GCforum: Topic 13 New Edition of Text

Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys Through 28 Nations , Third Edition

Because of the special nature of this topic you can earn extra points by doing a special job on these questions. View this as an opportunity to do an extra credit paper.

Question: "How many extra credit points can I earn?" Answer: "An exceptionally good review can earn up to 50 points." (By comparison, an answer to a topic which is pretty much like regular postings generally earns 5 points.)

So it would be very much worth your while to put extra effort into Topic 13, and by doing so you will not only get valuable extra points, but you will also have the opportunity to influence what the new edition of the textbook will look like, and hence what thousands of students in the United States and worldwide will learn about the cultures covered. Thanks -- Tim Roufs

I have been hired by SAGE Publications to be a reviewer for the Forth Edition of the Gannon textbook. As part of these reviews I like to include a section on representative student opinions. Your task for Topic 13 is to help with that section of the review.

Martin Gannon and the SAGE editors want to know, among other things, the following information about each chapter in the Third Edition of Global Cultures [these comments are from the instructions that reviewers receive]:

[For the Text Review, Part] II. CHAPTER SPECIFIC COMMENTS

"Your comments below are of most value to the authors in deciding what should be retained and what should be improved."

"Chapter-by-chapter. Considering the present edition on a chapter-by-chapter basis, please indicate any specific sections or features that are problems for you or your students (e.g., appear incomplete or inadequate covered, hard to follow, etc.), whether the general revision plans are adequate with regard to each specific chapter, and any additional, specific suggestions for improvement (e.g., additional topics, a specific exercise, reference to a specific rule or policy, chapter lay-out, omitting some text or features, etc.)?"

And then, for each chapter, the SAGE Publications folks ask questions like the following:

For each chapter:

What are the specific sections or features of this chapter that are problems for you or your students?
What would adequate revision plans for this chapter include?
What are your [in this case, your] suggestions for improvement?

Your Task:

Pick (A) your favorite, and (B) your least favorite chapters in the Global Cultures text. For each of those two chapters (your favorite and your least favorite chapters) answer the following questions. Then answer question C.

A. For your favorite chapter:

1. What is the title of your favorite chapter?
2. Why is this chapter your favorite chapter? Please give specifics.
3. What are the specific sections or features of this chapter that are problems for you?
4. What would adequate revision plans for this chapter include?
5. What are your suggestions for improvement of this chapter?

B. For your least favorite chapter:

1. What is the title of your least favorite chapter?
2. Why is this chapter your least favorite? Please give specifics.
3. What are the specific sections or features of this chapter that are problems for you?
4. What would adequate revision plans for this chapter include?
5. What are your suggestions for improvement of this chapter?

C. What overall recommendations would you make for the new edition of the text? That is, for the textbook as a whole, what recommendations would you make?