The Making of Modern Japan

The Making of Modern Japan
Author: Marius B. Jansen
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 933
Release: 2009-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674039106

Magisterial in vision, sweeping in scope, this monumental work presents a seamless account of Japanese society during the modern era, from 1600 to the present. A distillation of more than fifty years’ engagement with Japan and its history, it is the crowning work of our leading interpreter of the modern Japanese experience. Since 1600 Japan has undergone three periods of wrenching social and institutional change, following the imposition of hegemonic order on feudal society by the Tokugawa shogun; the opening of Japan’s ports by Commodore Perry; and defeat in World War II. The Making of Modern Japan charts these changes: the social engineering begun with the founding of the shogunate in 1600, the emergence of village and castle towns with consumer populations, and the diffusion of samurai values in the culture. Marius Jansen covers the making of the modern state, the adaptation of Western models, growing international trade, the broadening opportunity in Japanese society with industrialization, and the postwar occupation reforms imposed by General MacArthur. Throughout, the book gives voice to the individuals and views that have shaped the actions and beliefs of the Japanese, with writers, artists, and thinkers, as well as political leaders given their due. The story this book tells, though marked by profound changes, is also one of remarkable consistency, in which continuities outweigh upheavals in the development of society, and successive waves of outside influence have only served to strengthen a sense of what is unique and native to Japanese experience. The Making of Modern Japan takes us to the core of this experience as it illuminates one of the contemporary world’s most compelling transformations.

Our International Education

Our International Education
Author: Sherry Marx
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2015-12-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9463002863

What makes a person pack up and move to another country? What does she or he hope to gain from the experience? How do children fit into the picture? Our International Education presents the stories of three American women, a university professor, a high school math teacher, and a high school English as a second language teacher, who move to Hungary for a year to teach. Each woman brings her young children and enrolls them in local Hungarian public schools though none of them speak Hungarian at the beginning of the experience. The autoethnographic stories that make up Our International Education weave together the personal and professional dimensions of life abroad, illuminating not only the realities of negotiating work, school, and family life in another country, but also the complexities of cultural adjustment and second language acquisition. First-person storytelling makes this book a compelling read for those considering a move abroad with their family, and an excellent supplemental narrative for those studying second language acquisition, acculturation, autoethnography, and international education. “These interconnected stories of three women and their children living in Hungary offer an alternately uplifting and heartrending look at what families face when overseas. The co-authors present a deeply personal and vivid account of their bold adventure, from the initial thrill to the gradual revelation that life abroad is not always the carefree romp that some might perceive. Our International Education masterfully demonstrates the unequivocal impact of cross-cultural understanding.” – Eleni Kounalakis, United States Ambassador to Hungary 2010-2013 and author of Madam Ambassador: Three Years of Diplomacy, Dinner Parties, and Democracy in Budapest.

Declining Grammar and Other Essays on the English Vocabulary

Declining Grammar and Other Essays on the English Vocabulary
Author: Dennis E. Baron
Publisher:
Total Pages: 260
Release: 1989
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN:

This book contains 25 essays about English words, and how they are defined, valued, and discussed. The book is divided into four sections. The first section, "Language Lore," examines some of the myths and misconceptions that affect attitudes toward language--and towards English in particular. The second section, "Language Usage," examines some specific questions of meaning and usage. Section 3, "Language Trends," examines some controversial trends in English vocabulary, and some developments too new to have received comment before. The fourth section, "Language Politics," treats several aspects of linguistic politics, from special attempts to deal with the ethnic, religious, or sex-specific elements of vocabulary to the broader issues of language both as a reflection of the public consciousness and the U.S. Constitution and as a refuge for the most private forms of expression. (MS)

The Singularity Is Near

The Singularity Is Near
Author: Ray Kurzweil
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 992
Release: 2005-09-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1101218886

