Examine the big-league benefits of minor league baseball!The Minor League Baseball: Community Building Through Hometown Sports examines the role played by minor league baseball in hundreds of cities and towns across the United States. Written from the unique perspective of a sociologist who also happens to be an avid baseball fan, the book looks at the contributions minor league teams make to the quality of life in their communities, creating focal points for spirit and cohesiveness while providing opportunities for interaction and entertainment. The book links theory and experience to present a "sociology of baseball" that explains the symbiotic relationship which brings people together for a common purposeto root, root, root for the home team.From the author: Minor league baseball is played across the country in more than 100 very different communities. These communities seem to share a special bond with their teams. As with all sports teams, there is a symbiotic relationship between the team and the city or town that it represents. In the case of major league professional sports, the relationship is often fueled by economic outcomes. On the minor league level, the relationship appears to go beyond mere money and prestige. Minor league teams occupy a special place in our hearts. We are more forgiving when they lose, and extremely proud of them when they win.Minor League Baseball: Community Building Through Hometown Sports is a detailed look at the connection between town and team, including: economic benefits (development strategies, community growth) intangible benefits (ballpark camaraderie, hometown pride) fan attachment and attendance (demographic variables, stadium accessibility, "home court advantage") case studies of two Maryland minor-league franchises--the Class AA Bowie Baysox and the Class A Hagerstown Suns Minor League Baseball: Community Building Through Hometown Sports also includes an introduction to the organizational structure of the minor leagues, a history of each current league, and charts and tables on attendance figures and franchise relocations. This book is essential reading for sociologists, sport sociologists/historians, academics and/or practitioners in the fields of community sociology and psychology, and of course, baseball fans.

Learn how to help your congregants work cooperatively with mental health professionals! This revised edition of The Soul in Distress i is a reader-friendly overview of the full range of adult psychiatric disorders. Updated with new information on genetics, brain scans, heredity, developmental concerns, new medications, and stress, it suggests ways for clergy to assist their congregants suffering from these illnesses and provides ethical guidance and clinical examples, often illustrating how physical disease can affect mental health. It also examines new short-term therapies and ways to handle difficult personalities. From author Richard W. Roukema, MD, FAPA: With the recent events of terrorism in our country, the need for the clergy to be alert to the fallout on the lives of their congregants is clear. Anxiety, depression, prolonged grief, and post-traumatic stress disorder will be increasingly evident as the threat of terrorism continues. Now more than ever, the clergy should obtain a basic overview of the emotional and mental disorders they may encounter in their congregations. This book will update the clergy to the current state of knowledge in the field. With fascinating case studies, and practical suggestions for dealing with various psychiatric disorders, Counseling for the Soul in Distress: What Every Religious Counselor Should Know About Emotional and Mental Illness, Second Edition examines: new trends in psychotherapy such as EMDR and Christian counseling the art of providing appropriate referrals to psychiatrists the aftermath of the September 11 attacks the ways that loss and grief affect the personality personality disorders depression and other mood disorders eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and obesity stress and its implications schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders neuroses organic mental disorders sexual problems drug abuse and alcoholism Written specifically for the clergy by a well-respected psychiatrist, this new edition of Counseling for the Soul in Distress is an essential addition to your reference shelf!

Providing a thorough review and synthesis of work on communication skills and skill enhancement, this "Handbook" serves as a comprehensive and contemporary survey of theory and research on social interaction skills. Editors John O. Greene and Brant R. Burleson have brought together preeminent researchers and writers to contribute to this volume, establishing a foundation on which future study and research will build.
The handbook chapters are organized into five major units: general theoretical and methodological issues (models of skill acquisition, methods of skill assessment); fundamental interaction skills (both transfunctional and transcontextual); function-focused skills (informing, persuading, supporting); skills used in management of diverse personal relationships (friendships, romances, marriages); and skills used in varied venues of public and professional life (managing leading, teaching).
Distinctive features of this handbook include:
* broad, comprehensive treatment of work on social interaction skills and skill acquisition;
* up-to-date reviews of research in each area; and
* emphasis on empirically supported strategies for developing and enhancing specific skills.
Researchers in communication studies, psychology, family studies, business management, and related areas will find this volume a comprehensive, authoritative source on communications skills and their enhancement, and it will be essential reading for scholars and students across the spectrum of disciplines studying social interaction.

