American Encounters is a long-awaited dynamic new narrative of the history of American art that focuses on historical encounters among diverse cultures,... upon broad structural transformations such as the rise of the middle classes and the emergence of consumer and mass culture, and on the fluid exchanges between “high” art and vernacular expression.   The text emphasizes the intersections among cultures and populations, as well as the influences, borrowings, and appropriations that have enriched and vitalized our collective cultural heritage.   There was a readily perceived need for an up-to-date survey of American art that addressed the thematic, cultural, and historical concerns of the field in the 21st century. American Encounters offers a new narrative of American art organized around the theme of cross-cultural exchanges. It locates America at the cross-roads of cultural encounters between Asia, Africa, Europe, and the New World, for over five centuries. The authors do not treat traditions separately, rather they explore how peoples and cultures encounter and influence each other and then evolve based on an exchange of ideas, materials etc.

The idea of crossing the border between the United States and what award-winning anthropologist José Limón calls "Greater Mexico" has always conjured... images of racial hostility and exclusion. Through literature, film, song, and dance, American Encounters explores an alternative history of attraction and desire between the U.S. and Greater Mexico, offering a vision of hope for the future.

Newly expanded, the second edition of American Encounters provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date collection of scholarship on the Native American... experience from European contact through the Removal Era. Retaining the hallmark essays from the celebrated first edition, the second edition contains thirteen new essays, emphasizing the most recent, noteworthy areas of inquiry, including gender relations, slavery and captivity, and the effects of Christianity on the course of native history. With each essay prefaced by helpful headnotes that highlight key concepts and draw connections among the essays, plus an expansive 'Further Readings' section, the second edition of American Encounters is an indispensable volume for both professors and students of early American history.

For sixty years, U.S. government officials have conducted public diplomacy programs to try to reach Arab public opinion—to inform, educate, and... understand Arab attitudes. American public affairs officers have met serious challenges in the past, but Arab public criticism of the United States has reached unprecedented levels since September 11, 2001. Polls show that much of the negative opinion of the United States, especially in the Middle East, can be traced to dissatisfaction with U.S. foreign policy. Rugh, a retired career Foreign Service officer who twice served as ambassador to countries in the region, explains how U.S. government officials have dealt with key problem issues over the years, and he recommends ways that public diplomacy can better support and enhance U.S. national interests in the Middle East. This struggle for the hearts and minds of the Arab world, so crucial to the success of American efforts in post-occupation Iraq, is carried out through broadcasting, cultural contacts, and educational and professional exchanges.Rugh describes the difference between public diplomacy and propaganda. He points out that public diplomacy uses open means of communication and is truthful. Its four main components are explaining U.S. foreign policy to foreign publics; presenting them with a fair and balanced picture of American society, culture, and institutions; promoting mutual understanding; and advising U.S. policy makers on foreign attitudes. Public diplomacy supports the traditional diplomatic functions of official business between governments. Whereas diplomats from the United States deal with diplomats of foreign governments, public affairs officers deal with opinion leaders such as media editors, reporters, academics, student leaders, and prominent intellectuals and cultural personalities. Rugh provides an up-close-and-personal look at how public affairs officers do their jobs, how they used innovation in their efforts to meet the challenges of the past, and how they continue to do so in the post-September 11 era.

This book is a cultural-historical (rather than purely linguistic) introduction to American English. The first part consists of a general account of... variation in American English. It offers concise but comprehensive coverage of such topics as the history of American English; regional, social and ethnic variation; variation in style (including slang); and British and American differences. The second part of the book puts forward an account of how American English has developed into a dominant variety of the English language. It focuses on the ways in which intellectual traditions such as puritanism and republicanism, in shaping the American world view, have also contributed to the distinctiveness of American English.

This book provides a very readable, up-to-date description of language variation in American English, covering regional, ethnic, and gender-based... differences.contains new chapters on social and ethnic dialects, including a separate chapter on African American English and more comprehensive discussions of Latino, Native American, Cajun English, and other varieties,includes samples from a wider array of US regionsfeatures updated chapters as well as pedagogy such as new exercises, a phonetic symbols key, and a section on the notion of speech communityaccessibly written for the wide variety of students that enrol in a course on dialects, ranging from students with no background in linguistics to those who may wish to specialize in sociolinguistics

This lively introduction to the study of language explores American English and its place within contemporary society, highlighting the role of language... in our daily lives. Beginning with a definition of language, the text unpacks the basic concepts used in linguistics, placing them in the context of real-life situations. Using examples from popular culture, the authors show how the study of language is relevant to students' experience. Teachers and students will appreciate the book's innovative structure, designed to build an understanding of how different aspects of language work together. A variety of exercises - individual, group, discussion, research - is provided to support every teaching style. Imaginatively organised and fun to use, American English is the ideal guide to language study for students taking the subject as a general education requirement, beginning undergraduates in linguistics, and future teachers of English.

Ever since the first colonists landed in 'The New World', Americans have forged ahead in their quest to make good on the promises of capitalism and... independence. This book vividly illustrates the history of business in the United States from the point of view of the enterprising men and women who made it happen. Weaving together vivid narrative with economic analysis, "American Entrepreneur" recounts fascinating successes and failures, including: how Eli Whitney changed the shape of the American business landscape; the impact of the Civil War on the economy and the subsequent dominance of Andrew Carnegie and J. P. Morgan; the rise of the consumer marketplace led by Asa Candler, W. K. Kellogg, Henry Ford, and J.C. Penny; and, Warren Buffett's, Michael Milken's, and even Martha Stewart's experience in the 'New Economy' of the 1990s and into today. It is an adventure to start a business, and the greatest risk takers in that adventure are entrepreneurs. This is the epic story of America's entrepreneurs and the economy they created.

