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New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff.
- Negotiating the Net in Africa: The Politics of Internet Diffusion
ed. by Ernest J. Wilson III and Kelvin R. Wong
Lynne Rienner Publishers, $49.95
Why do national patterns of Internet expansion differ so greatly throughout Africa? To what extent does politics trump technology? Using case studies on Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania, Ernest J. Wilson III, dean and holder of the Walter Annenberg Chair in Communication at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, and his co-editor answer these questions and explore the politics, economics and technology of Internet diffusion across Africa. Their study underscores the importance of the information sector for the future of developing countries.
- Neural Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols, 2nd Edition
by Leslie P. Weiner
Humana Press, $99.50
Although there has been an explosion of interest and technology in the study of neural stem cells, many questions related to stem cell properties and neural stem cell lineage still linger. In the second edition of his book, Leslie P. Weiner, professor and holder of the Richard Angus Grant, Sr., Chair in Neurology and the Leslie P. Weiner Chair in Neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, provides the most current methods to answer these questions. Each chapter includes background information, a list of necessary materials and tips on troubleshooting.
- Requiem or Revival? The Promise of North American Integration
ed. by Carol Wise and Isabel Studer
Brookings Institution Press, $26.95
More than a dozen years after the launch of North American Free Trade Agreement, there has been a growing amount of criticism from citizens of the three member nations as progress toward economic integration has stalled. Mexico’s economy remains far behind those of Canada and the United States, and such pressing issues as energy security remain unanswered. In this book, Carol Wise, associate professor of international relations at USC College, and her co-editor have compiled essays by scholars and policymakers from all three nations that dissect NAFTA’s failure to fulfill its early promise and evaluate the prospects for further integration.
- Houses of Los Angeles: 1885-1919
by Sam Watters
Acanthus Press, $89
USC School of Architecture lecturer Sam Watters takes readers on a tour of several iconic homes built in the early years of Los Angeles, from woodsy bungalows to shining glass pavilions with private golf courses, riding rinks, zoos and observatories. Along with more than 400 photographs and floor plans, Watters profiles the lives of Los Angeles’ early leaders, including USC alumnus Edward L. Doheny and transportation magnate Henry E. Huntington. In his introduction, Watters describes Los Angeles during a time when the city’s most prominent citizens lived in and around downtown before the region was transformed by the residential developments of the 1920s.
- Houses of Los Angeles: 1920-1935
by Sam Watters
Acanthus Press, $89
Continuing his journey through Los Angeles’ earliest homes, Watters looks to the 1920s, when the city’s population more than doubled and Americans discovered a region made rich by citrus farms and Hollywood. Elegant new developments such as Bel-Air, Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills offered homebuyers scenic view lots that established the city’s tradition of luxury and architectural innovation. Watters examines the contemporary Mediterranean villas and California adobes developed by Gordon B. Kaufmann, Wallace Neff and Roland E. Coate as well as modernist designs and techniques introduced by Lloyd Wright, Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra.
- The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East
by Sandy Tolan
Bloomsbury, $14.95
In his novel, Sandy Tolan, a visiting professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, brings a story of hope and reconciliation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When 25-year-old Palestinian Bashir Khairi returns to Israel to visit the house where his family lived before fleeing the country 19 years earlier, he finds a young Israeli college girl, whose own family fled Europe following the Holocaust, living there. The two form a rare friendship forged in the aftermath of war, giving insight to the history of the enduring conflict and an understanding of why it continues to dominate the region.
- Who Intervenes? Ethnic Conflict and Interstate Crisis
by David Carment, Patrick James and Zeynep Taydas
The Ohio State University Press, $49.95
Tensions among different ethnic groups are a given, concedes Patrick James, professor of international relations at USC College, and his co-authors. But it is not clear when and why these tensions escalate into violence and how the state should intervene. To better understand, they present a fourfold typology and illustrate the idea with a comparative analysis of case studies in India and Sri Lanka, Somalia and Ethiopia, Malaysia and the Thai Malay as well as the immediate aftermath of the breakup of Yugoslavia. Ultimately, they argue, policies that encourage institutional reform and support ethnic diversity will reduce the likelihood and the need for intervention.
- The G Quotient: Why Gay Executives Are Excelling as Leaders … and What Every Manager Needs to Know
by Kirk Snyder
Jossey-Bass, $24.95
In the last 10 years, levels of employee engagement, job satisfaction and workplace morale have plummeted in the United States. To understand this trend, Kirk Snyder, a lecturer at the USC Marshall School of Business, undertook a five-year study into the beliefs and behaviors of more than 3,000 managers and employees across major economic sectors. What he found was that organizations under the leadership of white-collar gay males collectively experience 35 percent higher levels of satisfaction and workplace morale, which Snyder says proves that today’s employees are responding to a new type of organizational leader.
- Introduction to Law: Its Dynamic Nature
by Henry R. Cheeseman
Pearson Education Inc., $95.85
In this comprehensive introduction to law, Henry R. Cheeseman, a clinical professor at the USC Marshall School of Business, teaches students how to engage in ethical, analytical reasoning on various topics, from legal fundamentals to areas of substantive law. Each chapter of this text includes an outline, objectives, terminology and a summary, along with case briefing activities and discussion questions. He begins with an introduction to the legal environment and takes students through many categories of law, including family law; wills, trusts and estates; and intellectual property and Internet law.
- It’s So French! Hollywood, Paris and the Making of Cosmopolitan Film Culture
by Vanessa R. Schwartz
The University of Chicago Press, $25
When the French and American film industries began developing a partnership in the 1950s and 1960s, we began to see the origins of the globalization of culture, argues Vanessa R. Schwartz, professor of history, art history and film at USC College. Films such as Gigi and Funny Face celebrated what she calls “Frenchness,” fueling the career of Brigitte Bardot and the success of the Cannes Film Festival and creating a cosmopolitan culture. Along with surprising stories about classic films, the book is filled with film stills, publicity photos, paparazzi shots and ads that give a colorful account of the birth of global culture.
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