Anti-Catholicism forms part of the dynamics to Northern Ireland's conflict and is critical to the self-defining identity of certain Protestants. However, anti-Catholicism is as much a sociology process as a theological dispute. It was given a Scriptural underpinning in the history of Protestant-Catholic relations in Ireland, and wider British-Irish relations, in order to reinforce social divisions between the religious communities and to offer a deterministic belief system to justify them. The book examines the socio-economic and political processes that have led to theology being used in social closure and stratification between the seventeenth century and the present day.

This book examines the role played by political communications, including media of all kinds - journalism, television, and film - in defining and shaping identity in Greater China; China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas Chinese. In the context of increasing cross-border interactions of people, investment and commercial products between the component parts of greater China, the book explores the idea that identity, rather than nation-states or political entities, may be the key factor in achieving further integration in Greater China. The book focuses on the ways in which identity is communicated, and shows how communication of identity within and between the component parts of greater China plays a central role in bringing about integration.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203417496

Series Information:
Routledge Key Sociologists

This book brings together studies of Americanization and American imperialism to assess how far the twentieth century can be seen as the "American Century." The collection comprises new contributions exploring the "geographic dialogues" that arise as the result of the projection of American power and culture in the world. The book provides a critical evaluation of the extent of the diffusion and adoption of the "American way of life" and the very concept of "America" itself.

The contributors focus on the effects of the projection of American society from the perspective of the "receivers," both as beneficiaries and as victims. The sections examine three main forms of American power: economic, political and cultural. Topics covered include the role of US corporations; financial power; overseas service investments; American promotion of democracy; the Cold War and the Third World; Hollywood and the American dream; global Disney; the globalization of media; and the influence of American music. The book concludes by looking forward to ask if we are entering a second American century.

Understand the roles of these three unique professions and how collaboration can make each more effective This is the first book to clarify the roles and interprofessional dynamics of these three professions and describe how they can best work together. Here you'll find theological perspectives on each profession, practice models of collaborative programs, and new resources to aid your professional growth. In addition, this book gives you a thorough historical overview of parish nursing and an introduction to health care chaplaincy as well as insightful analyses of the relationships of clergy and congregation to health care institutions. Parish Nurses, Health Care Chaplains, and Community Clergy: Navigating the Maze of Professional Relationships is a vital addition to your reference shelf. This unique book, written by experts in all three fields, provides: the necessary background to be an effective parish nurse, including information on spiritual formation, clinical pastoral education, and more instruction on starting a parish health ministry effective ways that the disciplines can work together in congregational health ministries to provide the best possible spiritual care successful practice models that your ministry can emulate an examination of the health care institution's role in forming the spiritual care team resources to use to increase your ministry's effectiveness Parish Nurses, Health Care Chaplains, and Community Clergy is a must for practitioners, educators, and students who will be entering these vital professions

Volume 29 of "Studies in Symbolic Interaction" honors Ron Pelias' contributions to symbolic interaction and performance studies. The work of Patricia Ticineto Clough is also honored. New theoretical developments in the areas of race, identity, politics and authenticity are presented, as are performance essays interrogating mental health care, and the representations of gender and sexuality in the popular HBO series, "Sex in the City." It honors the work of Ron Pelias and Patricia Ticineto Clough and features a performance essay that discusses representations of gender and ethnicity in HBO's "Sex and the City."

This text seeks to understand the problematic relationship between liberal democracy and contemporary citizenship by tracing the links between conceptual debates about these issues and the specific social, political and historical dynamics of a host of different countries. Offering a careful blend of theoretical discussion and case study material, it provides an introduction to both sociologies of citizenship and politics of democracy and a fascinating series of overviews of particular nation states. Class, race, gender and globalization are recurring themes in the book, which addresses the ongoing possibilities of politics and cultural meaning within nation states.

