Cynthia Freeland explains why innovation and controversy are valued in the arts, weaving together philosophy, art theory, and many engrossing examples. She discusses blood, beauty, culture, money, sex, web sites, and research on the brain's role in perceiving art. This clear, lively book will engage the public, introductory students, and teachers in the arts.

Anyone who has been asked to read and understand a poem has probably wondered: What does this really mean? Have I understood this the way I was supposed to? Did I get it? As the least literal of all of forms of creative writing, poetry is for many readers also the most cryptic. Confronted by the mysteries of poetic interpretation, some people are intrigued, some become addicted, others are left frustrated. Shira Wolosky's accessibly written book, The Art of Poetry, provides a road map of the ...

Studies in religion are flourishing internationally, and one of the central topics discussed in the field today-perhaps the most discussed topic-is religious diversity. With the influx of religious traditions in the West and the growing diversity of religious adherents and practitioners worldwide, people across the globe are currently nterested in exploring issues in religious diversity. The present work is a response to this ubiquitous interest.

It is a substantial volume of thirty-three ori...

Media and Public relations combines practical hands-on strategies with firm grounding in the theories of media relations. To successfully integrate theory and practice, the text uses case studies as the basis of theoretical argument. The text examines how communications practitioners deliver messages to the media, how the media receives the messages and how the media deals with the message prior to dissemination to the public.

It takes a comprehensive look at the different types of media in A...

A comprehensive and authoritative introduction to China's political history, contemporary political system, and key policy areas, such as the environment, population management, and public health. Politics in China is an authoritative introduction to how the world's second most populous nation and rapidly rising global power is governed today. Written by leading China scholars, each chapter offers an accessible overview of a key topic in Chinese politics.

The opening section provides readers ...

How Genes Influence Behavior takes a personal and lively approach to the study of behavioral genetics, providing an up-to-date and accessible introduction to a variety of approaches and their application to a wide range of disorders, and modeling a critical approach to both methods and results. This second edition includes additional biology content to help students understand the biological foundations of the field, while maintaining an appropriate focus on the main issues of relevance to ps...

'Understanding Strategic Management' is the ideal introduction to strategy for students who require a concise, informative and practical approach. The book's four-part structure defines the concept of strategy, before using the overarching strategic framework of analysis, formulation, and implementation to show how strategy can be used to develop a sustainable competitive advantage in business. The author conveys the realities of strategic management through diverse, international and contemp...

The growth of the multinational enterprise (MNE) has led to an increasing interest in international business strategy from scholars, professionals, and policy makers alike. MNEs must contend with challenges in both their home and host international markets, and increasingly uncertain conditions in the international business environment demand superior firm-level capabilities for multinational firms to achieve and maintain competitive advantages in the long-run. This Handbook explores the prog...

China boasts a history of art lasting over 5,000 years and embracing a huge diversity of forms - objects of jade, lacquer and porcelain, painted scrolls and fans, sculptures in stone, bronze and wood, and murals. But this rich tradition has not, until now been fully appreciated in the West where scholars have focused attention on the European high arts of painting and sculpture, downplaying arts more highly prized by the Chinese themselves, such as calligraphy. Art in China marks a breakthrou...