Written by a star cast of contributors, this introductory undergraduate text provides students with a rich, stimulating and authoritative account of key debates and issues in sociology today. Carefully structured and edited to take account of the undergraduate student reader's needs, the essays explore sociological understandings of a range of core topics and critically examines what key issues have emerged for debate from past and current research.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Is there any way to avoid sin in my life? Does God cause everything that happens to me? Could I lose my salvation? Will I find proof of God's existence in the Bible? Why was Satan allowed to tempt Adam and Eve? Do you have a mature, bible-based understanding of these and other fundamental issues at the heart of the Christian faith? Through a straightforward question and answer approach, Richard S. Taylor explains basic Christian beliefs in What Every Christian Ought to Know . This book will help you grow in your spiritual life as you follow the command to 'be transformed by the renewing of your mind' (Rom. 12: 2).

Here are studies in the fine art of Christian discipleship -- the key to spiritual power and maturity. The 14 suggestions on how to become a disciplined person are of great practical value. Paper.

Patricia S. Taylor Edmisten was raised and educated with the traditions of the Catholic faith. But in later years, she began to question this faith on which she had relied for most of her life. In "A Longing for Wisdom, " she probes her conscience and presents writings about women, particularly their diminished role in the Catholic Church.In this collection of poetry, prose, memoir, and essays, Edmisten addresses a range of issues relating to women: The uniqueness of women's talents, burdens, and sorrow The failure of the hierarchy of mainstream churches to recognize the contributions of women in the Church's history The widely accepted relegation of women to peripheral rather than central roles within churches The unexamined unease the hierarchy and some priests exhibit toward sexuality-their own and women's-contributing to injustice within the Church and societyChallenging, thought-provoking, and inspiring self-examination, "A Longing for Wisdom" calls for Church reform in an era where conventional wisdom has taken precedence over the wisdom of Christ.

The book is an epic poem in rhyming verse, a melodic version of the life of Jesus Christ. Every section of the four gospels has a rhyming counterpart which can be located by using the table for finding passages.

This work is the first academic biography of North Carolina poet laureate James Larkin Pearson (1879-1981). Using material from Pearson's personal archive in Wilkes County, from the North Carolina Collection and the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and from contemporary examinations of his life and work, this study offers deeply personal insights into his life and provides extensive examinations of his hopes, joys, fears, pains, and sorrows. The work also includes lengthy studies of his poetry and his journalistic efforts and examines their place within the larger cultural milieu. In the process, the book addresses two themes that become apparent in Pearson's life and work: his Tar Heel spirit and his individualism. He was a fighter who overcame poverty, a poor education, personal tragedies, and professional neglect to achieve great success. He also abided by his own set of religious, artistic, and political values regardless of the consequences. This work thus offers the first personal and professional examination of James Larkin Pearson, provides insights on North Carolina and its people, and examines the benefits and drawbacks of following one's own path.

P.A.T.C.O. AND REAGAN: AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY - The Air Traffic Controllers' Strike of 1981 - documents those ominous days leading up to, including, andafter the fateful strike and consequent firing of over 11,000 federal employees by the President of the United States in August, 1981. Relying onprimary White House research materials available in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library archives, the book concludes that both the strike and thedismissal were not only predictable, but inescapable scenarios, given the resolute and tenacious personalities of the leaders involved. It discussesin length, the compounding effects that the strike had on its members, society at large, and the White House.

P.A.T.C.O. AND REAGAN explores the motivations behind the strikers' controversial actions and the corresponding rationales of their opponents, whichincluded just about everybody else. It highlights the heightened emotions that fueled the union's expectations before the strike and drove its ferventquest for redemption after the strike. The union's inability to comprehend how the strike would be perceived ultimately doomed its efforts andcondemned it to a collision course with the Reagan Administration, the general public, and even its own membership . As a consequence, organized laborin the United States would never be the same.

This book rediscovers a traditional mode of knowledge that remains viable today. Contrasted to the academic and cultural fads often based on the scientific methodology of the Cartesian legacy, or any number of trendy experiments in education, Poetic Knowledge returns to the freshness and importance of first knowledge, a knowledge of the senses and the passions.

"Poetic knowledge" is not the knowledge of poetry, nor is it even knowledge in the sense that we often think of today, that is, the mastery of scientific, technological, or business information. Rather, it is an intuitive, obscure, mysterious way of knowing reality, not always able to account for itself, but absolutely essential if one is ever to advance properly to the higher degrees of certainty. From Socrates to the Middle Ages, and even into the twentieth century, the case for poetic knowledge is revealed with the care of philosophical archeology. Taylor demonstrates the effectiveness of the poetic mode of education through his own observations as a teacher, and two experimental "poetic" schools in the twentieth century.