This edited collection focuses on the global growth of privatisation and private sector medicine in both developed and lesser developed countries, and the impact of this on patients, health workers, managers and policy-makers. Drawing upon sociological theories, concepts and insights, as well as experts from several countries with extensive experience in researching the field either nationally or internationally, the collection offers a unique perspective on healthcare services and healthcare systems: a view from those trying to access healthcare services, working inside health systems, or responsible for managing and organising services. Collectively, the chapters contribute an international perspective on the navigation of healthcare systems, and addresses the growing salience of 'choice' between public and private medicine in a variety of different national systems and contexts.

"Communities of Difference" looks at the implications of educational practices in communities that are differentiated by issues of language, culture, and technology. Trifonas and contributors argue that a "community" is at once a gathering of like-minded individuals in solidarity of purpose and conviction, and also a gathering that excludes others. The chapters in this collection reveal this tension between theory and practice in order to engage the models of community and the theories of difference that support them as a way to teach, to learn, and to know.

A record of the role of selected middle-class individuals across Europe who made notable contributions to the early evolution of modern sport and who saw success in modern sport as an expression of human qualities to be admired, applauded and encouraged. They viewed sport, sometimes self-interestedly but not always self-interestedly, as a medium of personal, collective and national virtue. It is the first general consideration of a selection of these innovatory pioneers and proselytisers who placed Europe at the forefront of major developments in contemporary world sport - now a phenomenon of global significance.

Examine the biopsychosocial, environmental, spiritual, and policy issues that affect HIV/AIDS prevention/service delivery issues for Caribbean youth!This groundbreaking book provides an overview and informed discussion of HIV/AIDS as it affects children and adolescents in Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, and The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. With contributions from noted HIV/AIDS experts in the region, it examines the biopsychosocial, environmental, spiritual, and policy issues that impact HIV/AIDS prevention/service delivery issues for Caribbean youth. HIV/AIDS and Children in the English Speaking Caribbean breaks the silence on this subject that has existed throughout the Caribbean--second only to Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of the number of people infected with the disease--by focusing attention on the issues, needs, perspectives, policies, and research that impact those affected by the epidemic in that region. This unique book gives special attention to the distinctive differences among Caribbean countries with varying customs based on colonial influences including language, culture, traditions, and religion. User-friendly tables and figures make the statistical information easy to understand.HIV/AIDS and Children in the English Speaking Caribbean discusses a diversity of topics, including: psycho-cultural issues and adolescents the impact of dance hall music on HIV and adolescents school programs evaluation of residential placements for children with AIDS sexual risk-taking behaviors of Jamaican street boys the inaugural lecture on AIDS at the University of the West Indies . . . and much more. Everyone whose professional life brings them into contact with this population, including social workers, psychologists, counselors, clinicians, nurses and other health care professionals, as well as educators and their students will find HIV/AIDS and Children in the English Speaking Caribbean a very useful resource for understanding the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS virus on children and adolescents in that part of the world.

Trace the influence of family factors on children's emotional and educational well-being The effect of family changes on children's academic success is a new subject for study. Divorce, Family Structure, and the Academic Success of Children is a comprehensive volume that brings research on this hotly debated topic up to date. With clear tables and incisive arguments, it is a single-volume reference on this vexing sociocultural problem. Divorce, Family Structure, and the Academic Success of Children offers a close look at the historical background and current theory of this field of study. But it is more than a compendium of known facts and completed studies. It examines issues of appropriate methodology and points out concerns for planning future research. Divorce, Family Structure, and the Academic Success of Children summarizes current knowledge of the effects of various influences on children's emotional and educational well-being, including: divorce and remarriage single-parent families nontraditional family structures race socioeconomic status mobility Educators, theorists, sociologists, and psychologists will find this volume an essential resource. With hundreds of useful references and clear organization, it presents new ideas in an easy-to-use format that makes it an ideal textbook as well.