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Celebrated futurist Ray Kurzweil, hailed by Bill Gates as “the best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence,” presents an “elaborate, smart, and persuasive” (The Boston Globe) view of the future course of human development. “Artfully envisions a breathtakingly better world.”—Los Angeles Times “Startling in scope and bravado.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “An important book.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer At the onset of the twenty-first century, humanity stands on the verge of the most transforming and thrilling period in its history. It will be an era in which the very nature of what it means to be human will be both enriched and challenged as our species breaks the shackles of its genetic legacy and achieves inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, and longevity. While the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes will be profound, and the threats they pose considerable, The Singularity Is Near presents a radical and optimistic view of the coming age that is both a dramatic culmination of centuries of technological ingenuity and a genuinely inspiring vision of our ultimate destiny.

Unofficial Math Adventures for Harry Potter Fans: Multiplication & Division

Unofficial Math Adventures for Harry Potter Fans: Multiplication & Division
Author:
Publisher: Sky Pony
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020-09-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781510760271

60 pages of math practice and activities! Kids who love Harry Potter will truly enjoy turning math into a magical learning adventure! This kid-friendly math workbook features beloved and magical book characters to reinforce the development of third and fourth grade skills laid out in the national Common Core State Standards. Colorfully-illustrated puzzles and high-interest word problems use wizards, witches, wands, mystical beasts, and potions to encourage math practice in even the most reluctant of students. The curriculum-based content covered here includes lessons in: Analyzing and comparing geometric shapes Understanding fractions and place value Multiplication and division up to 100 And so much more! Skip to the pages that suit your child’s needs and learning style or start at the beginning and advance page by page—it’s up to you! As the workbook progresses, the problems become more challenging so that learners of all levels can enjoy an exciting, skill-building math adventure. Perfect for Harry Potter fans who learn at all paces, Unofficial Math Adventures for Harry Potter Fans: Multiplication & Division is as fun as it is educational—and is just what your little wizard-in-training needs to get ahead academically!

The Singularity Is Nearer

The Singularity Is Nearer
Author: Ray Kurzweil
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2024-06-25
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0399562761

The noted inventor and futurist’s successor to his landmark book The Singularity Is Near explores how technology will transform the human race in the decades to come Since it was first published in 2005, Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Near and its vision of an exponential future have spawned a worldwide movement. Kurzweil's predictions about technological advancements have largely come true, with concepts like AI, intelligent machines, and biotechnology now widely familiar to the public. In this entirely new book Ray Kurzweil brings a fresh perspective to advances toward the Singularity—assessing his 1999 prediction that AI will reach human level intelligence by 2029 and examining the exponential growth of technology—that, in the near future, will expand human intelligence a millionfold and change human life forever. Among the topics he discusses are rebuilding the world, atom by atom with devices like nanobots; radical life extension beyond the current age limit of 120; reinventing intelligence by connecting our brains to the cloud; how exponential technologies are propelling innovation forward in all industries and improving all aspects of our well-being such as declining poverty and violence; and the growth of renewable energy and 3-D printing. He also considers the potential perils of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence, including such topics of current controversy as how AI will impact employment and the safety of autonomous cars, and "After Life" technology, which aims to virtually revive deceased individuals through a combination of their data and DNA. The culmination of six decades of research on artificial intelligence, The Singularity Is Nearer is Ray Kurzweil’s crowning contribution to the story of this science and the revolution that is to come.

The Oxford Handbook of Sound and Image in Digital Media

The Oxford Handbook of Sound and Image in Digital Media
Author: Carol Vernallis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 833
Release: 2015
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0190258179

This collection surveys the contemporary landscape of audiovisual media. Contributors from image and sound studies explore the history and the future of moving-image media across a range of formats including blockbuster films, video games, music videos, social media, experimental film, documentaries, video art, pornography, theater, and electronic music.

Scratches on Our Minds

Scratches on Our Minds
Author: Harold R. Isaacs
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 459
Release: 2015-02-12
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1317460073

A presentation of eight contemporary Chinese women writers, representing two generations of women with different backgrounds and experiences. The selections explore esthetic, cultural and ideological problems that continue to challenge Chinese women.