Purdue University Press provides quality resources in several key subject areas including business, technology, health, veterinary sciences, and other selected disciplines in the humanities and sciences. As well as publishing around 30 books a year, and five subscription-based journals, the Press is committed to broadening access to scholarly information using digital technology. As part of this initiative, the Press distributes a number of Open Access electronic-only journals.
This series contains e-Books published through the Purdue University Press.
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Voices of Resistance: Communication and Social Change
Mohan J. Dutta
This book re-presents voices of resistance from across the globe to document the communicative processes, practices, and frameworks through which neoliberal global policies are currently being defied. Based on examples, case studies, and ethnographic reports, Voices of Resistance serves as a space for engaging various perspectives from the global margins in dialogue. The emphasis of the book is on the core idea that creating spaces for listening to voices of resistance fosters openings for the politics of social change; interweaving the stories of the local, the national, and the global. The book is divided into chapters addressing the politics of resistance in the contexts of global economic policies, agriculture, education, health, poverty, and development.
Mohan J. Dutta is Professor of Communication and Director of Center on Poverty and Health Inequities (COPHI) at Purdue University.
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Confronting the Yugoslav Controversies: A Scholars' Initiative (Second Edition)
Charles Ingrao and Thomas A. Emmert
It has been two decades since Yugoslavia fell apart. The brutal conflicts that followed its dissolution are over, but the legacy of the tragedy continues to unsettle the region. Reconciliation is a long and difficult process that necessitates a willingness to work together openly and objectively in confronting the past. Over the past decade the Scholars’ Initiative assembled an international consortium of historians, social scientists, and jurists to examine the salient controversies that still divide the peoples of former Yugoslavia. The broadly conceived synthesis will assist scholars, public officials, and the people they represent both in acknowledging inconvenient facts and in discrediting widely held myths that inform popular attitudes and the electoral success of nationalist politicians who profit from them.
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Borges and Mathematics
Guillermo Martinez
BORGES AND MATHEMATICS is a short book of essays that explores the scientific thinking of the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899 to 1986). Around half of the book consists of two "lectures" focused on mathematics. The rest of the book reflects on the relationship between literature, artistic creation, physics, and mathematics more generally. Written in a way that will be accessible even to those "who can only count to ten," the book presents a bravura demonstration of the intricate links between the worlds of sciences and arts, and it is a thought-provoking call to dialog for readers from both traditions.
The author GUILLERMO MARTÍNEZ is an internationally recognized Argentine writer who also holds a PhD in mathematics. His short story “Vast Hell” was published in The New Yorker (2009), and his novel The Oxford Murders (2003) has been translated into thirty five languages. He is also the author of four more novels, including Regarding Roderer (1992) and The Book of Murder (2007), as well as several books of essays, including Gödel (para todos) (with Gustavo Piñero).
The translator ANDREA G. LABINGER has published numerous translations of Latin American fiction. Among the many authors she has translated are Sabina Berman, Carlos Cerda, Daína Chaviano, Mempo Giardinelli, and Luisa Valenzuela. She has been a finalist three times in the PEN USA competition.
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Library Publishing Services: Strategies for Success: Final Research Report (March 2012)
James L. Mullins, Catherine Murray-Rust, Joyce L. Ogburn, Raym Crow, October Ivins, Allyson Mower, Daureen Nesdill, Mark Newton, Julie Speer, and Charles Watkinson
This report briefly presents the findings and recommendations of the "Library Publishing Services: Strategies for Success" project which investigated the extent to which publishing has now become a core activity of North American academic libraries and suggested ways in which further capacity could be built. The research described (consisting of a survey, some case studies, three workshops, and a set of further reading recommendations) was mainly conducted between October 1, 2010, and September 30, 2011. It was supported by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Libraries Studies, made to Purdue University Libraries in collaboration with the Libraries of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah.
Related resources to this document are the preliminary report of November 2011 which contains appendices that describe the research activities in general and an HTML version hosted on Comment Press that allows community comments to be posted.
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(A)wry Views: Anamorphosis, Cervantes, and the Early Picaresque
David R. Castillo
The term anamorphosis, from the greek ana (again) and morphe (shape), designates a variety of perspective experiments that can be traced back to the artistic developments of the 1500's and 1600's. Anamorphic devices challenge viewers to experience different forms of perceptual oscillation and uncertainty. Images shift in front of the eyes of puzzled spectators as they move from the center of the representation to the margins, or from one side to the other. (A) Wry Views demonstrates that much of the literature of the Spanish Golden Age is susceptible, and indeed requires, oblique readings (as in anamorphosis).
