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The American Health Care Paradox: Why Spending More Is Getting Us Less
by Harvey V. Fineberg Lauren A. Taylor Elizabeth H. BradleyForeword by Harvey V. Fineberg, President of the Institute of MedicineFor decades, experts have puzzled over why the US spends more on health care but suffers poorer outcomes than other industrialized nations. Now Elizabeth H. Bradley and Lauren A. Taylor marshal extensive research, including a comparative study of health care data from thirty countries, and get to the root of this paradox: We've left out of our tally the most impactful expenditures countries make to improve the health of their populations-investments in social services. In The American Health Care Paradox, Bradley and Taylor illuminate how narrow definitions of "health care," archaic divisions in the distribution of health and social services, and our allergy to government programs combine to create needless suffering in individual lives, even as health care spending continues to soar. They show us how and why the US health care "system" developed as it did; examine the constraints on, and possibilities for, reform; and profile inspiring new initiatives from around the world. Offering a unique and clarifying perspective on the problems the Affordable Care Act won't solve, this book also points a new way forward.
American Guides: The Federal Writers’ Project and the Casting of American Culture
by Wendy GriswoldIn the midst of the Great Depression, Americans were nearly universally literate--and they were hungry for the written word. Magazines, novels, and newspapers littered the floors of parlors and tenements alike. With an eye to this market and as a response to devastating unemployment, Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration created the Federal Writers' Project. The Project's mission was simple: jobs. But, as Wendy Griswold shows in the lively and persuasive American Guides, the Project had a profound--and unintended--cultural impact that went far beyond the writers' paychecks. Griswold's subject here is the Project's American Guides, an impressively produced series that set out not only to direct travelers on which routes to take and what to see throughout the country, but also to celebrate the distinctive characteristics of each individual state. Griswold finds that the series unintentionally diversified American literary culture's cast of characters--promoting women, minority, and rural writers--while it also institutionalized the innovative idea that American culture comes in state-shaped boxes. Griswold's story alters our customary ideas about cultural change as a gradual process, revealing how diversity is often the result of politically strategic decisions and bureaucratic logic, as well as of the conflicts between snobbish metropolitan intellectuals and stubborn locals. American Guides reveals the significance of cultural federalism and the indelible impact that the Federal Writers' Project continues to have on the American literary landscape.
American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land
by Monica HesseThe arsons started on a cold November midnight and didn’t stop for months. Night after night, the people of Accomack County waited to see which building would burn down next, regarding each other at first with compassion, and later suspicion. Vigilante groups sprang up, patrolling the rural Virginia coast with cameras and camouflage. Volunteer firefighters slept at their stations. The arsonist seemed to target abandoned buildings, but local police were stretched too thin to surveil them all. Accomack was desolate—there were hundreds of abandoned buildings. And by the dozen they were burning.
The American Family: A Compendium of Data and Sources
by Josefina J. CardThis compendium is one of a series of social science research and teaching resources created by the American Family Data Archive at Sociometrics Corporation. It describes 28 data sets chosen by a panel of scientist-experts as having outstanding potential for secondary data analysis on issues facing today’s American family.
The American Family
by David Peterson del MarTraces the movement from mutualism to individualism in the context of American family life. Families survived or even flourished during colonization, Revolution, slavery, immigration and economic upheaval. In the past century, prosperity created a culture devoted to pleasure and individual fulfilment.
American Families: A Multicultural Reader
by Stephanie Coontz Maya Parson Gabrielle RaleyThis collection testifies to the extraordinary variety of families in the U.S, revealing that family arrangements have always been diverse and have often been in flux. Case studies describe the wide array of family forms and values, gender roles, and parenting practices.
American Exorcism: Expelling Demons In The Land Of Plenty
by Michael W. CuneoConducted by officially appointed exorcists or by maverick priests sidestepping Christian sanctions, by evangelical ministers and Episcopal charismatics, the ancient rite of exorcism is flourishing in the new millennium. In New York alone, four priests have, since 1995, officially investigated over 40 cases of suspected demonic possession, the Archdiocese of Chicago has appointed its first full-time exorcist in over 160 years while exorcists have appeared on television, courtesy of the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Larry King. Written with objectivity, insight and a healthy amount of irony, AMERICAN EXORCISM is an inside look at this - to some extraordinary, to others preposterous and to many, terrifying - phenomenon. Having attended over 50 exorcisms in person, and interviewed many of the participants - both the exorcists and those who believed themselves to be possessed - Michael Cuneo explores this netherworld of American, and ergo, British, life, and reflects on the meaning of exorcism in the 21st century, and on the relationship between religious ritual and popular culture. As well recounting in gripping detail the ceremonies he witnessed, he touches on such provocative topics as the 'satanic panics' of the 1980s, repressed memory and ritual abuse. The result is a remarkably revealing, entertaining and fascinating work of cultural commentary.
