Civilization & Culture Books - Page 4

Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture (5th Edition)

Michael F. Petracca, Madeleine Sorapure

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

wide ranging and entertaining 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 11 people found this review helpful.

it's good to find perceptive analyses of aspects of culture we otherwise take for granted treated with both the humor and curiosity they deserve. the scope of this book will help dispel any jaded stare your eyes might have acquired in seeing life grow increasingly routine. as anthropologists are finding westernization leaving scarcer indigenous pickings, we can be happy cultural studies questioning some of the modes becoming more "common".

Good for Freshman Composition 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I'm using it with my students this semester and it appears to be a hit. Of course, some students who are loathe to engage in critical thinking will find this book useless, but for those who enjoy thinking, analyzing, and questioning, this book serves as a good segueway into deeper critical analyses. This book features readings on pop culture ranging from relatively easy-to-read articles to selections from academic articles from scholarly journals. As a result, many students are faced with difficult and complex readings, often for the first time. By focusing on critical analysis, with this text in the guise of questioning the function of pop culture, students develop their analytical skills and refrain from being passive. Thus, they're encouraged to be active and engaged with their environment. I much prefer a reader in the composition classroom instead of the boring, "how-to" compositions. For the actual writing, I make my own handouts and assignments (individual, small group, and large group), and conduct in-class writing conferences. If a professor isn't willing to do the extra work needed in order to show and model solid collegiate writing, then this book, perhaps, isn't for him or her. But if a professor likes depth to the composition classroom and likes to encourage critical thinking in the students, then this book may be for him or her.

Editorial Review:

From Barbie to the Internet, the Simpsons to the malls, this engaging book on pop culture can help readers develop writing skills while reading and thinking about subjects they find inherently interesting. It contains essays addressing pop culture topics along with suggestions for further reading. Topics covered in the essays include advertising, television, popular music, cyberculture, sports, and movies. Because of its several comprehensive indices, this book is an excellent reference work for writers and analysts of popular culture.

cosmic code: Book VI of the Earth Chronicles

Zecharia Sitchin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Misunderstandings and baseless assertions Ahoy! 1 out of 5 stars.
15 of 47 people found this review helpful.

For all those praising the academic/scholastic merit of this work, yours must have a detailed references section that the one I picked up seems to lack. I would give him a D- and a "See Me!" had this had shown up on my desk. Someone should point out to him that evolution has no direction, as if we were destined to get to this point and are no longer evolving. Be careful of the plethora of misunderstandings and baseless assertions that can destroy a person's capacity to think about humans at all scientifically, historically, or otherwise. If you're incredulous of my own assertions, please research anything in Sitchin's works. You will have done more research than he likely did, and could even cite it. Don't take one sourceless book's word for it! You'll find planet X (Tiamat?) prophesies, space stations made of rocks, and millions of years of evolution very slightly co-opted by extra-terrestrials less believable than you once did. There are, after all, enough actual mysteries in the world. We don't need another convoluted theory that creates far more problems than it solves. It's no fluke that these books have made no waves in challenging any anthropological or historical constructions of earlier periods of humanity, areas of knowledge that are constantly modified by actual scholarship. It's also no fluke that these books are marginally profitable, and they keep being released, expanding upon the baseless foundation with even more baseless structure rather than defending the indefensible first works. As far as I'm concerned, if he's one of the few who can decipher those texts, he's abusing his position for financial gain, and could easily be ousted in the genre by a legitimate scholar.

Editorial Review:

Many thousands of years ago, a group of extraterrestrials from another planet guided the evolution of life on Earth—determining the existence and nature of humankind as we know it today. How did the master builders from the stars construct the miracle called man? Is the DNA that is at the core of all life in the universe a "cosmic code" that links Earth to heaven and man to God?

In this sixth volume of The Earth Chronicles, Zecharia Sitchin unveils writings from the past to decipher prophesies, and reveals how the DNA-matched Hebrew alphabet and the numerical values of its letters serve as a code that bares the secrets of mortal man’s fate and mankind’s celestial destiny.

The lost realms: Book IV of the Earth Chronicles (The Earth Chronicles)

Zecharia Sitchin

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Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the sixteenth century, Spanish conquerors came to the New World in search of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. Instead, they encountered inexplicable phenomena that have puzzled scholars and historians ever since: massive stone edifices constructed in the Earth's most inaccessible regions . . . great monuments forged with impossible skill and unknown tools . . . intricate carvings describing events and places half a world away.

Who were the bearded "gods of the golden wand" who had brought civilization to the Americas millennia before Columbus? Who were the giants whose sculpted stone heads in Mesoamerica still mystify to this day?