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Wake Up Your Call Center: Humanizing Your Interaction Hub
Rosanne D’Ausilio
D'Ausilio, an industrial psychologist, uses humor to encourage customer service representatives in call centers, their immediate superiors, middle and upper management, and team leaders, seniors, and supervisors. She offers simple tips on staying sane in the call center environment and on raising quality.
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Program Management: A Comprehensive Overview of the Discipline
Mitchell L. Springer
Although many might argue that program management is magic or luck, and at times this might be the case, Springer instead describes program management as both an art and a science. The art of program management is addressed through the numerous qualitative aspects of dealing with people, working in teams, understanding what motivates people, and gaining an understanding how we manage. The quantitative side is composed of a process with multiple activities with clear-cut outcomes. The integration of the multiple activities and outcomes provides a powerful framework for successfully planning a program. Program Management: A Comprehensive Overview of the Discipline, doing what no other book has done, integrates and depicts each of the many program activities, art and science, into a well-defined sequence for creating a successful program plan. Program management is not reserved for multi-million dollar programs with strategic governmental or defense implications. The process presented by the author can be applied to any project, whether it be building a garage or planting a garden. The examples presented provide a clear and concise picture of the complete set of activities, how the responsible parties interact and which outcomes are desired for each activity.
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Applied Ethics in Animal Research: Philosophy, Regulation, and Laboratory Applications
John P. Gluck, Tony DiPasquale, and F. Barbara Orlans
This volume is a collection of chapters all contributed by individuals who have presented their ideas at conferences and who take moderate stands with the use of animals in research. Specifically the chapters bear of the issues of: notions of the moral standings of animals, history of the methods of argumentation, knowledge of the animal mind, nature and value of regulatory structures, how respect for animals can be converted from theory to action in the laboratory. The chapters have been tempered by open discussion with individuals with different opinions and not audiences of true believers. It is the hope of all, that careful consideration of the positions in these chapters will leave reader with a deepened understanding, not necessarily a hardened position.
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The Leader’s Imperative: Ethics, Integrity, and Responsibility
J. C. Ficarrotta
Drawn from the "Alice McDermott Memorial Lectures in Applied Ethics" held at the United States Air Force Academy, these 20 essays contribute to our understanding of ethics and leadership. Contributions come from a distinguished and diverse group of individuals including, Allan Bloom, Reverend Edward A. Malloy, John T. Noonan, Jr., James F. Childress, Christina Hoff Sommers, General Ronald R. Fogelman, and William J. Bennett. The range of topics include moral certainty and sensibility, professional and personal integrity, emergency ethics and the responsibility of war criminals, the just war and public policy, unethical adversaries and military obligation, and liberal education and character.
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Hard Water: Politics and Water Supply in Milwaukee, 1870-1995
Kate Foss-Mollan
Hard Water: Politics And Water Supply In Milwaukee, 1870-1995 by educator and urban studies specialist Kate Foss-Mollan is the documented and historical account of the water supply of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Foss-Mollan blends urban history, technology, biology, research, and political science into a remarkably intriguing and informative saga. From conflicts over supplying poor neighborhoods to partisan debates regarding the necessity of a filtration plant, Hard Water spans over a century with an eye-opening account of the wrangling, machinations, and more all about a seemingly simple drink of water. Very highly recommended for American urban studies reading lists.
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A Passion for Ideas: How Innovators Create the New and Shape Our World
Heinrich V. Pierer and Bolko V. Oetinger
Business and industry leaders are eager to find ways to spark the creative instinct in their work forces. This newly translated work examines the multi-layered environment of innovation by melding the thoughts of business management pundits like Peter Senge with the views of artist, politicians, and other non-traditional thinkers like Tao Ho, Peter Greenaway, and Wolfgang Rihm.
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Bypass: A Memoir
Joseph A. Amato
This inquiry into matters of heart, conducted under the shadows of pending surgery, awakens themes of boyhood, education, and marriage and prompt questions about loyalty to a deceased father, connections with immigrant grandparents, loss and rediscovery of faith, and solitude versus community. A medical narrative, the book also chronicles a span of contemporary American life. Throughout Amato's account, the consistent reminder of his upcoming bypass invites readers to reflect on their own lives and selves. This is an intelligent and witty guide to an immensely common operation that nevertheless for each patient constitutes a unique experience-a veritable rite of passage.
