The MSU Authors Collection is an important part of the University Archives' holdings because the works in this collection document the intellectual heritage of the university and the contributions of MSU faculty, staff, students, and alumni to contemporary scholarship.
Beginning in 2008, the University Archives has hosted a biennial reception honoring MSU faculty, staff and emeriti faculty authors who had written and/or edited monographs, musical scores or recordings, films or videos. This digital collection showcases the books, scores, recordings, films or videos created by faculty and staff at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Where appropriate and where copyright allows, full-text versions are made available of certain MSU Authors' works.
For more information about the MSU Authors Collection, visit https://library.mnsu.edu/archives/collections/university-archives/msu-authors/ .
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Mountain Biking
Scott D. Wurdinger and Leslie Rapparlie
Examines many aspects of mountain biking, including equipment, fundamental skills, and ways to get started.
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Rock Climbing
Scott D. Wurdinger and Leslie Rapparlie
Examines many aspects of rock climbing, including equipment, fundamental skills, and ways to get started.
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Echo: SATB Chorus and Piano
David C. Dickau and Christina Georgina Rossetti
The third movement from the "Of Life and Love" song suite. David Dickau captures the essence of this moody and intensely introspective secular poem by Christina Rossetti. Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series.
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Stars I Shall Find: TTBB Chorus and Piano
David C. Dickau and Sara Teasdale
TTBB voicing of David Dickau's romantic music and Sara Teasdale's inspiring and engaging poetry. Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series.
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Boy Soldier of the Confederacy: The Memoir of Johnnie Wickersham
Kathleen Gorman
Johnnie Wickersham was fourteen when he ran away from his Missouri home to fight for the Confederacy. Fifty years after the war, he wrote his memoir at the request of family and friends and distributed it privately in 1915. Boy Soldier of the Confederacy: The Memoir of Johnnie Wickersham offers not only a rare look into the Civil War through the eyes of a child but also a coming-of-age story.Edited by Kathleen Gorman, the volume presents a new introduction and annotations that explain how the war was glorified over time, the harsh realities suppressed in the nation's.
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The Challenge to Spanish Nobility in the Fourteenth Century: The Struggle for Power in Don Juan Manuel's Conde
James A. (Jim) Grabowska
This study of rhetoric and power identifies and analyzes the ideological foundations of exemplary tales and proverbs in order to describe the evolution of power – its maintenance, transformation, shifts, use and abuse in Don Juan Manuel’s well-known text, El Conde Lucanor. Contemporary and medieval history and rhetorical theories are employed in the process of decoding the text, its structure and meaning. This historical and contemporary approach re-situates Juan Manuel studies in a European context and proves that the work was not produced in isolation, but influenced by theories that were debated and discussed in the universities all over the continent. Attention to the entire text as an articulation of a rhetoric of power relocates the text in the Spanish canon, not just as a collection of exemplary tales and proverbs, but as a tightly constructed and reasoned rhetoric of power. The investigations into the historical context of author and text expand scholarship on ideological notions as held by Juan Manuel about the role of nobility in society, the secularization of power, the clergy (especially the mendicant orders) in general and the Church specifically. Models are provided for readings of medieval texts as products of a concern with memory, expanding the ramifications of the ‘didactic’ label that is so often hung on medieval texts. Likewise, the study provides models of analysis for the production of authority, and the relation between form and meaning in the construction of a medieval text.
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Niemand Wie Ich: Roman
Ólafur Gunnarsson and Maria-Claudia Tomany
The story of an Icelandic family in the 1950s, whose dream of building the country's first department store turned into a nightmare.
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Dearest Folks: Sister Leatherneck's Letter Excerpts and WWII Experiences
Berneice Ann Herron
Dearest Folks tells about two sisters, rural school teachers, from southwestern Minnesota, and how, in l943, they answered their "Uncle Sam's" call by driving their l938 Chevrolet, without air conditioning, or radio, to Long Beach, California, to work in Defense.
They accepted positions in the California Shipbuilding Corporation, where the much needed, famous "Liberty" ships were built. Eleanor returned to Minnesota that August to teach, but Berneice explored the Branches of Service. They then both decided to join the Women's Marine Corps and were members for 2 years 8 ½ months.
They went to Boot Camp at Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina and then to Specialist School at Cherry Point, N.C. From there they were transferred to El Toro Marine Air Base, at Santa Ana, California, where they taught Aircraft and Ship Recognition to Marine Fighter Pilots; after VJ Day the became Rehabilitation Interviewers, and helped discharge other Marines.
