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Liberal Arts: Library Resources

A Subject Guide for the School of Liberal Arts

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Recommended Books

Philosophy: the power of ideas

This comprehensive introductory text with readings offers a historical overview of all major subdivisions of Western Philosophy perspectives. Written in an engaging and captivating style, it makes philosophy accessible without oversimplifying the material, and shows that philosophy's powerful ideas affect the lives of real people.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

A phenomenal #1 bestseller that has appeared on theNew York Timesbestseller list for nearly three years, this memoir traces Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during the 1930s. Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and courage of black men and women, Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but always affecting picture of the people—and the times—that touched her life.

Conformity and Conflict: Readings in cultural anthropology

An ideal complement to standard anthropology texts or as a stand-alone text/reader, the best-sellingConformity and Conflictcontinues to offer an in-depth look at anthropology as a powerful way to study human behavior and events.   The 37 articles cover a broad range of theoretical perspectives and demonstrate basic anthropological concepts. The twelfth edition retains the accessibility of the previous editions and the view that anthropology provides a fascinating perspective on the human experience.   The 13th edition has been shaped by the current concerns in both anthropology and American society, including globalization, studying women's lives, race and ethnicity, anthropology's practical applications and the ways it leads to everyday careers.   The newly revised table of contents reflects the suggestions ofConformity and Conflictusers. Thirty percent of the readings are either revised or entirely new to this edition.  Nine new articles appear in this edition of Conformity and Conflict (Readings 7, 12, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29, 32, 33), three of which were expressly commissioned for this edition (12, 29, 25).  Four articles (5, 28, 31 and 35) have been updated for this edition.   More attention is paid to cultural ecology, the impact of the world market and world systems on human social life, and to human change in increasingly large and complex societies. An entirely NEW section on globalization includes three new articles that introduce readers to key concepts -  how popular culture spreads to different societies, the processes by which cultural artifacts, social structures, and how ideas are adopted and changed as they reach new societies.  

The Stranger

Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd." First published in 1946; now in a new translation by Matthew Ward.

The Dispossessed

"One of the greats....Not just a science fiction writer; a literary icon." - Stephen King From the brilliant and award-winning author Ursula K. Le Guin comes a classic tale of two planets torn apart by conflict and mistrust -- and the man who risks everything to reunite them. A bleak moon settled by utopian anarchists, Anarres has long been isolated from other worlds, including its mother planet, Urras--a civilization of warring nations, great poverty, and immense wealth.