The American Exception, Volume 2
by Frank J. LechnerThis book examines what makes the United States an exceptional society, what impact it has had abroad, and why these issues have mattered to Americans. With historical and comparative evidence, Frank J. Lechner describes the distinctive path of American institutions and tracks changes in the country's national identity in order to assess claims about America's 'exceptional' qualities. The book analyzes several focal points of exceptionalist thinking about America, including the importance of US Constitution and the American sense of mission, and explores several aspects of America's distinctive global impact; for example, in economics and film. In addition to discussing the distinctive global impact of the US, this first volume delves into the economy, government, media, and the military and foreign policy.
The American Exception, Volume 1
by Frank J. LechnerThis book examines what makes the United States an exceptional society, what impact it has had abroad, and why these issues have mattered to Americans. With historical and comparative evidence, Frank J. Lechner describes the distinctive path of American institutions and tracks changes in the country's national identity in order to assess claims about America's 'exceptional' qualities. The book analyzes several focal points of exceptionalist thinking about America, including the importance of US Constitution and the American sense of mission, and explores several aspects of America's distinctive global impact; for example, in economics and film. In addition to discussing the distinctive global impact of the US, this first volume delves into religion, law, and sports.
American Evangelicalism: Embattled and Thriving
by Christian SmithEvangelicalism is one of the strongest religious traditions in America today; 20 million Americans identify themselves with the evangelical movement. Given the modern pluralistic world we live in, why is evangelicalism so popular? Based on a national telephone survey and more than three hundred personal interviews with evangelicals and other churchgoing Protestants, this study provides a detailed analysis of the commitments, beliefs, concerns, and practices of this thriving group. Examining how evangelicals interact with and attempt to influence secular society, this book argues that traditional, orthodox evangelicalism endures not despite, but precisely because of, the challenges and structures of our modern pluralistic environment. This work also looks beyond evangelicalism to explore more broadly the problems of traditional religious belief and practice in the modern world. With its impressive empirical evidence, innovative theory, and substantive conclusions, American Evangelicalism will provoke lively debate over the state of religious practice in contemporary America.
The American Ethos: Public Attitudes toward Capitalism and Democracy
by Herbert Mcclosky John ZallerThe book covers Libertarianism, Egalitarianism, the relationship between capitalism and democracy, ideology, and social and political awareness among the American public.
The American Epidemic: Solutions for Over-Medicating Our Youth
by Frank J. GranettThe American Epidemic: Solutions for Over Medicating Our Youth provides new knowledge for parents, educators, all healthcare professionals, and public health policymakers to help rule out underlying risk factors of behavioral conditions prior to premature drug therapy. Nutritional, physiological, and environmental risk factors have created a behavioral health crisis in America. The American Epidemic: Solutions for Over Medicating Our Youth reveals how to eliminate these risk factors and revert children to normal behavior without drug therapy. Also discussed is the prudent use of drug therapy protocols to prevent harmful side effects.
American English: Dialects and Variation (Language in Society #45)
by Walt Wolfram Natalie SchillingThe new edition of this classic text chronicles recent breakthrough developments in the field of American English, covering regional, ethnic, and gender-based differences. Now accompanied by a companion website with an extensive array of sound files, video clips, and other online materials to enhance and illustrate discussions in the text Features brand new chapters that cover the very latest topics, such as Levels of Dialect, Regional Varieties of English, Gender and Language Variation, The Application of Dialect Study, and Dialect Awareness: Extending Application, as well as new exercises with online answers Updated to contain dialect samples from a wider array of US regions Written for students taking courses in dialect studies, variationist sociolinguistics, and linguistic anthropology, and requires no pre-knowledge of linguistics Includes a glossary and extensive appendix of the pronunciation, grammatical, and lexical features of American English dialects
American Education in Popular Media
by Sevan G. Terzian Patrick A. RyanAmerican Education in Popular Media examines how popular media including mass magazines, radio, film, and television have represented schooling in the United States over the course of the twentieth century. Historical essays explore prevalent portrayals of students and professional educators while addressing contested purposes of schooling in American society. Terzian and Ryan highlight the educative and normative dimensions of popular media in outlining roles for teachers, students, and administrators at educational institutions ranging from elementary schools to universities.
