Faculty Books

Blind Rain

(LSU Press)

Bruce Bond, Regents Professor of English

Bond's latest poetry collection includes several elegies concerning the last days and death of his father. "I am writing at the edge of the other half of life, the part without my father in it," he says in "Wake." Later poems explore the power of imagination to compensate for loss, especially through poetry, madness and music.

Among Bond's previous poetry collections are Radiography, winner of the Natalie Ornish Award; The Anteroom of Paradise, winner of the Colladay Award; and Independence Days, winner of the R. Gross Award.

Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making

(Oxford University Press)

Paul Collins, assistant professor of political science

In the most comprehensive examination yet undertaken on the subject, Collins traces the influence of interest groups and their filing of amicus curiae ("friends of the court") briefs on Supreme Court decisions from 1946 to today. He explores how organized interests influence the justices' decision making, including how the justices vote and whether they choose to write concurrences and dissents.

Collins presents theories of judicial choice derived from disciplines as diverse as law, marketing, political science and social psychology and provides clear evidence that interest groups play a significant role in shaping the justices' choices.

Parenting the Custodial Grandchild: Implications for Clinical Practice

(Springer Publishing)

Bert Hayslip Jr., Regents Professor of psychology, and Patricia Kaminski, associate professor of psychology, editor

This book explores the issues involved when grandparents resume the parenting role in middle and later life to raise their grandchildren. Coverage includes the adjustments custodial grandchildren must make in the school system, viewed from the perspective of school personnel; the perceptions of adult children raised by their grandparents; and the role of the adult parent in the context of grandparents raising grandchildren.

Other UNT contributors include Rebecca J. Glover, associate professor of educational psychology; John Hipple and Jennifer King, counseling psychologists; Amy R. Murrell, assistant professor of psychology; and alumni Jane Jooste and Heather L. Servaty.

The Allure of Nezahualcoyotl: Pre-Hispanic History, Religion and Nahua Poetics

(University of New Mexico Press)

Jongsoo Lee, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures

Since the Spanish conquest of Mexico, European chroniclers have portrayed Nezahualcoyotl (1402-1472), the "poet-king" of Texcoco, as a symbol of Aztec civilization and culture, a wise governor and proto-monotheist. Lee argues that this view leads to a misrepresentation of the history, religion, literature and politics of pre-Hispanic Mexico.

He examines original codices and poetry written in Nahuatl, the Aztec language, alongside Spanish chronicles in an effort to paint a more realistic portrait of the Aztec figure, offering a revision of 500 years of colonial images of Nahua history and culture.

Movable Tonic: A Sequenced Sight-Singing Method

(GIA Publications Inc.)

Alan C. McClung, associate professor of music and conductor of the UNT Concert Choir

Designed to help teachers and students at all stages of sight-singing development, the book features lessons on how to establish tonal relationships, combine duration and pitch, and develop musical independence. Included are practice drills and music examples to reinforce concepts and step-by-step teaching strategies that reflect the latest research in music learning.

Each lesson includes a set of learning objectives that are directly connected to assessment strategies accompanied by example tests. Field tested over a six-year period, the textbook includes notes for teachers developed in response to questions and pedagogical practices observed by pre-service and in-service teachers during sight-singing classes and workshops.

Digital Geography: Geospatial Technologies in the Social Studies Classroom

(Information Age Publishing)

Andrew J. Milson, associate professor of teacher education and administration, and Marsha Alibrandi, assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions at Fairfield University, editors

Some of the leading scholars in the field provide a review and analysis of theory, research and practice related to geospatial technologies such as GIS in educational settings. A volume in the International Social Studies Forum, the book explores the history and growth of geospatial technologies in education and includes examples of their use in teaching and learning history, geography, civics, economics and environmental science.

The book also proposes theoretical perspectives to guide research and practice in this field, reviews recent research and examines teacher preparation for using geospatial technologies in education.

Tag Teaming the Press: How Bill and Hillary Clinton Work Together to Handle the Media

(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc.)

James E. Mueller, associate professor of journalism

Mueller traces the evolution of Bill and Hillary Clinton's relationships with journalists, from the couple's earliest student political activism through Hillary's run for the White House.

The book includes interviews with journalists who covered them to explain how the Clintons learned to handle the media and how they have fulfilled a number of roles for each other in dealing with reporters, including lightning rod, good cop/bad cop and schmoozer.

Tag Teaming the Press is a follow-up to Mueller's 2006 book, Towel Snapping the Press: Bush's Journey from Locker-Room Antics to Message Control.

Empowered Work Teams in Long-Term Care: Strategies for Improving Outcomes for Residents and Staff

(Health Professions)

Dale Yeatts, professor of sociology, Cynthia M. Cready, associate professor of sociology, and Linda S. Noelker, senior vice president for planning and organizational resources and director of the Katz Policy Institute at the Benjamin Rose Institute

Yeatts and Cready earned a $360,000 four-year grant from the Commonwealth Fund to investigate the impacts of empowered work teams in nursing homes.

Their results are reported in this practical guide, which describes the benefits of empowered work teams in long-term care organizations and explains how to implement the concept.

Staff and older adults benefit when self-directed teams in settings such as assisted living facilities, nursing homes and home health care programs offer input into care practices, facility procedures and scheduling. Advantages for administrators include improved quality of care, increased staff morale, higher staff retention and enhanced communication.

Departments

President's Note

Emerging strengths, expanding expertise

Initiatives

Research funding, Discovery Park, new deans

Awards

Honors for research and creativity

News Briefs

Solutions and scholarship across disciplines

New Faculty

Experts in conducting, Latino political behavior, tinnitus, materials science

Student Researchers

Projects in education, science, social science, art, business, music

Faculty Books

Poetry, justice, Aztec history and more

End Note

A growing research agenda