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    Read more about Prose Fiction: An Introduction to the Semiotics of Narrative

    Prose Fiction: An Introduction to the Semiotics of Narrative

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Ribó

    Publisher: Open Book Publishers

    License: CC BY

    This concise and highly accessible textbook outlines the principles and techniques of storytelling. It is intended as a high-school and college-level introduction to the central concepts of narrative theory – concepts that will aid students in developing their competence not only in analysing and interpreting short stories and novels, but also in writing them. This textbook prioritises clarity over intricacy of theory, equipping its readers with the necessary tools to embark on further study of literature, literary theory and creative writing. Building on a ‘semiotic model of narrative,’ it is structured around the key elements of narratological theory, with chapters on plot, setting, characterisation, and narration, as well as on language and theme – elements which are underrepresented in existing textbooks on narrative theory. The chapter on language constitutes essential reading for those students unfamiliar with rhetoric, while the chapter on theme draws together significant perspectives from contemporary critical theory (including feminism and postcolonialism). This textbook is engaging and easily navigable, with key concepts highlighted and clearly explained, both in the text and in a full glossary located at the end of the book. Throughout the textbook the reader is aided by diagrams, images, quotes from prominent theorists, and instructive examples from classical and popular short stories and novels (such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis,’ J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, or Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, amongst many others). Prose Fiction: An Introduction to the Semiotics of Narrative can either be incorporated as the main textbook into a wider syllabus on narrative theory and creative writing, or it can be used as a supplementary reference book for readers interested in narrative fiction. The textbook is a must-read for beginning students of narratology, especially those with no or limited prior experience in this area. It is of especial relevance to English and Humanities major students in Asia, for whom it was conceived and written.

    (6 reviews)

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    Read more about Biotechnology Foundations - 2nd Edition

    Biotechnology Foundations - 2nd Edition

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: O'Grady

    Publisher: OpenStax CNX

    License: CC BY

    Given the broad definition of biotechnology applications and products, it is easy to see how there is enormous overlap within the fields of cellular biology, microbiology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering. It is the goal of this textbook to provide foundational knowledge to begin building your biotechnology toolkit and enter an exciting career of making a difference through biotechnology.

    (1 review)

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    Read more about Sight-Reading for Guitar

    Sight-Reading for Guitar

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Green

    Publisher: Rebus Community

    License: CC BY

    Sight-Reading for Guitar: The Keep Going Method Book and Video Series teaches guitar players from all musical backgrounds to understand, read and play modern staff notation in real time. The Keep Going Method is designed to impart the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for sight-reading with efficiency, fun and encouragement. The skill of sight-reading is a difficult to develop, primarily because it is traditionally taught inefficiently. Further, students encounter high levels of emotional discomfort in the beginning stages of skill acquisition. The method in this book is designed to impart the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for sight-reading with efficiency, clarity and encouragement. All types of guitars apply: electric, steel-string and nylon-string.

    (2 reviews)

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    Read more about A Quick Guide to Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences

    A Quick Guide to Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Davies

    Publisher: University of Wales Trinity Saint David

    License: CC BY-NC

    This resource is intended as an easy-to-use guide for anyone who needs some quick and simple advice on quantitative aspects of research in social sciences, covering subjects such as education, sociology, business, nursing. If you area qualitative researcher who needs to venture into the world of numbers, or a student instructed to undertake a quantitative research project despite a hatred for maths, then this booklet should be a real help.

    (12 reviews)

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    Read more about CLUE: Chemistry, Life, the Universe and Everything

    CLUE: Chemistry, Life, the Universe and Everything

    Copyright Year:

    Contributors: Cooper and Klymkowsky

    Publisher: Michael Klymkowsky, Melanie Cooper

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    This text is intended to provide an in-depth introduction to the key ideas in chemistry. We have designed the book to show how these ideas are developed from simple to complex systems and how they relate to each other. We consider three ideas central to an understanding of chemistry: the structure of matter, the properties of matter, and the energy changes involved in the reorganization of matter; all are connected by the interactions or forces that cause matter to interact. We aim to provide compelling reasons why you will find yourself wanting to learn chemistry and to illustrate what you will be able to do with this knowledge once you have learned it.

    (2 reviews)

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    Read more about Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals

    Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals

    Copyright Year:

    Contributors: Atkinson and Corbitt

    Publisher: TRAILS

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    Welcome to Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals, an open textbook designed for use in co-requisite course pairings of developmental writing and introductory technical writing, or indeed in other lower-division college writing courses that focus on building study skills alongside effective workplace and academic writing skills. It offers a no-cost alternative to commercial products, combining practical guidance with interactive exercises and thoughtfully designed writing opportunities.

    (2 reviews)

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    Read more about Informal Calculus with Applications to Biological and Environmental Sciences

    Informal Calculus with Applications to Biological and Environmental Sciences

    Copyright Year:

    Contributors: Seacrest, Seacrest, Levine, and Anderson

    Publisher: TRAILS

    License: CC BY

    This book is an approachable introduction to calculus with applications to biology and environmental science. For example, one application in the book is determining the volume of earth moved in the 1959 earthquake that created Quake Lake. Another application uses differential equations to model various biological examples, including moose and wolf populations at Isle Royale National Park, ranavirus in amphibians, and competing species of protozoa. The text focuses on intuitive understanding of concepts, but still covers most of the algebra and calculations common in a survey of calculus course.

    (2 reviews)

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    Read more about Technical Writing and Simple Statistics : For laboratory classes

    Technical Writing and Simple Statistics : For laboratory classes

    Copyright Year:

    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.

    (2 reviews)

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    Read more about Informed Arguments:  A Guide to Writing and Research - Revised Second Edition

    Informed Arguments: A Guide to Writing and Research - Revised Second Edition

    Copyright Year:

    Contributors: Pantuso, LeMire, and Anders

    Publisher: Texas A&M University

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    Welcome to composition and rhetoric! While most of you are taking this course because it is required, we hope that all of you will leave with more confidence in your reading, writing, researching, and speaking abilities as these are all elements of freshman composition. Many times, these elements are presented in excellent textbooks written by top scholars. While the collaborators of this particular textbook respect and value those textbooks available from publishers, we have been concerned about students who do not have the resources to purchase textbooks. Therefore, we decided to put together this Open Educational Resource (OER) explicitly for use in freshman composition courses at Texas A&M University. It is important to note that the focus for this text is on thesis-driven argumentation as that is the focus of the first year writing course at Texas A&M University at the time of development. However, other first year writing courses at different colleges and universities include a variety of types of writing such as personal essays, informative articles, and/or creative writing pieces. The collaborators for this project acknowledge each program is unique; therefore, the adaptability of an OER textbook for first year writing allows for academic freedom across campuses.

    (10 reviews)

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    Read more about Guide to Ancient Near Eastern Art

    Guide to Ancient Near Eastern Art

    Copyright Year:

    Contributors: Ezra, Harris, and Zucker

    Publisher: Smarthistory

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for Sumerian, Akkadian, Neo-Sumerian / Ur III, Babylonian, Assyrian and Persian art.

    (3 reviews)

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