First published in 2002. The power of magical names, spells, and talismans was of utmost importance to the ancient Egyptians and their religion. Here, in another classic by the foremost Egyptian scholar of the Victorian era, E. A. Wallis Budge describes and explains the magical practices in Egypt, many of which predate the belief in gods and goddesses. Illustrated with twenty line drawings, this volume is one more key needed to unlock the secrets of this great ancient civilization.

Hone your group work skills to make sessions even more meaningful Social Work with Groups: Mining the Gold examines a wide array of varieties of social group work practice, from corrections through empowerment and international issues. It explores ways to deal with youth violence (following the shootings at Columbine High School), issues of social exclusion, empowerment practice, groups in correctional settings, group work practice with seniors, gender diversity, multicultural groups, teleconferencing groups, and education for social work group practice. Every chapter author who contributed to this timely and important volume reflects the "gold" to be mined in the use of groups in social work. Linda Hutton shares her first-hand experience of working with chronically paranoid schizophrenic clients who are also chemically addicted. Marshall Rubin and Carol J. Hinote explore ways of working creatively with different populations--Rubin confronts the use of structured program designs and Hinote describes the challenge of being a woman worker with a group of mentally ill men. Paul Abels and Sonia Leib Abels examine the use of narratives in social work with groups. Beverly Ryan and Patty Crawford discuss the creation of support groups for elderly people dealing with loss, and Jean East, Susan Manning, and Ruth J. Parsons explore ways for group work to advance the social work empowerment agenda. Social Work with Groups also explores case studies of: a school-based project to prevent violence a European group work plan to fight social exclusion in a multicultural environment a prison-based group work program ways to use gender diversity to enrich the group experience Social Work with Groups brings you insightful commentary from the people who are developing cutting-edge programs and expanding the boundaries of group work. No social worker who wants to function most effectively in a group setting should be without it

Promote culturally competent social work practice with families of many traditions This broad-ranging book highlights the enormous importance of the family in enhancing individuals' health and in safeguarding mental health. Families and Health offers an international scope and a multicultural frame of reference. The original research presented here includes both qualitative and quantitative studies on the role of family support in maintaining personal well-being. These empirical studies look at groups as diverse as elderly Samoans living in Hawaii, Nigerian families living in Africa, and children of all races and ethnic groups living in Florida foster care. The results are consistent across the cultures, however. Good family support prevents many health problems and ameliorates such unpreventable ones as aging. Poor family support leads to increased physical and emotional illness as well as higher rates of drug abuse and other addictions.Families and Health discusses the role healthy families play in various health and mental health issues, including: preventing drug use successful treatment for substance abuse caregiving of the frail elderly dealing with relatives who suffer from schizophrenia This helpful book will be of use in promoting culturally competent practice among social workers, psychologists, therapists, and gerontologists. It will also be of interest to policymakers, health and wellness researchers, and scholars in ethnic studies.

First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Use these fascinating first-person accounts to bring real-world problems into the classroom!The Use of Personal Narratives in the Helping Professions: A Teaching Casebook is a collection of personal narratives, short stories, and poetry about mental illness and other life-affecting problems, mostly in the context of family life. Each selection is accompanied by questions for discussion; selected reading lists are provided with each chapter. Beginning with problems related to childhood, the stories range through adolescence, adulthood, and old age. This unique book provides students and educators in psychology, social work, and counseling with an in-depth understanding of various mental illnesses and psychosocial problems through the life cycle. Its stories and narratives give students the unique opportunity to experience "from the inside" what it is like to live with an eating disorder or struggle with a compulsion phobia. The Use of Personal Narratives in the Helping Professions is more than a teaching tool. These stories are more than thought provoking, more than simply insightful. They are truly fascinating--each a candid, no-holds-barred glimpse into the personal reality of its narrator--and will inspire the kind of discussions that the best courses and instructors are remembered for. Your students will most likely have finished the book before the class has finished discussing the first chapter! With The Use of Personal Narratives in the Helping Professions, your students will explore: family relationships under various types of stress how families cope with physical illness what happens to the family when a loved one struggles with mental illness the impact of racial issues the effects of sexual abuse and domestic violence the process of healing from childhood trauma . . . and much more! The Use of Personal Narratives in the Helping Professions provides first-hand knowledge of what the loss of a parent to death, mental illness, or alcoholism feels like to the child; of how "coming out" as a lesbian affects one's life; of the love and frustration of having a mentally handicapped sibling; of what it's like to lose one's memory in old age. No academic description can convey the feelings, meaning, and effects on the individual or family of mental illness or other psychosocial stressors. Only narratives and stories based on direct experience--exactly what you'll find in The Use of Personal Narratives in the Helping Professions--can offer this perspective.