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Call Center Benchmarking: How Good Is
Jon Anton and David Gustin
Executives are beginning to recognize the potential of the call center as a significant revenue generator, perhaps one of the surest investments they can make in enhancing and creating customer value and bottom-line profits. Return on investments made in customer accessibility is seldom less than 100% in the first year, and frequently even more if customer lifetime value is included in the equation. Herein lies the challenge and the primary reason to benchmark your call center metrics against not only the best-in-the-world, but also your most direct competitors, i.e., best-in-class.
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Women Succeeding in the Sciences: Theories and Practices Across Disciplines
Jody Bart
Ample evidence has been provided that women historically have suffered numerous social, political, and institutional barriers to their entrance and success in the sciences. The articles in this anthology refocus the discussion and reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the issues surrounding women in the sciences. While the barriers that women have faced as researchers, subjects of research, students of science, and theorists have been well documented, this anthology breaks new ground. It presents the ways women succeed in the sciences, overcome these historical barriers, and contribute to the social practice of science and the philosophy of science in both theory and practice.
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A Story for All Americans: Vietnam, Victims, and Veterans
Frank L. Grzyb and John F. Kerry
Story for All Americans: Vietnam, Victims, and Veterans (formerly titled, Touched by the Dragon) details wartime accounts of average servicemen and women-some heroic, some frightening, some amusing, some nearly unbelievable. The work is a historical compendium of fascinating and compelling stories woven together in a theme format. What makes this book truly unique, however, is its absence of literary pretentiousness. Relating oral accounts, the veterans speak in a no-nonsense, matter-of-fact way. As seen through the eyes of the veterans, the stories include first-person experiences of infantry soldiers, a flight officer, a medic, a nurse, a combat engineer, an intelligence soldier, and various support personnel. Personalities emerge gradually as the veterans discuss their pre war days, their training and preparation for Vietnam, and their actual in-country experiences. The stories speak of fear and survival: the paranoia of not knowing who or where the enemy was; the bullets, rockets, and mortars that could mangle a body or snuff out a life in an instant; and going home with a CMH - not the Congressional Medal of Honor, but a Casket with Metal Handles. The veterans also speak of friendships and simple acts of kindness. But more importantly, they speak of healing-both physically and mentally.
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Constructing the Criollo Archive: Subjects of Knowledge in the Bibliotheca Mexicana and the Rusticatio Mexicana
Antony Higgins
This book constitutes an attempt to theorize the process of the emergence, in eighteenth-century New Spain, of a position of intellectual subjectivity differentiated from that established by the regime of Spanish imperial authority. The principal concern has been to trace how certain groups of Criollo intellectuals try to construct such discourses, paradoxically, out of the framework of available European systems of knowledge and representation. In this fashion, it was sought to discern the outline of an ideological program for Criollo political and cultural hegemony in the eighteenth-century.
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RAF Wings Over Florida: Memories of World War II British Air Cadets
Willard Largent
In the early 1940s, prior to the United States' entry into World War II, through the joint efforts of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, British soldiers were sent to the United States for flight training. This collection gives first-person accounts of the men who learned the art of flying in a place far from their homeland, Florida. The stories provide a wonderful contrast between the two cultures and are told in the voices of British cadets, American cadets who trained with them, instructors, and other individuals who welcomed the British cadets into their homes and lives.
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Literary Skinheads? Writing from the Right in Reunified Germany
Jay Julian Rosellini
"Literary Skinheads? is a very nuanced, meticulously researched and vividly written study of a series of important debates in German literary circles since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rapid political transformations that have accompanied German unification. No other book in the English-speaking world offers such a comprehensive survey of the legacy of radical conservative ideas in German political life. Rosellini not only offers trenchant interpretations of major political controversies of the last decade in Germany, but he also provides the necessary background information needed to make sense of these important public debates." Elliott Neaman, author of A Dubious Past: Ernst Junger and the Politics of Literature after Nazism.
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Reinterpreting Modern Culture: An Introduction to Friedrich Nietzsche’s Philosophy
Paul V. Tongeren
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) presents himself several times as a physician of culture. He considers it his task to make a diagnosis of the culture of his age, to point to the latent or patent diseases, but also to the possibilities to overcome them. His diagnosis, prognosis, and prescriptions implied an overcoming of traditional interpretation of what is going on in the main domains of culture: knowledge, morality, religion, and art. This book presents Nietzsche's thoughts on knowledge and reality, on morality and politics, and on religion. Preceding these main dialogues is an introduction on the art of reading Nietzsche's texts and on his art of writing.