In this remarkably researched fourth volume of The Earth Chronicles, author and explorer Zecharia Sitchin uncovers the long-hidden secrets of the lost New World civilizations of the Olmecs, Aztecs, Mayas and Incas, and links the conquistadors' quest for El Dorado to the extraterrestrials who searched there for gold long before.

Are We Rome?: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America

Cullen Murphy

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Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A meditation on the decline and fall 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book compares contemporary America to the Roman Empire. In asking whether we are Rome, Murphy is really asking whether we are doomed to decline and fall, as Rome did. When I began this book I was thinking of Rome at its peak. However, its focus is really on the decline of the empire. With the focus on the negative aspects of the (mostly late) Roman Empire and of America, it gradually becomes clear that the author does not much like either Rome or America. Two examples from the text will explain what I mean. The author takes exception to the plaque left by Neil Armstrong on the moon that says "We came in peace for all mankind," apparently on the grounds that Americans should not be speaking for all mankind. The second refers to the famous `line in the sand' episode from Roman history. In 168 BC, the Roman Consul Gaius Popillius Laenas drew a line in the sand around King Antiochus IV of the Seleucid Empire who was about to invade Egypt, saying, "Before you cross this line I want you to give me a reply for the Roman Senate". The implication was that Rome would declare war if the King stepped out of the circle without committing to leave Egypt immediately. Weighing his options, Antiochus wisely chose to withdraw. This would seem to be a triumph of diplomacy since armed conflict was averted without any loss of life or an arrow being fired. Murphy holds this up as an example of Roman arrogance. Arrogance or not, the responsibility that comes with power is such that great nations cannot be spectators and do have to show leadership.

In general the book consists of a series of musings about the similarities between American and Roman governments, militaries, industry, etc. The chapter on privatization of government services is more polemic than scholarly discussion. Unfortunately there seems to be no strong underlying thesis. That there are many similarities between Rome and America should come as no surprise because the imperatives of governing a large nation state are as universal as gravity. In keeping with this idea, most of the similarities between America and Rome would as well apply to the British Empire. Early on, the author tells us that the school history class cliché about those who forget history being doomed to repeat it is not particularly true. This is disconcerting, because what then is the point of this book?

The question posed in the title is of course rhetorical. All empires rise and fall. Murphy reminds us that in some sense Rome never went away completely. Many of our institutions today, not to mention our language, are direct descendents of their Roman counterparts. That America faces many of the same challenges as Rome did is a given. Certainly there are many similarities between the body politic of both Rome and America, but no more than with other large nations. There are also some of the same failings. Yet there are differences as well. America has many strengths, and Murphy does mention some of them at the very end, though only in passing. The entrepreneurial spirit that beginning in the late nineteenth century would power America to global prominence is not mentioned. Obviously Murphy is not happy with the America he sees around him. He makes a strong case for America being Rome at its worst and suggests some ideas to turn things around. Unfortunately, he makes a much poorer case for America NOT being Rome.

Editorial Review:

The rise and fall of ancient Rome has been on American minds from the beginning of our republic.Today we focus less on the Roman Republic than on the empire that took its place. Depending on who's doing the talking, the history of Rome serves as either a triumphal call to action or a dire warning of imminent collapse. In Are We Rome? the esteemed editor and author Cullen Murphy reveals a wide array of similarities between the two empires: the blinkered, insular culture of our capitals; the debilitating effect of bribery in public life; the paradoxical issue of borders; and the weakening of the body politic through various forms of privatization. Murphy persuasively argues that we most resemble Rome in the burgeoning corruption of our government and in our arrogant ignorance of the world outside -- two things that must be changed if we are to avoid Rome's fate.

Discovering the Western Past

Merry E. Wiesner

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Editorial Review:

This supplemental text, designed for use in any Western civilization course, explores historical material using the "discovery approach," which presents students with a series of historical problems—and the evidence they can use to analyze and solve these problems. Each chapter follows a six-step system that allows students to follow a scholarly historical investigation from beginning to end.

Western Civilization: A Brief History, Volume II: Since 1500

Jackson J. Spielvogel

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Liked Vol. I better 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I thought Vol. I was much easier to follow. Vol. II jumped from one event to another and not necessarily in order. For example, one paragraph talks about Hitler committing suicide; two paragraphs later the Holocaust is discussed. I found it hard to read.

Editorial Review:

Put the world today into context by learning about the past through this brief, best-selling Western Civilization text that has helped thousands of students succeed in the course. Jack Spielvogel's engaging style of writing weaves the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, and military aspects of history into a gripping story that is as memorable as it is instructive. You will also be exposed to primary source documents – actual historical documents that are the foundation for the historical analysis you read in the chapter. These documents include letters, poems, and songs through history-documents that actually enliven the past. Throughout the book there are also helpful tools to help you digest the reading including outlines, chronologies, numerous maps and key terms with definitions.

