Understanding Contemporary Society: Theories of the Present is a comprehensive textbook to guide students through the complexities of social theory today. Over 30 chapters, written by an international team of contributors, demonstrate clearly the practical applications of social theory in making sense of the modern world. Students are both introduced to the most significant theories and guided through the major social developments which shape our lives. Key features of the book are: clearly structured and readable prose; bullet pointed summaries and annotated further reading for each topic; makes complex issues accessible to undergraduates; focuses on relevance and practicality; chapter lay-out which is ideal for t

Why are critics upset about advertising? And why are its practitioners so defensive? Revised and extensively updated, this edition of the classic Advertising in Contemporary Society offers unique perspectives that will help the reader understand how and why the controversial American phenomenon of advertising generates so much heat and--though much of it is passive--so much acceptance.

Understanding Contemporary China offers undergraduates a coherent assessment of the most crucial issues affecting China today. Designed as a core text for Introduction to Asia or Introduction to China courses, it can also be used in a wide variety of discipline-oriented curriculums.

Understanding Contemporary Brazil is the perfect introduction to Brazil, and to its ongoing social, political, economic, and cultural complexities. Covering a range of issues this interdisciplinary book equips readers with the contextual understanding and critical insight to explore this fascinating country.

This best-selling text emphasizes that social and cultural changes are the pervasive realities of our era. One of the main themes of Contemporary Society is that the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial order in the modern world is fraught with difficulties, as was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial order in an earlier era. Within this framework, we can observe the increasing fragmentation of the social order, which tends to lead people away from community and a common purpose and often invites conflict and disunity. At the same time, countervailing social forces are also at work, providing some stability, some shelter in the storm. Finally, societies are faced with the rapid and transformative power of information technology, a fact that propels separate groups of people into a global entity.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Information in Contemporary Society, iConference 2019, held in Washington, DC, USA, in March/April 2019. The 44 full papers and 33 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 133 submitted full papers and 88 submitted short papers. The papers are organized in the following topical sections: Scientific work and data practices; methodological concerns in (big) data research; concerns about “smart” interactions and privacy; identity questions in online communities; measuring and tracking scientific literature; limits and affordances of automation; collecting data about vulnerable populations; supporting communities through public libraries and infrastructure; information behaviors in academic environments; data-driven storytelling and modeling; online activism; digital libraries, curation and preservation; social-media text mining and sentiment analysis; data and information in the public sphere; engaging with multi-media content; understanding online behaviors and experiences; algorithms at work; innovation and professionalization in technology communities; information behaviors on Twitter; data mining and NLP; informing technology design through offline experiences; digital tools for health management; environmental and visual literacy; and addressing social problems in iSchool research.

This title provides a thorough introduction to Russia as it confronts the challenges of modern day's interdependent world. Interdisciplinary in design, the book draws on different scholars to provide sophisticated yet accessible treatments of subjects ranging from geography and history to politics and economics.

Part 1: FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. 1. Special Education in Context: People, Concepts, and Perspectives. 2. Policies, Practices, and Programs. 3. Cultural and Linguistic Diversity and Exceptionality. 4. Parents, Families, and Exceptionality. Part 2: A STUDY OF PERSONS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. 5. Persons with Mental Retardation. 6. Persons with Learning Disabilities. 7. Persons with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 8. Persons with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders. 9. Persons Who Are Gifted and Talented. 10. Persons with Speech and Language Disorders. 11. Persons with Hearing Impairments. 12. Persons with Visual Impairments. 13. Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder. 14. Persons with Physical Disabilities, Health Disabilities, and Traumatic Brain Injury. Appendix A: Federal Definitions of Disabilities. Appendix B: Sample Individualized Education Program. Appendix C: Sample Individualized Family Services Plan. Glossary. Name Index. Subject Index.