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    Read more about The Crystal Ball Instruction Manual - version 1.1 Volume One: Introduction to Data Science

    The Crystal Ball Instruction Manual - version 1.1 Volume One: Introduction to Data Science

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Davies

    Publisher: University of Mary Washington

    License: CC BY-SA

    A perfect introduction to the exploding field of Data Science for the curious, first-time student. The author brings his trademark conversational tone to the important pillars of the discipline: exploratory data analysis, choices for structuring data, causality, machine learning principles, and introductory Python programming using open-source Jupyter Notebooks. This engaging read will allow any dedicated learner to build the skills necessary to contribute to the Data Science revolution, regardless of background.

    (3 reviews)

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    Read more about Attenuated Democracy:  A Critical Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics

    Attenuated Democracy: A Critical Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Hubert

    Publisher: Salt Lake Community College

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    The U.S. political system suffers from endemic design flaws and is notable for the way that a small subset of Americans—whose interests often don’t align with those of the vast majority of the population—wields disproportionate power. Absent organized and persistent action on the part of ordinary Americans, the system tends to serve the already powerful. That’s why this text is called Attenuated Democracy. To attenuate something is to make it weak or thin. Democracy in America has been thin from the beginning and continues to be so despite some notable progress in voting rights. As political scientists Benjamin Page and Martin Gilens wrote, “The essence of democracy is not just having reasonably satisfactory policies; the essence of democracy is popular control of government, with each citizen having an equal voice.” (1) Since this is likely to be your only college-level course on the American political system, it is important to point out the structural weaknesses of our system and the thin nature of our democracy. Whenever you get the chance—in the voting booth, in your job, perhaps if you hold elected office—I encourage you to do something about America’s attenuated democracy.

    (6 reviews)

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    Read more about The Western World: Daily Readings on Geography

    The Western World: Daily Readings on Geography

    Copyright Year:

    Contributors: Quam and Campbell

    Publisher: College of DuPage

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    In essay format, this textbook considers examples of various sub-categories of Geography in combination with five regions of the Western World.

    (1 review)

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    Read more about Introductory Chemistry - 1st Canadian Edition

    Introductory Chemistry - 1st Canadian Edition

    Copyright Year:

    Contributors: Ball and Key

    Publisher: BCcampus

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    The goal of this textbook is not to make you an expert. True expertise in any field is a years-long endeavor. Here I will survey some of the basic topics of chemistry. This survey should give you enough knowledge to appreciate the impact of chemistry in everyday life and, if necessary, prepare you for additional instruction in chemistry.

    (4 reviews)

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    Read more about Arguing Using Critical Thinking

    Arguing Using Critical Thinking

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Marteney

    Publisher: Academic Senate for California Community Colleges

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    There is a quote that has been passed down many years and is most recently accounted to P.T. Barnum, “There is a sucker born every minute.” Are you that sucker? If you were, would you like to be “reborn?” The goal of this book is to help you through that “birthing” process. Critical thinking and standing up for your ideas and making decisions are important in both your personal and professional life. How good are we at making the decision to marry? According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is one divorce in America every 36 seconds. That is nearly 2,400 every day. And professionally, the Wall Street Journal predicts the average person will have 7 careers in their lifetime. Critical thinking skills are crucial.

    (2 reviews)

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    Read more about Spanish I: Beginning Spanish Language and Culture

    Spanish I: Beginning Spanish Language and Culture

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Dean

    Publisher: Humboldt State University Press

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    This peer-reviewed textbook is designed for the true beginner with U.S. college students in mind. It contains themed chapters, which are divided into 8 sections. Each section has its own set of learning objectives, and is further separated into three types of assignments, Para estudiar en casa (with detailed explanations), Para practicar en casa (homework exercises), and Para practicar en clase (paired and group classwork activities). The explanations and primary input are written to be easily comprehensible. The individual exercises are geared towards acquisition of form and function, and the communicative classwork exercises promote interpersonal exchanges between students. The digital copy includes some embedded audio files, and we are developing a website to house many more resources.

    (16 reviews)

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    Read more about The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction

    The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction

    Copyright Year:

    Contributors: Morgan and Rodriguez

    Publisher: Humboldt State University Press

    License: CC BY-SA

    The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction is a peer-reviewed chronological survey of the LGBTQ fight for equal rights from the turn of the 20th century to the early 21st century. Illustrated with historical photographs, the book beautifully reveals the heroic people and key events that shaped the American LGBTQ rights movement. The book includes personal narratives to capture the lived experience from each era, as well as details of essential organizations, texts, and court cases that defined LGBTQ activism and advocacy.

    (2 reviews)

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    Read more about Languages and Worldview

    Languages and Worldview

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Allard-Kropp

    Publisher: University of Missouri - St. Louis

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    Asking and answering questions about what culture entails and examines the fundamental properties and intertwining nature of language and culture. This text explores linguistic relativity, lexical differences among languages and intercultural communication, including high and low contexts.

    (3 reviews)

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    Read more about General Psychology for Honors Students

    General Psychology for Honors Students

    Copyright Year:

    Contributor: Votaw

    Publisher: University of Missouri - St. Louis

    License: CC BY-NC-SA

    What are the most effective methods to study for a test? What are the meanings of dreams? How do illusions work? With whom are you most likely to fall in love? These are just a few of the questions that have been asked by psychologists since the birth of the field as an area of scientific research in the 1870’s. This text surveys the basic concepts, theories, and pivotal findings over the past 100 years in the science of Psychology, with special emphasis on contemporary concepts and findings focused on the relation of the brain to normal and pathological behaviors. Psychology has long evolved past the psychodynamic influence to include biological, social, learning, motivational, and developmental perspectives, to name a few. Contemporary psychologists go beyond philosophical or anecdotal speculation and rely on empirical evidence to inform their conclusions. Similarly, readers will push beyond pre-existing schemas and misconceptions of the field of psychology to an understanding of contemporary quantitative research methods as they are used to predict and test human behavior.

    (2 reviews)

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    Read more about Technical Writing @ SLCC

    Technical Writing @ SLCC

    Copyright Year:

    Publisher: Salt Lake Community College

    License: CC BY-NC

    What is technical writing? You can think of it as writing about specialized topics or you could also think of it as using technology to communicate your ideas. A science lab report, a specification, a change order for building construction, or patient education materials–just to name a few–are all considered technical writing. Similarly if you design a webpage or a brochure this can also be considered technical writing. Academic writing, the writing you do for school, generally is informative or persuasive writing and usually only comes in a few different genres. In technical writing, on the other hand, one is often documenting what was done (such as a science experiment or auto repair invoice). Therefore the format of the writing is often as important as the content. This leads to an emphasis on usability and accessibility for your documents. Finally, although citing your sources is important in all writing, you will find that in some fields of technical writing, such as the sciences and engineering, it is one of the more important considerations of your writing.

    (2 reviews)

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