Bangladesh: A Political History Since Independence
By Ali Riaz, University Professor and chair, Department of Politics and Government (I.B. Tauris, 2016)
Ali Riaz, an expert on South Asian politics and political Islam, analyzes the many paradoxes of Bangladesh in his latest book, which is a comprehensive overview of the country’s political and historical developments since its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Bangladesh has experienced institutional corruption, a growing religious intolerance and Islamist militancy, and several military coups. The country, however, has achieved successes in female education, population control, and child mortality. Riaz investigates the political processes that gave rise to these paradoxical tendencies.
Narratives of Technology
By J.M. van der Laan, professor, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)
This book is a study of how people perceive and discuss the all-pervasive technology surrounding them. J.M. van der Laan’s definition of technology encompasses all of the things and techniques that humans use to adapt the world around them to their needs, not just devices and machinery. The book examines narratives of technology found across time—in the poetry of Greco-Roman times, the play Faust by Johann Goethe, and the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. When examining narratives, van der Laan equates humanity’s reliance on technology to a kind of addiction or even deification and warns that an unquestioning faith in technology can be dangerous.
Stephen Sondheim and the Reinvention of the American Musical
By Robert McLaughlin, professor, Department of English (University Press of Mississippi, 2016)
In this book, Robert McLaughlin explores the work of Stephen Sondheim, one of musical theater’s best-known and most respected composers and lyricists, whose credits include West Side Story, Follies, and Into the Woods. The book follows Sondheim’s career, from his early mentoring by Oscar Hammerstein and his close work with director Harold Prince, to Sondheim’s work in not-for-profit venues. McLaughlin argues that Sondheim could be called a postmodernist because his work flouts popular notions of musical theater. The book is designed in a way that is accessible for both scholars and musical theater fans.
Understanding the World Language edTPA: Research-Based Policy and Practice
Co-authored by Susan A. Hildebrandt, associate professor, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (Information Age Publishing, 2016)
The world language edTPA, a new student teacher assessment, is the subject of this book by Susan Hildebrandt and Peter Swanson of Georgia State University. They discuss the new beginning teacher portfolio, including its required
elements, federal and state policies concerning teacher evaluation, and research from their own programs. The book provides readers with a guide to inducting teacher candidates into the new portfolio requirements, while helping higher education faculty make appropriate curricular changes to accommodate edTPA.
Here are some other recent works by Illinois State scholars:
Books
A Cultural History of Early Modern English Cryptography Manuals
By Katherine Ellison, professor and associate chair, Department of English (Routledge, 2017)
Laryngeal Cancer: An Interdisciplinary Resource for Practitioners
By Jennifer Friberg, Cross Endowed Chair, The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and Lisa Vinney, assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (SLACK Books, 2017)
Poem’s Poems & Other Poems
By Tim Hunt, University Professor, Department of English (WordTech Communications, 2016)
Contextuality from Quantum Physics to Psychology
Co-edited by J. Scott Jordan, professor and chair, Department of Psychology (World Scientific, 2016)
Teaching the Postsecondary Music Student with Disabilities
By Kimberly A. McCord, professor, School of Music (Oxford University Press, 2017)
The Jarring Road to Democratic Inclusion: A Comparative Assessment of State-Society Engagements in Israel and Turkey
Co-edited by Yusuf Sarfati, associate professor, Department of Politics and Government (Lexington Books, 2016)
Nollywood: Popular Culture and Narratives of Youth Struggles in Nigeria
By Paul Ugor, assistant professor, Department of English (Carolina Academic Press, 2016)
Music
Inner Light
Tom Marko, associate professor and director of jazz studies, School of Music (Summit Records, 2016)
Some of the information from these summaries came from the authors and their publishers. Books, audio and video recordings, and mobile applications created by Illinois State University faculty, staff, and students are eligible for inclusion in this section. Submit entries to kdberse@IllinoisState.edu.
