Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Music Fundamentals 2: Rhythm and Meter
Terry Ewell; Catherine Schmidt-Jones · OpenStax CNX · 2013
This collection is the second of five dealing with the rudiments of music.
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Music Fundamentals 1: Pitch and Major Scales and Keys
Terry Ewell; Catherine Schmidt-Jones · OpenStax CNX · 2013
This collection is the first of five dealing with the rudiments of music.
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Keys to Understanding the Middle East
Alam Payind; Melinda McClimans · The Ohio State University Pressbooks · 2017
This book is intended for readers who have never studied the Middle East, or experts who may wish to fill gaps in their knowledge of the region from other disciplines. Whether for establishing or deepening one's knowledge of the region, these fundamentals are important to know. The languages, cultural, religious and sectarian communities of the region, and selected turning points and influential people in history are starting points for gaining an understanding of the diverse contexts of the region. It isbased on introductoryand graduatecourseson thecontemporaryMiddle East, which the Center's director, Dr. Alam Payind, has been teaching for the past 30 years. The book's co-author,Melinda McClimans,hastaught these and other courses with him, as well as her own,for the past 15years. The material isintendedengage with diverse – even conflicting – culturaland historicalperspectives,andways of perceivingboth Middle Easternandworld historyfrom perspectives within the region. It is not intended to reinforce a monolithic or matter-of-fact perception of the region.For this and many other reasons, images are an important aspect of the knowledge presented. Each chapter starts with links to its image galleries, along with other visual aids and key elements.
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College ESL Writers: Applied Grammar and Composing Strategies for Success
Barbara Hall; Elizabeth Wallace · University System of Georgia · 2018
College ESL Writers: Applied Grammar and Composing Strategies for Success is designed as a comprehensive grammar and writing etext for high intermediate and advanced level non-native speakers of English. We open the text with a discussion on the sentence and then break it down into its elemental components, before reconstructing them into effective sentences with paragraphs and larger academic assignments. Following that, we provide instruction in paragraph and essay writing with several opportunities to both review the fundamentals as well as to demonstrate mastery and move on to more challenging assignments.We have structured the etext into three basic parts. Part I, Composing Strategies and Techniques, includes a sequenced discussion from composing effective sentences through paragraph and essay writing. This includes the prewriting and planning stages of writing as well as the revising and editing stage in the first five chapters. Part II, Language Use, Grammar, and Mechanics, is meant to be used as a grammar and mechanics handbook as well as the practice and review of idiomatic wording. Part III, All About Writing: Samples, Topics, and Rubrics, has chapters with additional writing topics for practice, sample student papers, and rubrics for evaluating writing.
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Tacitus, Annals, 15.20-23, 33-45. Latin Text, Study Aids with Vocabulary, and Commentary
Mathew Owen; Ingo Gildenhard · Open Book Publishers · 2013
The emperor Nero is etched into the Western imagination as one of ancient Rome's most infamous villains, and Tacitus' Annals have played a central role in shaping the mainstream historiographical understanding of this flamboyant autocrat. This section of the text plunges us straight into the moral cesspool that Rome had apparently become in the later years of Nero's reign, chronicling the emperor's fledgling stage career including his plans for a grand tour of Greece; his participation in a city-wide orgy climaxing in his publicly consummated ‘marriage' to his toy boy Pythagoras; the great fire of AD 64, during which large parts of central Rome went up in flames; and the rising of Nero's ‘grotesque' new palace, the so-called ‘Golden House', from the ashes of the city. This building project stoked the rumours that the emperor himself was behind the conflagration, and Tacitus goes on to present us with Nero's gruesome efforts to quell these mutterings by scapegoating and executing members of an unpopular new cult then starting to spread through the Roman empire: Christianity. All this contrasts starkly with four chapters focusing on one of Nero's most principled opponents, the Stoic senator Thrasea Paetus, an audacious figure of moral fibre, who courageously refuses to bend to the forces of imperial corruption and hypocrisy. This course book offers a portion of the original Latin text, study aids with vocabulary, and a commentary. Designed to stretch and stimulate readers, Owen's and Gildenhard's incisive commentary will be of particular interest to students of Latin at both A2 and undergraduate level. It extends beyond detailed linguistic analysis and historical background to encourage critical engagement with Tacitus' prose and discussion of the most recent scholarly thought.