By studying the many ways diverse peoples have changed, shaped, and conserved the natural world over time, environmental historians provide insight into... humanity's unique relationship with nature and, more importantly, are better able to understand the origins of our current environmental crisis. Beginning with the precolonial land-use practice of Native Americans and concluding with our twenty-first century concerns over our global ecological crisis, American Environmental History addresses contentious issues such as the preservation of the wilderness, the expulsion of native peoples from national parks, and population growth, and considers the formative forces of gender, race, and class. Entries address a range of topics, from the impact of rice cultivation, slavery, and the growth of the automobile suburb to the effects of the Russian sea otter trade, Columbia River salmon fisheries, the environmental justice movement, and globalization. This illustrated reference is an essential companion for students interested in the ongoing transformation of the American landscape and the conflicts over its resources and conservation. It makes rich use of the tools and resources (climatic and geological data, court records, archaeological digs, and the writings of naturalists) that environmental historians rely on to conduct their research. The volume also includes a compendium of significant people, concepts, events, agencies, and legislation, and an extensive bibliography of critical films, books, and Web sites.

This compilation of seminal essays and primary documents introduces students to the most exciting scholarship and writing on the of environmental... history in the United States. Subjects include the changing American landscape, soil epidemics, waste disposal, industrial development, conservation, and the environmental movement. Introduces students to the most exciting scholarship and writing on the subject of environmental history in the United States. Contains primary documents that illustrate the conditions, perception, and influences of environmental issues from the pre-Columbian era to the present. Subjects include the changing American landscape, soil epidemics, waste disposal, industrial development, conservation, and the environmental movement. Includes an editorial introduction, headnotes, and suggestions for further reading.

This collection of readings contains comprehensive primary and secondary works in the field of conservation, emphasizes the history of ideas and... attitudes about conservation, and gives a chronology of important conservation events in U.S. history from the beginning to the present. Edited by a national leader in the fields of conservation, environmental management, and education, this well-organized anthology is appropriate for courses dealing with American environmental studies and ecology.

Based on Professor Davis' twenty-five years of experience in environmental politics, this text incorporates examples of biology, chemistry, engineering,... and law to show how these disciplines influence political and administrative decision making. Within each chapter, four political science theoretical approaches--mass movements, interest groups, political parties, and governmental procedures--are applied to the issue at hand, because no one theory is satisfactory for all aspects. Every chapter begins with a brief historical background that ties historical, political, and spiritual aspects to the environmental policy being examined. Then, by integrating practical knowledge with scientific and political views, American Environmental Politics investigates the pollution and destruction of clean air, land, and water. Some of the notable people studied are Geneveive Gillette, Rachel Carson, Lois Gibbs, Senator Edmund Muskie, Aldo Leopold, and Anne Gorsuch.

The "golden era" of American environmental lawmaking, between 1964 and 1980, saw twenty-two pieces of major environmental legislation (including the... Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act) passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed into law by presidents of both parties. But since then environmental issues have divided the parties and engendered bitter interest-group politics, with most new proposals blocked by legislative gridlock. In this book, Christopher McGrory Klyza and David Sousa argue that this longstanding legislative stalemate at the national level has forced environmental policymaking onto other pathways, both inside and outside government. Despite the congressional impasse, they write, environmental policymaking today is vibrant and complex--although the results fall short of what is needed in the years ahead. Klyza and Sousa identify and analyze five alternative policy paths, which they illustrate with case studies: "appropriations politics" in Congress; executive authority, including the rulemaking process; the role of the courts, whose role in environmental policymaking has grown in the era of legislative gridlock; "next-generation" collaborative experiments (which, the authors argue, should be seen as an important approach but not a panacea); and policymaking at the state level. Their comprehensive analysis of the state of environmental policymaking since 1990 shows that although legislative gridlock is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon, the nation continues to move in the direction favored by environmentalists, largely because of the policy legacies of the 1960s and 1970s that have created an enduring "green state" rooted in statutes, bureaucratic routines, and public expectations. Christopher McGrory Klyza is Robert '35 and Helen '38 Stafford Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies at Middlebury College. David Sousa is Professor in the Department of Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound.

American Ethics: A Source Book From Edwards to Dewey presents a rich collection of 70 source readings in American Ethics from the early Puritans and... their foremost spokesman Jonathan Edwards to the mid-twentieth century, the time of John Dewey's pragmatism and naturalism. Ethics has both a theoretical and practical interest, relating it directly to politics, religion, economics, science, and in fact all aspects of culture or social life. American Ethics has a whole series of serious problems and controversies included in its six chapters. These extensive problems are presented concretely in the voices of those directly involved, from the liberty of conscience, predestination, witchcraft among the Puritans, slavery, natural rights, constitutional government during the time of Jefferson and the Enlightenment, civil disobedience, abolition, rights of women, the plight of American Indians during the time of Emerson and Transcendentalism, the controversy over evolution, war, the pragmatic character of America during the time of Peirce, James, Dewey and Pragmatism, race questions, prejudice, loyalty, women's role in culture during the time of Royce and Idealism, creative democracy, the genteel tradition, the naturalistic fallacy during the time of Santayana, Dewey, and Naturalism in the twentieth century. Each chapter includes a lead-in to help the reader locate important points in the reading. At the end of each chapter, questions for discussion are included along with a guide to further reading. At the end of the book, a glossary of important terms is included for easy reference. American Ethics portrays the first 300 years of ethics in America, all the way from 1644 when Roger Williams wrote about freedom of conscience down to 1956 when Sidney Hook attempted to defend his own and Dewey's ideas of a humanistic, naturalistic orientation for ethics. This is an excellent book for college students taking courses in American Philosophy, American Ethics, and American Studies. It also makes an info