Taylor leads readers through creativity and how it relates to leadership followed by the five stages of theory behind the idea: 1) preparation, 2) time-off (or incubation), 3) the spark, 4) selection, and 5) elaboration.

Operational Research (OR) deals with the use of advanced analytical methods to support better decision-making. It is multidisciplinary with strong links to management science, decision science, computer science and many application areas such as engineering, manufacturing, commerce and healthcare. In the study of emergent behaviour in complex adaptive systems, Agent-based Modelling & Simulation (ABMS) is being used in many different domains such as healthcare, energy, evacuation, commerce, manufacturing and defense. This collection of articles presents a convenient introduction to ABMS with papers ranging from contemporary views to representative case studies. The OR Essentials series presents a unique cross-section of high quality research work fundamental to understanding contemporary issues and research across a range of Operational Research (OR) topics. It brings together some of the best research papers from the esteemed Operational Research Society and its associated journals, also published by Palgrave Macmillan.

In his book, Patriarchs in Poetry, Genesis in Rhyming Verse, Pastor Taylor brings the traditional vernacular of the Bible to life in contemporary language. In this volume he shares his talent for translating prose into verse. His previous volume, Harmony of the Gospels in Rhyming Verse, An Epic Poem on the Life of Jesus Christ, is a translation of the first four books of the New Testament into one chronological poem. This subsequent volume is a translation of the first book of the Old Testament, a poetic record of creation and the lives of the patriarchs. The book is faithful to the record as it is found in the Biblical narrative. Patriarchs in Poetry is presented as a series of individual poems that lead the reader through the trials, successes and failures of men like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Pastor Taylor has translated the entire book of Genesis into poetic language. Although the genealogies are included, they are written in prose rather than poetry.

Is God a delusion? Barrister Charles Taylor examines the evidence in this very readable book. His findings will be controversial to some but offer hope and insight to others. We are the only species unable to live in harmony with our environment and each other. The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs is nothing compared with our impact on the Earth. We are currently responsible for "The Sixth Great Extinction" of wildlife. Religious terrorism is widespread, though current atrocities are dwarfed by the bloody record of Christianity. The Middle East is destabilised and to East and West we have Presidents Putin and Trump. So called 'rational' thinking and the dominance of our left brains have brought us to the brink of disaster. We need a spiritual revolution allowing individuals to reconnect with their right brain, intuition and spirit. Religions have had their day. They contain key truths, but these truths are usually obscured by manmade rules constructed to gain wealth and power. At the other extreme, materialism denies God, the spirit, free will, consciousness and love. Happily, the facts contradict this dispiriting left brained faith that we are deluded robots stumbling through life.

How is epistemology related to the issue of teaching science and evolution in the schools? Addressing a flashpoint issue in our schools today, this book explores core epistemological differences between proponents of intelligent design and evolutionary scientists, as well as the critical role of epistemological beliefs in learning science. Preeminent scholars in these areas report empirical research and/or make a theoretical contribution, with a particular emphasis on the controversy over whether intelligent design deserves to be considered a science alongside Darwinian evolution. This pioneering book coordinates and provides a complete picture of the intersections in the study of evolution, epistemology, and science education, in order to allow a deeper understanding of the intelligent design vs. evolution controversy. This is a very timely book for teachers and policy makers who are wrestling with issues of how to teach biology and evolution within a cultural context in which intelligent design has been and is likely to remain a challenge for the foreseeable future.

Today, a substantial portion of higher education is provided outside of the traditional universities in non-university institutions with a multitude of varied characteristics. In recent decades, higher education systems have been subjected to many changes and reforms throughout the world. One of the most important was undoubtedly the expansion of higher education in the second half of the last century from an elite system to one for the masses. While institutions of higher learning have been in existence for approximately 1,000 years, this exponential growth has been much more recent. This movement toward mass higher education has created substantial national impacts on the development of the systems of higher education. While common denominators of change and adaptation can be identified globally, there remain important differences from country to country. There are many factors challenging higher education today and in the foreseeable future. In one form or another, these issues and trends can be seen in higher education systems throughout the world. They include chronic underfunding, marketisation and competition, alternative providers, massification, internationalisation, governance, leadership, strategic management, accountability, accreditation, and social relevance. Another key factor for many countries, especially in Europe, and the focus of this book, is the current and future status of the higher education systems that differentiate the university and non-university sectors.