Newest Open Textbooks

Criminal Procedure: Undergraduate Edition Author:

Contributors: Smith, Trachtenberg, and Alexander

Publisher: Michigan State University

License: CC BY-NC-SA

An open textbook for undergraduate Criminal Procedure courses that are typically required of criminal justice majors. The book uses U.S. Supreme Court opinions to illuminate the definition of rights concerning search and seizure, right to counsel, and other aspects of the criminal justice process. This open textbook seeks to make undergraduates familiar with judicial reasoning as well as the definitions of rights relevant to individuals who are drawn into contact with criminal justice officials. The chapters give significant attention to police procedures and individual rights under the Fourth Amendment related to searches, including those using warrants and the situations in which warrant searches are permissible. The book also covers rights in the context of police interrogation, including Miranda warnings and exceptions to the Miranda rule. In addition, there is coverage of the exclusionary rule, right to counsel, plea bargaining, and trial rights. It concludes with a brief examination of rights related to sentencing. This resource challenges undergraduates to understand the development and changes affecting rights as new decisions are issued by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Basic Urdu

Contributor: Ranjan

Publisher: Michigan State University

License: CC BY

Basic Urdu is a theme-based, interactive open-source online textbook for the true novice learners of the Urdu language. The book uses mixed pedagogical approaches to language teaching to match diverse teaching and learning styles. It aims to help learners achieve intermediate low to mid-proficiency levels set by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

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Basic Khmer

Contributor: Sok

Publisher: Michigan State University

License: CC BY

This online interactive theme-based open textbook is for beginner learners of the Khmer language. This book aims to provide a practical introduction to speaking, listening, and reading. By the end of this course, students will be at the B1 level of the Common Framework for Language and at the low intermediate level on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scales. Basic Khmer is funded by the Open Educational Resources Program at Michigan State University.

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Transactional Drafting: Introduction to Contract Drafting and Transactional Practice

Contributor: Fernandez

Publisher: Ben Fernandez

License: CC BY-NC-SA

Transactional Drafting: Introduction to Contract Drafting and Transactional Practice contains a condensed presentation of all of the topics typically covered in an upper-level law school class on contract drafting. The book covers drafting from scratch including writing in plain English (not using legalese), avoiding ambiguity, and drafting covenants, rights and prohibitions consistently (using "will" or "shall" for covenants, "may" for rights, and "will not" or "shall not" for prohibitions). And it covers contract organization, from the title and the exordium to the core covenant, deal provisions and "boilerplate," to the testimonium and the signature blocks. The book also includes material on getting up to speed before you start drafting and brainstorming for contingencies after you have finished. In addition to drafting from scratch the book introduces students to the wide range of skills involved in transactional practice. There are chapters on revising form documents, both when you are the original drafter and when you represent the other side. Also, the book includes chapters on negotiating contract language, handling a closing (i.e., verifying authority and getting the documents signed), dealing with ethical issues that arise in contract drafting and execution, drafting a contract amendment, and using computers to draft contracts. Transactional Drafting includes everything students need to know to “hit the ground running” as a transactional attorney.

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Legal Writing I & II: Legal Research and Writing & Introduction to Litigation Practice

Contributor: Fernandez

Publisher: Ben Fernandez

License: CC BY-NC-SA

Legal Writing I & II; Legal Research and Writing & Introduction to Litigation Practice contains a brief discussion of all of the topics covered in a law school courses on legal writing, including a typical first semester course on legal research, analysis and writing an objective memorandum, as well as a second semester course on persuasion and writing an appellate brief, motion to dismiss or motion for summary judgment. The discussion focuses on the basics of analogical reasoning and persuasion and leaves out the minutiae. Each topic is taken one step at a time, with each step building on the step before it. The sources of law are presented first, then legal research, and reading and analyzing cases and statutes. The book covers analogizing a case to a fact pattern and marshaling the relevant facts to the elements of a statutory rule next. And then first section of the book concludes with legal citation, CRAC and CREAC, and writing a legal research memorandum. The text also includes a lot of samples and examples of how the author would write a case brief, a legal memoranda and an appellate brief, as well as an appendix with charts, outlines and exercises students can use to practice these skills. Legal Writing I & II; Legal Research and Writing & Introduction to Litigation Practice covers all the skills students need to know to work at a law firm, and everything students have to learn to begin practicing in litigation department of a firm.

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Civil Rights and Liberties

Contributors: Solberg, Clairmont, Jeknic, Mason, and Metzdorf

Publisher: Open Oregon Educational Resources

License: CC BY

This volume focuses on the constitutional doctrine and law in the areas of civil rights and liberties. It contains excerpts of landmark cases covering the first amendment, second amendment, fourteenth amendment and the right to privacy. The excerpts include the constitutional issues in these cases that are related to civil rights and liberties with other questions of law and dicta omitted.

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Technical Writing and Simple Statistics : for laboratory classes

Contributor: Wettstein

Publisher: TRAILS

License: CC BY-NC

This upper division resource focuses on how to communicate results through technical writing, use Excel to perform simple statistics, and create professional charts/documents. Excel tutorials are provided for performing descriptive statistics, t-tests, and linear regression as well as using text boxes, formatting figures and captions, and using Equation Editor to insert equations. Additionally, guidance and examples of different communication components are provided along with team writing strategies and guidelines on how to hold efficient meetings.

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Foundational Sight Singing

Contributor: Stewart

Publisher: TRAILS

License: CC BY-NC-SA

Sight reading music can be a daunting endeavor for aspiring, and even experienced, musicians. Foundational Sight Singing was created to provide a systematic approach to learn to read, hear and perform music. The ordered presentation of both melodies and rhythms in this text helps students develop accuracy and fluency in sight singing which is a fundamental skill for all musicians. It is a text for developing proficiency in reading and sight singing that can be used in a variety of contexts from individual practice to choral or instrumental ensemble rehearsals to college ear training courses. Multiple exercises are provided for drilling and practice at each level throughout the text to grow the students’ fluency and proficiency in reading and performing pitch and rhythm. This text will help students build a solid foundation upon which they can establish mastery.

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Writing as Inquiry: A Guide to WR 121 at the University of Oregon

Contributors: Clevinger and Rust

Publisher: University of Oregon Libraries

License: CC BY-NC-SA

Welcome to our creative commons OER (open educational resource) for Writing 121 at the University of Oregon. This resource is designed for students to be a zero-cost, high-quality guide to academic writing, with the goal of preparing you for success in college and beyond.

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Urban Health: A Practical Application for Clinical Based Learning

Contributors: McNeill, Stephens, and Walker

Publisher: Wayne State University Library System

License: CC BY-NC

Urban Health: A Practical Application for Clinical Based Learning is an openly licensed, peer-reviewed textbook for clinical-based nursing educators covering barriers in urban health and their impact on patient health outcomes. The authors explore perspectives of urban communities, urban patients, and urban healthcare providers to offer insight into how healthcare providers can address disparities in urban healthcare, provide meaningful care with the lived experiences of urban patients in mind, and improve patient-provider communication by moving towards a more solution-driven, team-based care approach. Features include learning activities, exemplars, and case studies.

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