They wrote home almost daily and still have those letters. Excerpts from many of these most interesting, original letters are contained in the book as well as many pictures, mementos, and other illustrations.
You will find humor, history, adventure, love and excitement in reading Dearest Folks.
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Making Connections in Elementary and Middle School Social Studies
Andrew P. Johnson
This book revolves around the idea that making personal connections with the material to be learned is what creates powerful learning experiences. Making Connections in Elementary and Middle School Social Studies is a comprehensive, reader-friendly text that demonstrates how personal connections can be incorporated into social studies education while meeting the National Council for the Social Studies thematic, pedagogical, and disciplinary standards. The book examines a variety of methods both novice and experienced teachers alike can use to make social studies more interesting and to help students make their own personal connections.
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Contemporary Government Reform in Japan: The Dual State in Flux
Eiji Kawabata
This book examines several major reforms in Japan--in the postal business, transportation, telecommunications, and communications technology--and evaluates the effectiveness of these efforts in major issue areas since the early 1980s. Conceptually, the book presents the dual state as being a fundamental feature of the Japanese political economy that determines government reform dynamics.
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There's Magic All Around Us: Powerful Stories to Help You Live a Fuller Life
Michael L. Larson
"It continues to amaze me how incredibly some people can deal with adversity. Even in situations where they are facing tragic situations, even the worst things we can imagine, they draw upon reserves of emotional and spiritual strength that stagger the imagination ... Throughout this book, I hope you will find a thread showing the incredible courage, persistence, love, hope, and the wonder that's all-present in this marvelous world of which we all are a part"--Page xii.
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Puerto Rico
Jose Javier Lopez
Puerto Rico is the smallest and easternmost island in the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. In 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth voluntarily associated with the United States.The information-packed volumes in this series provide comprehensive overviews of each nation's people, geography, history, government, economy, and culture. Abundant full-color illustrations guide the reader on a voyage of discovery, and maps reflect current political boundaries. Written by the most experienced professors teaching world regional geography, this series meets social studies and geography curriculum standards.
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Out of Chaos: Reflections of a University President and His Contemporaries on Vietnam-Era Unrest in Mankato and Its Relevance Today
James F. Nickerson
Out of Chaos: Reflections of a University President and his Contemporaries on Vietnam-era Unrest in Mankato and its Relevance Today is a collection of personal reminiscences that provide a glimpse into what Mankato was like during the 1960s and 1970s. The book was created by Dr. James F. Nickerson, former Mankato State College president, with input from a variety of graduates, faculty, administrators and citizens who were witnesses to these local events. It is by piecing these stories together that the reader gets an understanding of this dynamic time period and how one person can make a difference in the outcome of events.
Minnesota State University, Mankato will observe its 150th anniversary as an institution of higher learning in 2018. Out of Chaos, represents a significant time in University’s past, and so to coincide with other Sesquicentennial undertakings, it is being reprinted as a Sesquicentennial Edition. Out of Chaos has also been selected as the 2017 Common Read book. As Minnesota State Mankato’s Common Read book for 2017, Out of Chaos will support the commemoration of the Sesquicentennial by allowing campus and community readers to explore the University’s remarkable history through book discussions, thought-provoking programming and other associated educational experiences.
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Precalculus with Modeling and Visualization
Gary K. Rockswold
Gary Rockswold focuses on teaching algebra in context, answering the question, “Why am I learning this?” and ultimately motivating the students to succeed in this class. In addition, the author's understanding of what instructors need from a text (great 'real' examples and lots of exercises) makes this book fun and easy to teach from. Integrating this textbook into your course will be a worthwhile endeavor.
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Battle Cry
Jan Neubert Schultz
In 1862, two best friends, one white and one half Dakota Indian, find themselves involved in a bloody war when the Dakotas, fed up with being mistreated by the federal government and local citizens, erupt with violence.
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Using Experiential Learning in the Classroom: Practical Ideas for All Educators
Scott D. Wurdinger
While research and common sense tells us that experiential learning is more effective than the more traditional process of information assimilation (where teachers lecture, test, and grade), high school, college, and university teachers continue to use paper-and-pencil tests as their primary grading and assessment tool. Many students fail to see the relevance of these sort of tests and are bored with passive methods of learning. Using Experiential Learning in the Classroom: Practical Ideas for All Educators explains what experiential learning is, why it works, and how it can be used in both high school and post-secondary educational settings. Tools for assessing experiential learning are also provided. A must-have resource for high school teachers and college professors.