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Exploring Movie Construction & Production: What’s so exciting about movies?
John Reich · Open SUNY · 2017
Exploring Movie Construction & Production contains eight chapters of the major areas of film construction and production. The discussion covers theme, genre, narrative structure, character portrayal, story, plot, directing style, cinematography, and editing. Important terminology is defined and types of analysis are discussed and demonstrated. An extended example of how a movie description reflects the setting, narrative structure, or directing style is used throughout the book to illustrate building blocks of each theme. This approach to film instruction and analysis has proved beneficial to increasing students' learning, while enhancing the creativity and critical thinking of the student.
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Music: Its Language, History, and Culture
Douglas Cohen · CUNY Academic Works · 2015
Welcome to Music 1300, Music: Its Language History, and Culture. The course has a numberof interrelated objectives:1. To introduce you to works representative of a variety of music traditions.These include the repertoires of Western Europe from the Middle Agesthrough the present; of the United States, including art music, jazz, folk, rock, musical theater; and from at least two non-Western world areas (Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Indian subcontinent).2. To enable you to speak and write about the features of the music you study,employing vocabulary and concepts of melody, rhythm, harmony, texture, timbre,and form used by musicians.3. To explore with you the historic, social, and cultural contexts and the role of class, ethnicity, and gender in the creation and performance of music,including practices of improvisation and the implications of oral andnotated transmission.4. To acquaint you with the sources of musical sounds—instruments and voices fromdifferent cultures, found sounds, electronically generated sounds; basic principlesthat determine pitch and timbre.5. To examine the influence of technology, mass media, globalization, and transnationalcurrents on the music of today.The chapters in this reader contain definitions and explanations of musical terms and concepts,short essays on subjects related to music as a creative performing art, biographical sketchesof major figures in music, and historical and cultural background information on music fromdifferent periods and places.
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Compact Anthology of World Literature
Laura Getty; Kyounghye Kwon · University of North Georgia Press · 2016
A world literature class may be the first place that some students have encountered European works, let alone non-Western texts. The emphasis in this anthology, therefore, is on non-Western and European works, with only the British authors who were the most influential to European and non-Western authors (such as Shakespeare, whose works have influenced authors around the world to the present day). In a world literature class, there is no way that a student can be equally familiar with all of the societies, contexts, time periods, cultures, religions, and languages that they will encounter; even though the works presented here are translated, students will face issues such as unfamiliar names and parts of the story (such as puns) that may not translate well or at all. Since these stories are rooted in their cultures and time periods, it is necessary to know the basic context of each work to understand the expectations of the original audience. The introductions in this anthology are meant to be just that: a basic overview of what students need to know before they begin reading, with topics that students can research further. An open access literature textbook cannot be a history book at the same time, but history is the great companion of literature: The more history students know, the easier it is for them to interpret literature. These works can help students understand the present, as well. In an electronic age, with this text available to anyone with computer access around the world, it has never been more necessary to recognize and understand differences among nationalities and cultures. The literature in this anthology is foundational, in the sense that these works influenced the authors who followed them. A word to the instructor: The texts have been chosen with the idea that they can be compared and contrasted, using common themes. Rather than numerous (and therefore often random) choices of texts from various periods, these selected works are meant to make
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World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650
Laura Getty; Kyounghye Kwon · University of North Georgia Press · 2015
This peer-reviewedWorld Literature Ianthology includes introductory text and images before each series of readings. Sections of the text are divided bytimeperiod in three parts: the Ancient World, Middle Ages, and Renaissance, and then divided into chapters by location.
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Understanding Music: Past and Present
Alan Clark; Thomas Heflin; Jeffery Kluball; Elizabeth Kramer · University of North Georgia Press · 2015
Understanding Music: Past and Present is an open Music Appreciation textbook co-authored by music faculty across Georgia. The text covers the fundamentals of music and the physics of sound, an exploration of music from the Middle Ages to the present day, and a final chapter on popular music in the United States.
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Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning
Pamela Sachant; Peggy Blood; Jeffery LeMieux · University of North Georgia Press · 2016
Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning offers a comprehensive introduction to the world of Art. Authored by four USG faculty members with advance degrees in the arts, this textbooks offers up-to-date original scholarship. It includes over 400 high-quality images illustrating the history of art, its technical applications, and its many uses.Combining the best elements of both a traditional textbook and a reader, it introduces such issues in art as its meaning and purpose; its meaning and purpose; its structure, material, and form; and its diverse effects on our lives. Its digital nature allows students to follow links to applicable sources and videos, expanding the students' educational experiences beyond the textbook. Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning provides a new and free alternative to traditional textbooks, making it an invaluable resource in our modern age of technology and advancement.