American Education
by Joel SpringJoel Spring's American Education introduces readers to the historical, political, social, and legal foundations of education and to the profession of teaching in the United States. In his signature straightforward and concise approach to describing complex issues, Spring illuminates events and topics and that are often overlooked or whitewashed, giving students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about education. In this edition he looks closely at the global context of education in the U.S. Featuring current information and challenging perspectives--with scholarship that is often cited as a primary source, students will come away from this clear, authoritative text informed on the latest topics, issues, and data and with a strong knowledge of the forces shaping of the American educational system. Changes in the 17th Edition include new and updated material and statistics on economic theories related to "skills" education and employability the conflict between a skills approach and cultural diversity political differences regarding education among the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian and Green parties social mobility and equality of opportunity as related to schooling global migration and student diversity in US schools charter schools and home schooling
American Education: From The Puritans To The Trump Era (Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education)
by Joel SpringFeaturing current information and challenging perspectives on the latest issues and forces shaping the American educational system—with scholarship that is often cited as a primary source, Joel Spring introduces readers to the historical, political, social, and legal foundations of education and to the profession of teaching in the United States. In his signature straightforward, concise approach to describing complex issues, he illuminates events and topics that are often overlooked or whitewashed, giving students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about education. Students come away informed on the latest topics, issues, and data and with a strong knowledge of the forces shaping the American educational system. Thoroughly updated throughout, the 18th edition of this clear, authoritative text remains fresh and up to date, reflecting the many changes in education that have occurred since the publication of the previous edition. Topics and issues addressed and analyzed include • The decline of the Common Core State Standards, particularly as result of a Republican-controlled administration currently in place • Increasing emphasis on for-profit education, vouchers, charter schools and free-market competition between schools, expected to surge with the appointment of the new U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos • Current debates about immigration and "Dreamers"—new statistics on immigrant education, discussion of education proposals to accommodate the languages, cultures and religions of newly arrived immigrants • New education statistics on school enrollments, dropouts, education and income, school segregation, charter schools and home languages • The purposes of education as presented in the 2016 platforms of the Republican, Democratic, Green, and Libertarian parties • Discussions around transgender students
American Education (Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education)
by Joel SpringFeaturing current information and challenging perspectives on the latest issues and forces shaping the American educational system—with scholarship that is often cited as a primary source—Joel Spring introduces readers to the historical, political, social, and legal foundations of education and to the profession of teaching in the United States. In his signature straightforward, concise approach to describing complex issues, he illuminates events and topics that are often overlooked or whitewashed, giving students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about education. Students come away informed on the latest topics, issues, and data and with a strong knowledge of the forces shaping the American educational system. Thoroughly updated throughout, the new edition of this clear, authoritative text remains fresh and up-to-date, reflecting the many changes in education that have occurred since the publication of the previous edition. Topics and issues addressed and analyzed include: • The decline of the Common Core State Standards, particularly as result of a Republican-controlled administration currently in place• Increasing emphasis on for-profit education, vouchers, charter schools, and free-market competition between schools, expected to surge with the appointment of the new U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos • Current debates about immigration and "Dreamers"—new statistics on immigrant education, discussion of education proposals to accommodate the languages, cultures, and religions of newly arrived immigrants• New education statistics on school enrollments, dropouts, education and income, school segregation, charter schools, and home languages• The purposes of education as presented in the 2016 platforms of the Republican, Democratic, Green, and Libertarian parties• Discussions around transgender students
American Education (Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education)
by Joel SpringFeaturing current information and challenging perspectives on the latest issues and forces shaping the American educational system—with scholarship that is often cited as a primary source—Joel Spring introduces readers to the historical, political, social and legal foundations of education and to the profession of teaching in the United States. In his signature straightforward, concise approach to describing complex issues, he illuminates events and topics that are often overlooked or whitewashed, giving students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about education. Students come away informed on the latest topics, issues and data and with a strong knowledge of the forces shaping the American educational system. Thoroughly updated throughout, the 20th edition of this clear, authoritative text remains fresh and up to date, reflecting the many changes in education that have occurred since the publication of the previous edition, such as: The effects of the pandemic on schools, teachers, students, learning and social goals The latest U.S. Department of Education guidelines for school prayer, regulations on sexual harassment and Title IX and guidelines for writing IEPs Expanded discussion of institutional racism Coverage relating to transgender youth and athletics
American Education (Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education)
by Joel SpringFeaturing current information and challenging perspectives on the latest issues and forces shaping the American educational system—with scholarship that is often cited as a primary source—Joel Spring introduces readers to the historical, political, social and legal foundations of education and to the profession of teaching in the United States. In his signature straightforward, concise approach to describing complex issues, he illuminates events and topics that are often overlooked or whitewashed, giving students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about education. Students come away informed on the latest topics, issues and data and with a strong knowledge of the forces shaping the American educational system. Updated throughout, the 21st edition of this clear, authoritative text remains fresh and up-to-date, reflecting the many changes in education that have occurred since the publication of the previous edition. New coverage includes: Discussion of “culture wars” and critical race theory Parental rights versus the goals of common education LGBTQIA+ students’ rights Discussion of the current administration’s educational policies
The American Economy: A Student Study Guide
by Robert B. Carson Wade L. ThomasA student study guide to accompany the principle work, 'The American economy: how it works and how it doesn't'.