Civilization in the West: To 1715 (Civilization in the West)

Mark Kishlansky, Patrick Geary, Patricia O'Brien

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Definitely a college text! 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed this text during my history class very much because it was so in depth. The hundreds of famous paintings alone make this book worthwhile, but it reads very much like a college text. Don't get me wrong -- I came to love history through taking this class, and the book was a large part of that. You must have a high level of literacy and some previous knowledge of history to read this book very easily. NO DETAILS ARE LEFT OUT!!! The book is fabulous and I would recommend it to any level anyways.

Editorial Review:

Civilization in the West blends social and political history with a myriad of maps and images that bring history to life. The authors tell a compelling story of Western Civilization that is enhanced by images and maps. "The Visual Record" chapter openers draw readers in by using illustrations that underscore a dominant theme of the chapter. New "Image Discovery" features guide readers to interrogate images, understand their contexts, and unpack their multiple meanings. The dramatic, changing contours of the West are explored throughMap Discovery features and Geographical Tours of Europe.

Sources of Chinese Tradition

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A collection of seminal primary readings on the social, intellectual, and religious traditions of China, has been widely used and praised for almost forty years as an authoritative resource for scholars and students and as a thorough and engaging introduction for general readers. Here at last is a completely revised and expanded edition of this classic sourcebook, compiled by noted China scholars Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom. Updated to reflect recent scholarly developments, with extensive material on popular thought and religion, social roles, and women´s education, this edition features new translations of more than half the works from the first edition, as well as many new selections. Arranged chronologically, this anthology is divided into four parts, beginning at the dawn of literate Chinese civilization with the Oracle-Bone inscriptions of the late Shang dynasty (1571­1045 B.C.E.) and continuing through the end of the Ming dynasty (C.E. 1644). Each chapter has an introduction that provides useful historical context and offers interpretive strategies for understanding the readings. The first part, The Chinese Tradition in Antiquity, considers the early development of Chinese civilization and includes selections from Confucius´s the texts of Mencius and Laozi, as well as other key texts from the Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist schools. Part 2, The Making of a Classical Culture, focuses on Han China with readings from the (), the major Han syntheses, and the great historians of the Han dynasty. The development of Buddhism, from the earliest translations from Sanskrit to the central texts of the Chan school (which became Zen in Japan), is the subject of the third section of the book. Titled Later Daoism and Mahayana Buddhism in China, this part also covers the teachings of Wang Bi, Daoist religion, and texts of the major schools of Buddhist doctrine and practice. The final part, The Confucian Revival and Neo-Confucianism, details the revival of Confucian thought in the Tang, Song, and Ming periods, with historical documents that link philosophical thought to political, social, and educational developments in late imperial China. With annotations, a detailed chronology, glossary, and a new introduction by the editors, will continue to be a standard resource, guidebook, and introduction to Chinese civilization well into the twenty-first century.

From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 to the Present: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life

Jacques Barzun

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Total reviews: 151 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Highly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has now set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500.

In this account, Barzun describes what Western Man wrought from the Renaisance and Reformation down to the present in the double light of its own time and our pressing concerns. He introduces characters and incidents with his unusual literary style and grace, bringing to the fore those that have "Puritans as Democrats," "The Monarch's Revolution," "The Artist Prophet and Jester"--show the recurrent role of great themes throughout the eras.

The triumphs and defeats of five hundred years form an inspiring saga that modifies the current impression of one long tale of oppression by white European males. Women and their deeds are prominent, and freedom (even in sexual matters) is not an invention of the last decades. And when Barzun rates the present not as a culmination but a decline, he is in no way a prophet of doom. Instead, he shows decadence as the creative novelty that will burst forth--tomorrow or the next day.

Only after a lifetime of separate studies covering a broad territory could a writer create with such ease the synthesis displayed in this magnificent volume.

Plagues and peoples

William Hardy McNeill

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Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Upon its original publication, Plagues and Peoples was an immediate critical and popular success, offering a radically new interpretation of world history as seen through the extraordinary impact--political, demographic, ecological, and psychological--of disease on cultures. From the conquest of Mexico by smallpox as much as by the Spanish, to the bubonic plague in China, to the typhoid epidemic in Europe, the history of disease is the history of humankind. With the identification of AIDS in the early 1980s, another chapter has been added to this chronicle of events, which William McNeill explores in his new introduction to this updated editon.

Thought-provoking, well-researched, and compulsively readable, Plagues and Peoples is that rare book that is as fascinating as it is scholarly, as intriguing as it is enlightening. "A brilliantly conceptualized and challenging achievement" (Kirkus Reviews), it is essential reading, offering a new perspective on human history.