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Yoga Minds, Writing Bodies: Contemplative Writing Pedagogy
Christy Wenger · WAC Clearinghouse · 2015
In Yoga Minds, Writing Bodies, Christy Wenger argues for the inclusion of Eastern-influenced contemplative education within writing studies. She observes that, although we have "embodied" writing education in general by discussing the rhetorics of racialized, gendered, and disabled bodies, we have done substantially less to address the particular bodies that occupy our classrooms. She proposes that we turn to contemplative education practices that engages student bodies through fusing a traditional curriculum with contemplative practices including yoga, meditation, and the martial arts. Drawing strength from the recent "quiet revolution" (Zajonc) of contemplative pedagogy within postsecondary education and a legacy of field interest attributable to James Moffett, this project draws on case studies of first-year college writers to present contemplative pedagogy as a means of teaching students mindfulness of their writing and learning in ways that promote the academic, rhetorical work accomplished in first-year composition classes while at the same time remaining committed to a larger scope of a writer's physical and emotional well-being.
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The Process of Research Writing
Steven Krause · Steven D. Krause · 2007
The title of this book is The Process of Research Writing, and in the nutshell, that is what the book is about. A lot of times, instructors and students tend to separate “thinking,” “researching,” and “writing” into different categories that aren't necessarily very well connected. First you think, then you research, and then you write.The reality is though that the possibilities and process of research writing are more complicated and much richer than that. We think about what it is we want to research and write about, but at the same time, we learn what to think based on our research and our writing. The goal of this book is to guide you through this process of research writing by emphasizing a series of exercises that touch on different and related parts of the research process.
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Music and the Child
Natalie Sarrazin · Open SUNY · 2016
Children are inherently musical. They respond to music and learn through music. Music expresses children's identity and heritage, teaches them to belong to a culture, and develops their cognitive well-being and inner self worth. As professional instructors, childcare workers, or students looking forward to a career working with children, we should continuously search for ways to tap into children's natural reservoir of enthusiasm for singing, moving and experimenting with instruments. But how, you might ask? What music is appropriate for the children I'm working with? How can music help inspire a well-rounded child? How do I reach and teach children musically? Most importantly perhaps, how can I incorporate music into a curriculum that marginalizes the arts? This book explores a holistic, artistic, and integrated approach to understanding the developmental connections between music and children. This book guides professionals to work through music, harnessing the processes that underlie music learning, and outlining developmentally appropriate methods to understand the role of music in children's lives through play, games, creativity, and movement. Additionally, the book explores ways of applying music-making to benefit the whole child, i.e., socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and linguistically.
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Deutsch im Blick
Zsuzsanna Abrams · COERLL · 2017
This textbook includes all 10 chapters of Deutsch im Blick. It accompanies http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/, the web-based first-year German program developed and in use at the University of Texas since 2008, and its companion site, Grimm Grammar. Deutsch im Blick is an open access site with free and open multimedia resources, which requires neither password nor fees. Deutsch im Blick has been funded and created by Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services at the University of Texas, and is currently supported by COERLL, the Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning UT-Austin, and the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE Grant P116B070251 & P116Y090057) as an example of the open access initiative.
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Theatrical Worlds
Charles Mitchell · University Press of Florida · 2014
From the University of Florida College of Fine Arts, Charlie Mitchell and distinguished colleagues from across America present an introductory text for theatre and theoretical production. This book seeks to give insight into the people and processes that create theater. It does not strip away the feeling of magic but to add wonder for the artistry that make a production work well.
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An Introduction to Formal Logic
P.D. Magnus · Fecundity · 2012
forall x is an introduction to sentential logic and first-order predicate logic with identity, logical systems that significantly influenced twentieth-century analytic philosophy. After working through the material in this book, a student should be able to understand most quantified expressions that arise in their philosophical reading. This books treats symbolization, formal semantics, and proof theory for each language. The discussion of formal semantics is more direct than in many introductory texts. Although forall x does not contain proofs of soundness and completeness, it lays the groundwork for understanding why these are things that need to be proven. Throughout the book, I have tried to highlight the choices involved in developing sentential and predicate logic. Students should realize that these two are not the only possible formal languages. In translating to a formal language, we simplify and profit in clarity. The simplification comes at a cost, and different formal languages are suited to translating different parts of natural language. The book is designed to provide a semester's worth of material for an introductory college course. It would be possible to use the book only for sentential logic, by skipping chapters 4-5 and parts of chapter 6.
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Transitioning towards a circular (healthcare) economy: Circular Economy principles, leadership, policy and decision-making
Bart van Straten; Bruno Bruins; Tim Horeman · TU Delft Open · 2025
This book offers a comprehensive roadmap toward a circular and sustainable healthcare system, structured into three distinct parts. Part I describes circular principles and policy tactics. Chapter 1 outlines the essentials of sustainable healthcare and designates the paradox in daily practice of sustainability and the circular economy. In Chapter 2 the impact of leadership on policy together with best practices is discussed. The legislation and infrastructural web, in which many stakeholders and circular economy initiatives are strangled, is described. Despite the fact that politicians and policymakers are motivated to encourage sustainability, the infrastructure is designed to discourage circular economy projects. This chapter shows examples of setting-up intrinsic motivated teams of hospital staff, green teams, industry leaders and scientific motivated research teams. Swimming against the current is about the legislation paradox. In chapter 3 described as how legislation should be redesigned to accomplish the goals as set out in the green deal and the climate law. Part II serves as a practical guide to implementing circular strategies. In chapter 4 the reader is guided through the fundamentals of circular strategies by visualizing the circular economy. Chapter 5 reveals successful design strategies for products and processes which contribute to a zero-waste society. Using recycled materials by using waste as input for new products is described in chapter 6. In chapter 6 we will explore (surgical) waste as input for new products. Recycled should and could be used more. This is a fundamental concept within circular design principles but hardly used until this moment. Part III explores circular economy design principles on basis of successful examples. This part dives into real-world applications and measurable outcomes. It showcases successful circular design concepts and business models that have reshaped the market. Chapter 7: Is about leading by design. Success s
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Cyber-Human Systems, Space Technologies, and Threats
Randall Nichols; Hans Mumm; Wayne Lonstein; Julie Ryan · New Prairie Press · 2023
CYBER-HUMAN SYSTEMS, SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, AND THREATS is our eighth textbook in a series covering the world of UASs / CUAS / UUVs / SPACE. We address the technological future of the merging of cyber-human systems (robots, cyborgs, AI/ML, computers) with humans and apply these innovations to space operations and defense against threats that are concomitant with their development. We look at artificial brains, legality of CHS sensors, AI /ML and Ag and food industry; Neurostrike and CHATGPT, biological threats and growth in space, space EW, modeling, deep space warfare, logistics and dominance; hypersonic missiles, cyber threats in space, machine parts, materials technologies, and economies of scale, quantum technologies impact and finally, innovative wireless power transfer for space applications. State-of-the-Art research by a team of eighteen SMEs is incorporated into our book. We trust you will enjoy reading it as much as we have in its writing. There is hope for the future. There is also caution needed.
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Radio Systems Engineering
Steven Ellingson · Virginia Tech Publishing · 2023
Using a systems framework, this textbook provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to the performance, analysis, and design of radio systems for students and practicing engineers. Presented within a consistent framework, the first part of the book describes the fundamentals of the subject: propagation, noise, antennas, and modulation. The analysis and design of radios including RF circuit design and signal processing is covered in the second half of the book. Key features Numerous examples within the text involve realistic analysis and design activities, and emphasize how practical experiences may differ from theory or taught procedures. RF circuit design and analysis is presented with minimal involvement of Smith charts, enabling students to more readily grasp the fundamentals. Both traditional and software-defined/direct sampling technology are described with pros and cons of each strategy explained. Are you reviewing or adopting this book for a course? Please help us understand your use by filling out this form: https://bit.ly/interest_radiosystemsengineering_revised1st Radio Systems Engineering (Revised First Edition) was previously published by Cambridge University Press (2016) ISBN 9781107068285. This version is © Steven W. Ellingson and has been lightly updated to correct known errata, minor issues with text and figures, and to present examples in color highlight boxes and some figures in color. It is made freely available and under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial International License (CC BY NC 4.0) with permission from Cambridge University Press.