The American Economy: Essays and Primary Source Documents)
by Cynthia Clark NorthrupA comprehensive collection of entries, essays, and primary source documents emphasizing the importance of economic policy in all aspects of life in the United States.
The American Drug Culture
by Thomas S. Weinberg Professor Gerhard J. falk Dr Ursula Adler FalkThe American Drug Culture uses sociological and other perspectives to examine drug and alcohol use in U.S. society. The text is arranged topically, rather than by categories of drugs, and explores diverse contexts of drug use including popular culture; sexuality; the legal and criminal justice systems; other social institutions; and mental and physical health. It features more coverage of alcohol, the most widely-used drug in the U.S., than other texts for this course. Authors Thomas S. Weinberg, Gerhard Falk, and Ursula Falk include case studies from their field research to give you empathetic insights into the situation of those with substance and alcohol use disorders.
The American Drug Culture
by Thomas S. Weinberg Professor Gerhard J. falk Dr Ursula Adler FalkThe American Drug Culture uses sociological and other perspectives to examine drug and alcohol use in U.S. society. The text is arranged topically, rather than by categories of drugs, and explores diverse contexts of drug use including popular culture; sexuality; the legal and criminal justice systems; other social institutions; and mental and physical health. It features more coverage of alcohol, the most widely-used drug in the U.S., than other texts for this course. Authors Thomas S. Weinberg, Gerhard Falk, and Ursula Falk include case studies from their field research to give you empathetic insights into the situation of those with substance and alcohol use disorders.
American Dreams, Global Visions: Dialogic Teacher Research With Refugee and Immigrant Families (Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education)
by Donald F. HonesThis book presents the struggle for dialogue and understanding between teachers and refugee and immigrant families, in their own words. Forging a stronger connection between teachers, newcomers, and their families is one of the greatest challenges facing schools in the United States. Teachers need to become familiar with the political, economic, and sociocultural contexts of these newcomers' lives, and the role of the U.S. in influencing these contexts in positive and negative ways. The important contribution of American Dreams, Global Visions is to bring together global issues of international politics and economics and their effects on migration and refugee situations, national issues of language and social policy, and local issues of education and finding ways to live together in an increasingly diverse society. Narratives of four immigrant families in the United States (Hmong, Mexican, Assyrian/Kurdish, Kosovar) and the teacher-researchers who are coming to know them form the heart of this work. The narratives are interwoven with data from the research and critical analysis of how the narratives reflect and embody local, national, and global contexts of power. The themes that are developed set the stage for critical dialogues about culture, language, history, and power. Central to the book is a rationale and methodology for teachers to conduct dialogic research with refugees and immigrants--research encompassing methods as once ethnographic, participatory, and narrative--which seeks to engage researchers and participants in dialogues that shed light on economic, political, social, and cultural relationships; to represent these relationships in texts; and to extend these dialogues to promote broader understanding and social justice in schools and communities. American Dreams, Global Visions will interest teachers, social workers, and others who work with immigrants and refugees; researchers, professionals, and students across the fields of education, language and culture, ethnic studies, American studies, and anthropology; and members of the general public interested in learning more about America's most recent newcomers. It is particularly appropriate for courses in foundations of education, multicultural education, comparative education, language and culture, and qualitative research.
American Dreams: The United States Since 1945
by H. W. BrandsTHE STORY OF OUR NATION FROM THE A - BOMB TO THE iPHONE <p><p>For a brief moment in 1945, America stood at its apex, looking back on victory not only against the Axis powers but also against the Great Depression, and looking ahead to a seemingly limitless future. What we've done in the six decades since is a vitally important and fascinating topic that has rarely been tackled in one volume. Covering the highs and lows, politics to pop culture, H. W. Brands, one of today's preeminent historians, creates a character-driven narrative that chronicles the great themes and events that have driven America-a still unfolding legacy of dreams born out of a global cataclysm. <p> 'A crisp, balanced account of America. ' - THE ECONOMIST <p> 'Brands weaves together keen political history with anecdote and marvellous sense of place to produce a vivid tableau. ' - THE BOSTON GLOBE <p> 'Brands knows how to write narrative and how to make the complex comprehensible. ' - JONATHAN YARDLEY, THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD