also will not remain static meaning that the author will continue to update periodically and those who adopt may do so as they see fit.
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Introduction to Human Sexuality
Erika Goerling; Emerson Wolfe · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2022
This is an introductory human sexuality textbook.
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Intercultural Communication for the Community College (Second Edition)
Karen Krumrey · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2022
Intercultural Communication for the Community College
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Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach
Deborah Amory; Sean Massey; Jennifer Miller; Allison Brown · State University of New York Press · 2022
Designed for an introductory course, this textbook takes a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of LGBTQ+ issues that helps students grasp core concepts through a variety of different perspectives. Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies offers accessible, academically sound information on a wide range of topics, including history, culture, and Queer Theory; an exploration of LGBTQ+ relationships, families, parenting, health, and education; and how to conduct research on LGBTQ+ topics. The book explores LGBTQ+ issues from the ancient world to contemporary global perspectives. Employing an intersectional analysis, the textbook highlights how sexuality and gender are simultaneously experienced and constructed through other structures of inequality and privilege, such as race and class. The text supports multiple learning styles by integrating visual elements, multimedia resources, discussion and project prompts, and resources for further research throughout the textbook.
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Individual and Family Development, Health, and Well-being
Diana Lang; Nicholas Cone · Iowa State University · 2022
This book provides an overview of lifespan developmental tasks (physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional) examined from individual and family theoretical perspectives. It covers topics related to families, diversity, individual and family health and well-being, and reciprocal relationships as affected by external factors.
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Urban Literacy: Learning to Read the City Around You
Leanne Serbulo · Portland State University Library · 2021
This book introduces students to the basic concepts of urban studies. It is an interdisciplinary text that was developed for lower-division undergraduate students. The book is organized into thematic chapters that explore different aspects of urban life, such as the environment, housing, and culture. Each chapter introduces a new way of conceptualizing the city, presents core theories and concepts, and provides examples and case studies from cities around the globe to illustrate the ideas presented in the text. At the end of each chapter, there are review questions and a series of interactive field activities where students can apply the concepts introduced in the chapter to a real-world setting. Many of the field activities can be adapted to online or remote learning modalities. This textbook is appropriate for interdisciplinary courses with urban themes or for introductory urban studies, urban sociology, or urban geography classes.
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Research Methods for Criminal Justice Students
Monica Williams · Monica Williams · 2022
This book is based on two open-access textbooks: Bhattacherjee’s (2012) Social science research: Principles, methods, and practices and Blackstone’s (2012) Principles of sociological inquiry: Qualitative and quantitative methods. I first used Bhattacherjee’s book in a graduate-level criminal justice research methods course. I chose the book because it was an open educational resource that covered the major topics of my course. While I found the book adequate for my purposes, the business school perspective did not always fit with my criminal justice focus. I decided to rewrite the textbook for undergraduate and graduate students in my criminal justice research methods courses. As I researched other open- educational resources for teaching social science research methods, I found Blackstone’s book, which covered more of the social science and qualitative methods perspectives that I wanted to incorporate into my book. As a result, this open-access textbook includes some content from both previous works along with my own additions based on my extensive experience and expertise in conducting qualitative and quantitative research in social science settings and in mentoring students through the research process. My Ph.D. is in Sociology, and I currently teach undergraduates and graduate students in a criminal justice program at Weber State University. Throughout my career, I have conducted and published the results of research projects using a variety of methods, including surveys, case studies, in-depth interviews, participant observation, content analysis, and secondary analysis of quantitative data. I have also mentored undergraduates in conducting community-based research projects using many of these same methods with the addition of focus groups and program evaluations.