Fulfill Christ's injunction in Matthew 25 Pastoral Care to Muslims: Building Bridges recognizes that more and more often pastoral care workers are encountering Muslims in hospitals. This is the guidebook you need to provide the spiritual support these patients are able to accept--support that doesn't conflict with their religious affiliations. The first section of Pastoral Care to Muslims provides an outline of the major beliefs of Islam, chiefly those that relate to illness and dying. The Koran is freely quoted to support these beliefs and practices. The second section of the book delivers a set of guidelines for the practice of pastoral care to hospitalized Muslims. These guidelines have been field tested with positive results. The book's two appendixes supply you with samples of the kinds of prayers that are acceptable to Muslims. In this valuable book you'll find: background information about the Muslim faith quotations from the Koran that you can use in your practice what you need to understand about the Muslim view of sickness, death, and dying Plus explanations of terms and concepts found in Islam, including: the Islamic Creed Tawhid (the concept of the unity of God) Gehenna (Hell) the Five Pillars of Islam Pastoral Care to Muslims: Building Bridges will help you do just that: build bridges between Christians and Muslims. It will supply you with material you can use to minister to Muslims without the fear of offending them and give you the confidence you need to deliver effective pastoral care to this growing segment of the population.

Explore the tensions and tenderness between fathers and sons in this masterpiece of narrative psychology "We live in a story-shaped world," as the editors say, and Between Fathers and Sons: Critical Incident Narratives in the Development of Men's Lives shows how the stories we construct come to shape our perceptions of the world and of ourselves. The incidents recounted here are more than just moving, funny, or painful stories of fathers and sons. Each is a myth that helped form the authors'social and moral identity. This blend of feeling and intellect, story and analysis makes Between Fathers and Sons a work of art as well as a work of psychology. The contributors--many of them pioneers of narrative therapy--bring unique insight to bear on their own stories. Using a broad array of narrative forms, from the soliliquy to the multiple narrator, they explore and analyze themes of silence, mystery, respect, sports, self-reliance, and longing for continuity. In the stories you will find in Between Fathers and Sons: a father's disappointed silence is transformed as it resonates through four generations a Korean immigrant faces the differences between his ideals of fatherhood and his son's American view a father-son fishing trip ends with the biggest fish ever--or no fish at all betrayed by his stepfather, a boy seeks guidance from stories of his dead father a Baptist preacher helps his son make an agonizing choice a grown man's memory of a childhood event gives him new insight into his father's identity and their relationship Between Fathers and Sons is a landmark volume in father-son relationships and in narrative therapy. It is destined to become a classic in the field.

Now in its second edition, An Introduction to Sociology for Health Carers provides an accessible grounding for all nursing and health care students who have little previous experience of studying Sociology but who, within their first year courses, need to quickly develop sociological thinking skills and knowledge that they can apply to their own care practice. As a discipline, Sociology focuses on how human lives are socially structured and organised, and on the ways in which everyday experiences are made meaningful - a crucial underpinning of health and social care theory and practice. This engaging text introduces basic sociological concepts and techniques and encourages all health care students to make the most of their experiences in the practice environment, learning from these, and becoming a reflective, sociologically-informed practitioner.

Author Biography:
Richard Sandell is Lecturer in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester and Research Associate of RCMG (Research Centre for Museums and Galleries)