Taylor & Francis

Adventure education; an introduction.

Written for students, teachers, practitioners, and managers, this guide to adventure education emphasizes the need for professionals to embrace lessons from related educational disciplines. Contributors are professionals in adventure education in the UK, many from the University of Chichester. The book's 14 brief chapters are illustrated with b&w photos and include numerous real-world case studies. Coverage begins with theories and models that have shaped the field, then turns to risk management and applications of coaching theories in adventure education. Programs for specific purposes, such as prevention of lifestyle-based illnesses, intervention with disaffected young people, and exploring ethics and moral behavior, are described. There is also material on professional development and evaluating learning in adventure education. Berry and Hodgson teach adventure education and physical education at the University of Chichester, UK. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The aging intellect.

For professionals who work with older people, for caregivers in any context, and for older people themselves, Powell (clinical psychology, Harvard Medical School) synthesizes current knowledge about what happens to people's cognitive abilities as they age. This is not a superficial self-help guide with quick-fix answers. Rather, the author investigates the experiences of people in three categories of cognitive aging: optimal, normal, and high risk. He discusses how the mind ages, how health affects intellect, and direct actions that benefit the aging brain — drawing on current research and a couple decades of experience working with the geriatric population. In addition, data and anecdotes collected by students in his classes support and illustrate the information. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The architecture of light; recent approaches to designing with natural light.

This thorough, analytical study focuses on 10 architectural projects located in France, Chile, Italy, Australia, Ireland, Germany, and the UK. Each project is thoroughly analyzed in terms of its natural daylight and also in terms of how the architect articulates his thinking and goals regarding natural light. The projects are illustrated with modest-sized b&w photos and drawings. Mary Ann Steane is an architect and a lecturer at the U. of Cambridge whose research interests include design principles of the use of natural light and the broader cultural perspective. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Around & about Stock Orchard Street.

Stock Orchard is the name of a street in London. On this street there's a house with the address 9/10 — a house also known as the Straw House. It was built by a husband-wife architect team, who implemented every manner of innovation in the interests of ecologically sound design and construction. The house has garnered plenty of attention, numerous awards, and some critics. This compendium presents a dense amount of material, including drawings and photographs and narrative about all the decision-making, the adventures (and the woes) of construction, and the various controversies concerning the finished project. Contributors were participants in various aspects of the process as well as architects and others who analyze the house in terms of ordinariness and perfection, excessive materiality, and what is meant by green, among other topics. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Assessing prospective trade policy; methods applied to EU-ACP economic partnership agreements.

Beginning around 2003, the European Union began negotiating economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with regional groupings of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries in which those countries commit to remove tariffs on EU imports while the EU promises improved market access to exporters from those countries. In this work, Morrissey (development economics, U. of Nottingham, UK) presents 10 chapters assessing the impacts of these EPAs. Following an introduction to the EPAs and the practice of prospective trade policy analysis, as well as general overview chapters, analysis is presented concerning the impact of the EPAs on the economies of Mauritius, Uganda, and Kenya; regional import and export performances in the wake of EPAs; and the relationship between the EPAs and food security. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Becoming a teacher researcher in literacy teaching and learning; strategies and tools for the inquiry process.

Over her 20-year career at the U. of Illinois at Chicago, emeritus professor Pappas taught Master's-level literacy teacher research. As a graduate student at UIC, Tucker-Raymond team-taught the course with Pappas and then on his own; he is now with a nonprofit math and science educational research organization. Pappas and Tucker-Raymond's text offers inservice and preservice teachers an accessible guide to conducting research on the literacy teaching and learning in their own classes, as a way to reflect on their work and to contribute to the dialogue on education in their local communities. The text guides readers through the research steps, from defining, planning, and starting teacher research, to enacting, analyzing, and writing up one's inquiry. A significant proportion of the book consists of 12 reports by teacher researchers, from grades K-12, investigating a variety of literacy topics, such as vocabulary strategies, reading and writing workshops, independent reading, and peer writing conferences. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Benjamin for architects.

Elliott (philosophy, Oregon State U. and Portland State U.) explores implications for architects of the thought of Walter Benjamin (1892-1940). Among the contributions the German Jewish philosopher made, he says, are profound and nuanced reflections on modernity and modernism; detailed analysis of the social and political impact of the built environment; consideration of architecture as a crucial medium and repository for the intersection of personal and shared cultural memory; and a sense of the politically and historically charged nature of the meaning carried by the built environment. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Biochemistry, 4th ed.

Hames and Hooper (both biological sciences, U. of Leeds) update their study guide to incorporate changes during the five years since the third edition, though they maintain the focus on core information that a first-year student needs as a foundation for future study in biochemistry. Their topics include cells, enzymes, RNA synthesis and processing, carbohydrate metabolism, and respiration and energy. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Business information systems and technology; a primer.

Writing for undergraduate students of business information systems (BIS) and business information technology (BIT), as well as students pursuing an MBA, Lehaney (U. of Wollongong in Dubai), Lovett (Coventry U., UK), and Shah (Lancashire Business School) introduce core aspects of BIS and BIT, moving beyond purely technical subjects in order to demonstrate how the topic integrates a range of interconnected management and technology disciplines. Chapter topics include management and organizations, information systems, applied information technology, e-commerce, quantitative methods, accounting and finance, database management, organizational behavior, systems analysis and design, data warehousing and business intelligence, strategy and information systems, project management, digital society, knowledge management, and carrying out a project. Each chapter includes a case study, a summary, and a glossary. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Controversies in local economic development; stories, strategies, solutions.

Holding the view that too much debate about local development is driven by theories and economic modeling rather than existing evidence, Perry (management, Massey U., Wellington) reviews a selection of controversial issues. Among them are regional competitiveness and local economic development, regional policy and inward investment, learning regions, enterprise clusters and regional specialization, urban success and the creative class, whether technology incubators are hothouse accelerators or life support shelters, ecological modernization, and making progress. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Critical perspectives on the responsibilty to protect; interrogating theory and practice.

Considering that NATO's 2011 attack on Libya was, at least initially, justified by the doctrine of the "responsibility to protect" (R2P), even as it rather quickly became an (as yet incomplete) exercise in regime change, this is a rather timely collection of papers providing critical perspectives on both the theory and outcomes of the R2P doctrine. Editor Cunliffe (politics and international relations, U. of Kent, Canterbury) presents nine papers exploring such topics as the similarities of R2P to earlier "humanitarian" justifications for colonialism and imperial expansion, the way R2P shifts focus away from Western states to the "responsibilities" of developing countries; R2P as an indicator of the failure of the West to impose an international normative order, the way that the lack of specific agent in which the responsibility of "responsibility to protect" resides helps undermine political accountability, the militarism of R2P and its threat to international law and global order, R2P as empty of any real legal substance, and the impact of R2P on political relations within and between sub-Saharan African states. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The definitive guide to emergency department operational improvement; employing lean principles with current ED best practices to create the "no wait" department.

Crane, an emergency physician practicing in Virginia, and Noon (management science, U. of Tennessee) offer a guide for emergency room managers. At the core of the book are best practices for the three intervals from door-to-doctor, from doctor to disposition, and from disposition to departure. Other topics include value stream mapping, standard work, inventory management basics, mistake proofing, patient satisfaction, and leadership and change management in healthcare. There is no index. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Delinquency theories; appraisals and applications.

Hoffmann (sociology, Brigham Young U.) surveys some of the scientific theories about why some young people become involved in juvenile delinquency and others do not — about half and half in the US now, he points out. They include psychological theories, communities, the stresses and strains of adolescence, control theories, conflict and radical theories, postmodern and feminist views of delinquency, and integrating and elaborating theories of delinquency. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Derrida for architects.

Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was one of the few philosophers to write explicitly about architecture, says Coyne (architecture, U. of Edinburgh), and he here rethinks how the French philosopher's thinking has impacted the profession. In particular, he argues that the architecture style called 'deconstructionism' that developed during the 1980s and 1990s falls far short of realizing what is radical in his contribution to understanding architecture. He ponders Derrida's views of architecture as an institution with all the usual trappings of one, and how the intellectual procedures he used to analyze texts and resolve philosophical problems can be used in architecture as well. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Diversity in American higher education; toward a more comprehensive approach.

Stulberg and Weinberg (educational sociology and applied statistics and psychology, New York U.) assemble 20 articles by education and sociology scholars from the US and Canada who examine various issues related to diversity in US higher education in the areas of race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual and political orientation. They first address equity in K-12 schooling, which they argue underlies higher education equity and access, then cover the changing meaning of diversity at the postsecondary level and its impact on admissions, educational practice, and organizational structure. Subsequent sections consider progress in diversity and equality and continuing challenges for female, LGBT, underrepresented minority, Asian American, and politically conservative and liberal students, staff, and faculty, ending with discussion of the continued relevance of historically Black colleges and universities and women's colleges, the implications of new financial aid policies for diversity, new approaches to assessing faculty diversity, and the new legal landscape. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Doing ethics in media; theories and practical applications.

This textbook by Black (emeritus, U. of South Florida) and Roberts (U. of Alabama) on ethics in media is explicitly grounded in moral philosophy and is intended to help students recognize moral issues, develop analytical skills, tolerate (and resist) disagreement and ambiguity, stimulate the moral imagination, and elicit a sense of moral obligation and personal responsibility. The key topics they address are moral problems, codes and rules, stakeholder theory, competing values, moral philosophies, and accountability. The text includes case studies intended to help the student identify ethical issues and analyze how to deal with them. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Doing multicultural education for achievement and equity, 2d ed.

Grant (curriculum and instruction, U. of Wisconsin-Madison) and Sleeter (professional studies, California State U., Monterey Bay) present a history and rationale for multicultural education to help teacher candidates examine and develop their personal teaching identity using self-help and interactive activities that focus on 17 skill areas. They discuss the concept of student-centered teaching, the broader societal and institutional context, and various aspects of teaching, such as caring relationships; building instruction on diverse students' assets; curriculum as it relates to diversity, equity, and student learning; testing and assessment in the context of diversity and equity; and the implications of social ideals for the work of teacher-activists and students as citizens. This edition incorporates reflection boxes, activities, and vignettes; new coverage of issues related to student achievement, federal and state policy, and socioeconomic connections between the current economy and educational funding; ways to bridge No Child Left Behind to Race to the Top; a more comprehensive discussion of social movements that have impacted education; and updated statistics and demographics. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Duped; lies and deception in psychotherapy.

Kottler (counseling, California State U.-Fullerton) and Carlson (psychology and counseling, Governors State U.) compile 41 essays that relate cases of clients who have lied in psychotherapy. A group of therapists, psychologists, social workers, researchers, and others working in various settings in the US, Australia, and Europe relate these stories and how they reacted, what sense they made of the experience, and what was learned. They range from a woman who claimed her therapist did unethical things to a college-age client who was making a game out of therapy to those who lie about their problems. No index is provided. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

E-learning in the 21st century; a framework for research and practice, 2d ed.

Garrison (education, U. of Calgary, Canada) examines the technological, pedagogical, and organizational implications of e-learning in higher education for researchers, educators, and administrators. Rather than focusing on specific technologies, he emphasizes understanding e-learning from an educational perspective, outlining a theoretical framework made up of three elements: the social aspect and creating a climate for higher-order skills in e-learning, the cognitive aspect of critical thinking, and the role of teaching presence. He also addresses technology and its development, the impact of the Internet, the role and nature of interaction, implementation, assessment and evaluation, and institutional issues like change, leadership, policy, and infrastructure. This edition has been revised and updated to incorporate a new chapter on blended learning, rewritten chapters on social presence and future directions, and discussions of social media and mobile learning applications and other emerging technologies for the classroom. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The EcoEdge; urgent design challenges in building sustainable cities.

Sustainability may be the buzzword of the early 21st century. It's coupled with everything from energy production and climate change to fisheries, clothing — and architectural design. This book offers the experiences and perspectives of designers who have created sustainable design projects rather than simply talked and theorized. It includes 14 global case studies considered benchmarks and inspiration for the transformation to sustainability, emerging economies, and, as the title suggests, analysis of urgent design challenges including population density, recreating infrastructure for carbon neutral or low carbon emission-intensive urban activities, and retrofitting existing infrastructure. The editors are Charlesworth (architecture, RMIT U., Australia), and Adams (city design director, Melbourne, Australia). (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)