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Books in Social sciences and humanities

  • Qsar es-Seghir

    An Archaeological View of Medieval Life
    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Charles L. Redman
    • English
    Qsar es-Seghir: An Archaeological View of Medieval Life presents the findings of archaeological investigations at Qsar es-Seghir, a medieval port midway between Tangier and Ceuta on the Moroccan shores of the Strait of Gibraltar. The archaeology and material inventory of Qsar es-Seghir are described, along with the reconstruction of the city based on archaeological analysis. Comprised of seven chapters, this book begins with an introduction to Qsar es-Seghir and an overview of the Moroccan-American Archaeological Project that was launched with the support of the Smithsonian Institution and the government of Morocco to study life in this ancient Islamic city during the medieval period. After documenting the history of Qsar es-Seghir, the Islamic city is described based on the accounts of geographers and historians and then as it emerged through the archaeological excavations. Emphasis is on the architecture and town plan as they reveal the organizing principles of the society and the daily lifeways of its inhabitants. Subsequent chapters focus on the artifacts used by the people of Qsar es-Seghir, including tools, weapons, tableware, and jewelry; the activities that were conducted at Qsar es-Seghir; and the town plan, fortifications, monuments, and housing at Qsar es-Seghir as a Portuguese colony. This monograph should be of value to students, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of archaeology and anthropology, as well as to laypersons interested in medieval life.
  • Essentials of Economics

    • 2nd Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • James D Gwartney + 2 more
    • English
    Essentials of Economics, Second Edition is a text intended for a one-term course in economics for college students. It attempts to teach students of the analytic way of studying economics and provides the basics of the concept of political economy and uses this knowledge to explain the choice process in the public sector. The book presents a comprehensive survey of economics. It contains chapters that highlight the importance of the microincentive structure of macroeconomic markets; identifies the determinants of supply, as well as the impact of public policy on those determinants; and presents both adaptive and rational expectations theory. The linkage between production theory and the cost curves faced by the firm; examination of the market structure; and the role of regulation and deregulation are covered as well. Economics students will find the book very useful.
  • Coursebook for Economics

    Private and Public Choice
    • 2nd Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Richard Stroup + 2 more
    • English
    Coursebook for Economics: Private and Public Choice contains questions and problems dealing with market decisions, market process, taxes, government spending. The book is designed to help students using the textbook "Economics: Private and Public Choice, Second Edition." The text also provides a section on "Problems and Projects" which emphasizes mechanics and economic reasoning with case-study type problems, report preparation, or economic data presentation for hypothesis development. The book also provides "complex application"-type problems which can be solved by the student's utilization of economic principles to realistic situations. The text showcases selected articles in the section "Perspectives in Economics" to expand on important concepts, to explain historical viewpoints, as well as to offer original ideas of current influential economists. Among the articles are: "How Government Profits from Inflation;" "The Awful Year Inflation Ran Wild;" "How the Federal Reserve Decides How Much Money to Put into the Economy;" and "The Roller-Coaster Income Tax." The book is suitable for students of economics and business, sociologists, general readers interested in real-world economics, and policy makers involved in national economic development.
  • Finance Constraints and the Theory of Money

    Selected Papers
    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • S. C. Tsiang
    • Meir Kohn
    • English
    Finance Constraints and the Theory of Money: Selected Papers gathers together the work of S. C. Tsiang, one of the most cogent critics of the Keynesian stock approach to money in all its forms and one of the foremost champions of the flow approach. Tsiang's papers focus on finance constraints and the theory of money, tackling topics such as the role of money in trade-balance stability and the monetary theoretic foundation of the modern monetary approach to the balance of payments, as well as the diffusion of reserves and the money supply multiplier. Comprised of 17 chapters, this volume begins by providing a background to the development of Tsiang's thinking on monetary theory and why he objected to the Keynesian stock equilibrium approach to money. The reader is then introduced to speculation and income stability; misconceptions in monetary theory and their influences on financial and banking practices; and liquidity preference in general equilibrium analysis. Subsequent chapters deal with the optimum supply of money; the total inadequacy of "Keynesian" balance of payments theory; and the rationale of the mean-standard deviation analysis, skewness preference, and the demand for money. This book will be a useful resource for practitioners interested in economic theory, econometrics, and mathematical economics.
  • Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Dan F. Morse + 1 more
    • James Bennett Griffin
    • English
    Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley describes an archeological reconstruction of the preceding 11,000 years of an extraordinarily rich environment centered within the largest river system north of the Amazon. This book focuses on the lowlands of the Mississippi Valley from just north of the Ohio River to the mouth of the Arkansas River. Organized into 13 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the territory between the Ohio and Arkansas rivers. This text then attempts to humanize the archeological interpretations by reference to social organization, settlement system, economy, religion, and politics. Other chapters focus on understanding the nature of change through time in the Central Mississippi Valley. This book discusses as well the difference between an old braided stream surface and the younger meander belt system. The final chapter deals with the investigation of prehistoric Indian remains. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists, zoologists, and scientific hobbyists.
  • A Research Primer for the Social and Behavioral Sciences