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Rescuing Rover: A First Aid and Disaster Guide for Dog Owners
Sebastian E. Heath
Whether you're hiking with your canine friend in a remote area or work with a dog on a search-and-rescue team or police force, you need to be prepared for emergencies when veterinary service is not available. Rescuing Rover: A First Aid and Disaster Guide for Dog Owners provides dog owners, handlers, and emergency physicians with an understandable guide for safe treatment until the dog can be transported to a veterinarian. Although a number of books describe some techniques for the emergency care of dogs, there is no single illustrated summary that is as practical. With its concise, easy-to-read instructions, detailed and beautifully rendered illustrations, and convenient format, this book covers such common medical procedures as bandaging an ear and constructing a makeshift muzzle. Written in consultation with canine handlers from FEMA, staff from the AAVDM and the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, it can also be used as a practical learning guide for veterinary medical and technical students.
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To The Other: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas
Adriaan Peperzak
Note About the Online Edition
Nearly two decades ago, To the Other: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas was published, and as its title declared, its purpose was to introduce the reader into the major themes of Levinas’s work. Through a combination of close readings and primary texts and translations, the author hoped to provide a set of conceptual keys that would assist new readers in orienting themselves to Levinas’s difficult writings.
Since its publication, interest in Levinas has grown exponentially: many important studies have been written, and Levinas’s influence has extended to a variety of different fields and questions of philosophy and the human sciences. The secondary literature has matured and become more sophisticated; it now presupposes a reader with some familiarity with the major concepts and concerns with which Levinas wrestled.
It would be impossible today, therefore, to write an introduction for today’s readers of Levinas without taking account of the vast body of literature that has explored Levinas’s work in the past two decades, while relating them carefully back to Levinas’s texts. The modest revision of the first chapter in the online edition presented here was not intended to accomplish that task. It was intended rather to amend some of the defects of the original work. Although it does not address itself to the rich developments of Levinas scholarship, it might still function as an introduction through its close reading of Levinas’s programmatic essay, which contains the main lines of Totality and Infinity, and its elucidation of relations to Plato, Heidegger, and some other luminaries of the philosophical tradition.
The rest of the online version is identical to the 1993 edition published by Purdue University Press (ISBN 978-1-55753-024-0). Because it was necessary to typeset the new first chapter to correspond with the original publication, index entries referring to the first 37 pages of the book may not be accurate.
Adriaan Peperzak, University of Chicago
October 2010
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Vietnam, Four American Perspectives: Lectures
George S. McGovern, William C. Westmoreland, Edward N. Luttwak, Thomas J. McCormick, and Patrick F. Hearden
This collection of speeches delivered in 1987 presents the widely diverging opinions of four men: an eminent politician, a professional soldier, a government consultant, and a distinguished scholar. The first contributor, Senator George S. McGovern, ran as the Democratic candidate for president in 1972 on a platform that called for the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam. The second speaker, General William C. Westmoreland, commanded American military forces in Vietnam until growing battlefield casualties and economic costs undermined support for the strategy of attrition in the United States. The third essay is by Edward N. Luttwak, a strong advocate for military reform in the United States and a frequent participant in high-level government discussions about American strategic interests throughout the world. The fourth speaker Thomas J. McCormack, is a diplomatic historian at the University of Wisconsin and an astute critic of American foreign policy. Each lecture is followed by a lively question-and-answer session that highlights the key points of agreement and disagreement with respect to the fundamental issues raised in the lectures. In a stimulating foreword, Akira Iriye challenges readers to think about the Vietnam War in relationship to the current debate about the role that the United States should play in world affairs.
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The Arguments of Agriculture: A Casebook in Contemporary Agricultural Controversy
Jan Wojcik
The Arguments of Agriculture presents the major issues, questions, and conflicting opinions of influential policymakers and critics concerning the role and future of modern agriculture. The author urges the reader to weight and consider all positions and supplies a primer in the basic arguments of agriculture. Each chapter begins with a series of hypothetical cases that illustrate the range of theoretical issues discussed in the chapter. The next section analyzes the basic issues, and the section entitled "Review" summarizes and contrasts the opinions of a number of prominent critics. Each chapter concludes with a list of recommended readings.
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The Ecology of Stray Dogs: A Study of Free-Ranging Urban Animals
Alan M. Beck
This readable contribution should be in the hands of any city or state agency dealing with dog problems or with public health problems. The book should also be of considerable interest to all ecologists, behaviorists, and biologists. This is a unique book in which the ecologist's methods are applied to understanding and possibly solving one of our urban problems. This fascinating small monograph is the work of a man who-armed with camera, tape recorder and thermometer and driving not a Land-Rover but a used sedan-studied free-ranging dogs among the bricks of Baltimore.