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Profiling and Criminal Justice in America: A Reference Handbook
Jeffrey B. Bumgarner
This unique handbook examines the history behind racial, gender, and religious profiling, charts its guiding philosophies, surveys supporting legal doctrines and legislation, and presents the arguments pro and con. It focuses on profiling by police, prosecutors, and judges; federal and state civil rights laws; key legal cases and studies; and more. Whether one wishes to explore racial profiling by state troopers in New Jersey, the identification of serial killers by the FBI, or the screening of potential terrorists by airport security, this is the book to consult.
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Flowers of the Dinh Ba Forest: A Novel
Robert David Clark
In this novel of war, love, camaraderie, and betrayal Vietnam veteran Clark centers his plot around a search for a rare orchid in the height of the Vietnam War. As novelist and veteran Tim O'Brien has pointed out, the telling element in any true war story is that it doesn't make sense. Clark's characters--both Vietnamese and American, both men and women--are painfully aware that nothing seems to make sense in the war, that one might as well trek off in search of a deep jungle orchid.
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Where the Clouds Meet the Water
Kimberly E. Contag and James A. (Jim) Grabowska
Where the Clouds Meet the Water follows the historical journey of the German Ecuadorian widower, Ernst Contag, and his four young children from their home in the South American Andes to Nazi Germany in 1942. Blacklisted as an enemy alien, Ernst Contag and his children are forcibly repatriated to the country of Ernst's grandparents as part of a diplomatic exchange arranged by the United States' State Department and cooperating countries. In Nazi Germany, Ernst and his children must deny their Ecuadorian past and learn to live as Germans. The Contag family strives to keep the ray of hope in their hearts when the Nazi oath of "blood and honor" leads to fear, abandonment, and death. The children and their father navigate an ever-shifting horizon as they face despair and fear in internment and refugee sites, separation, devastation and loss in Germany (1942-45), hunger and hopelessness in post-war France (1945-46), and hostility in their own Andean homeland. Through it all, the strength of family serves as the glue that holds them all together. The story is based on historical research conducted in libraries and archives on three continents, interviews with survivors of the Ecuadorian blacklist, personal records and official documents submitted to the authors by survivors and their families. Where the Clouds Meet the Water will intrigue readers of all ages who are moved by coming-of-age stories, and fascinated by World War II history and survivor stories.
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The Psychology of Ethnic and Cultural Conflict
Yueh-Ting Lee, Clark McCauley, Fathali Moghaddam, and Stephen Worchel
Peace-makers, experts in conflict resolution, researchers and teachers are among the contributors here focused on ethnic and cultural conflict around the world. The volume first addresses elements such as identity and difference, both conceptually and historically. Text that follows describes issues and experiences associated with conflict and war in countries including Africa, China, Iran, Israel, Palestine, and New Zealand. The role of immigration, three major cultures (Islamic, Christian, and Confucian) are examined. Finally, innovative programs and strategies to prevent and manage ethnic conflict and violence are offered by practitioners.
This book will interest professors and students of cross-cultural psychology, social psychology, ethnic and cultural relations, international relations, anthropology and political science.
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A Graphical Approach to Algebra & Trigonometry
John Hornsby, Margaret L. Lial, and Gary K. Rockswold
This series is the culmination of many years of teaching experience with the graphing calculator. The books were written from the beginning for use with the graphing calculator. Throughout the text, the authors emphasize the power of technology but provide numerous warnings of its limitations: they stress that only through understanding the mathematical concepts can students fully appreciate the power of graphing calculators and use technology appropriately.Additionally, the authors consistently use the same four-step process when introducing the different classes of functions. This allows students to easily make connections between graphs of functions and their associated equations and inequalities.
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A Graphical Approach to Precalculus with Limits
John Hornsby, Margaret L. Lial, and Gary K. Rockswold
This series is the culmination of many years of teaching experience with the graphing calculator. The books were written from the beginning for use with the graphing calculator. Throughout the text, the authors emphasize the power of technology but provide numerous warnings of its limitations: they stress that only through understanding the mathematical concepts can students fully appreciate the power of graphing calculators and use technology appropriately. Additionally, the authors consistently use the same four-step process when introducing the different classes of functions. This allows students to easily make connections between graphs of functions and their associated equations and inequalities.