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Miriam Schapiro Grosof + 1 more
    • English
    A Research Primer for the Social and Behavioral Sciences provides an introductory but comprehensive overview of the research process that primarily concerns human subjects. This book discusses the methods of acquiring knowledge, importance of a well-chosen problem, review of the literature, and relationship between theory-building and hypothesis-testing. The common sources of invalidity in practice, non-experimental research types, Stevens' classification of scales, and estimation based on probabilistic sampling are also elaborated. This text likewise covers the role of computer in research, techniques for analysis of data, univariate and bivariate statistics, and assumptions underlying analysis of variance. Other topics include the canonical correlation analysis, non-parametric analysis of variance, deterministic problem analysis techniques, and common errors in presentation of findings. This publication is intended for novice investigators in the broad category of social and behavioral sciences.
  • On Understanding Grammar

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Talmy Givón
    • Harry A Whitaker
    • English
    On Understanding Grammar covers the interdependencies among the various aspects of linguistics and the human language. This eight-chapter text considers some pertinent topics in linguistics, such as discourse-pragmatics... diachronic syntax, topology, creology, method, and ontology. Chapter 1 describes the notions of fact, theory, and explanation, particularly about how these notions manifest themselves in actual practice. Chapter 2 redefines syntax in terms of communicative function and discourse-pragmatics... and about the relation between the function of grammatical devices and their formal properties. Chapter 3 deals with discourse-pragmatics and how it transcends the narrow bounds of deductive logic, as well as the function and ontology of negation in language, and how those relate to the fundamental information-theoreti... principle of figure versus ground. Chapter 4 explores the two major aspects of case systems, namely, the semantic role and pragmatic function, and how the two interact in determining the typological characteristics of grammars. Chapter 5 examines the relation between discourse and syntax based on diachronic, ontogenetic, phylogenetic viewpoints. Chapter 6 tackles the relation between synchronic grammar and diachronic change, while Chapter 7 describes the relationship between human language and its phylogenetic evolution. Chapter 8 is about language and ontology, as well as the relation between cognition and the universe. This book will prove useful to linguistics and language researchers.
  • Evaluating the Quality of Learning

    The SOLO Taxonomy (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome)
    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • John B. Biggs + 1 more
    • Allen J. Edward
    • English
    Educational Psychology Series: Evaluating the Quality of Learning: The SOLO Taxonomy (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome) focuses on the approaches, methodologies, and techniques employed in the valuation of the quality of learning. The publication first offers information on the quality and quantity of learning and origin and description of the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy. Discussions focus on general intellectual development and the growth of quality; some assumptions and applications of stage theory; from developmental stage to levels of learning quality; and general intellectual development and the growth of quality. The text then examines the teaching of history, elementary mathematics, English, and geography. Topics include interpreting a map and drawing conclusions, explaining a natural phenomenon, appreciation of poetry, implications for the teaching of history, English, and mathematics, numbers and operations, and general application of SOLO to history. The manuscript takes a look at modern languages, place of the taxonomy in instructional design, and some methodological considerations. Concerns include alternative formats for obtaining SOLO responses, instructional processes, curriculum analysis, remediation, and teacher intentions. The publication is a vital source of data for educators interested in the SOLO taxonomy.
  • California Archaeology

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Michael J. Moratto
    • English
    California Archaeology provides a compilation of knowledge for archeologists who are not California specialists. This book explains important cultural events and patterns discovered archeologically. Organized into 11 chapters, this book begins with an overview of California's historic and ancient environments as well as the evidence of Pleistocene human activity. This text then examines the glacial and other environmental conditions that would have influenced the origins, adaptations, and spread of the earliest North Americans. Other chapters consider how California's past is relevant to a wider understanding of human behavior. This book discusses as well the perceptions of Central Coast and San Francisco Bay region prehistory that have changed rapidly as a result of intensive fieldwork performed to comply with environmental law. The final chapter deals with the data of historical linguistics, which indicate something of the cultural relationships and events that might have occurred in the past. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists.
  • Study Guide for Essentials of Economics

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • J. R. Clark
    • English
    Study Guide for Essentials of Economics is a valuable support tool for the student using Essentials of Economics. It provides several important features that contribute to a good course which cannot be included in the standard textbook, and if used correctly it will improve understanding of, and ability to apply, economic principles to everyday decision-making. The book contains self-test questions, problems and projects, and perspectives in economics. Topics covered in the text include economic approaches, tools of the economist, supply, demand, and the market process, and money and the banking system. An answer key is provided at the end of the book. This text is intended for students of economics.