Results of the 2007 Competition

Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities, announces the four winners of the 27th annual Jesuit Book Awards in the category of “Professional Studies”

The awards are administered by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU).

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Communication:

A Century of Media, A Century of War

(Peter Lang, 2006)

By Robin Andersen

(Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies and Director of the Peace and Justice Studies Program, Fordham University)

Andersen’s critical understanding of the media fosters an in-depth analysis of the role the media plays in shaping societal views of war.  Andersen argues that the discrepancy between fact and reality has changed the tactical approach to war.  Touching on the transformation of war into an entertainment source, Andersen cites examples in nightly news, movies such as Black Hawk Down, and video games as influential factors.   She further contends that the entertainment media continues to endorse war falsities by supporting politically dominant ideas. 

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Education:

Talking Race in the Classroom

(Teachers College Press, 2005)

By Jane Bolgatz

(Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Education , Fordham University)

Aimed to assist both seasoned and novice teachers in their understanding of race, Bolgatz skillfully offers a strong defense for the importance of discussing race and racism in the classroom.    The text is designed to foster the knowledge, skills, and confidence which are necessary in discussing racial controversies in the classroom.  With the ultimate goal of changing school culture, Bolgatz provides necessary frameworks for addressing issues including civil rights and institutional racism. 

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Business and Administration:

The Culture and Commerce of Publishing in the 21st Century

(Stanford Business Books, 2007)

Albert N. Greco (Professor of Marketing, Fordham University)

Clara E. Rodriguez (Professor of Sociology, Fordham University)

Robert M. Wharton (Professor and Chair of the Managemetn Systems Area, Fordham University)

Fueled by the question “Is publishing a cultural or commercial endeavor?” Greco, Rodriguez, and Wharton offer an inside look at the industry.  Touching on issues facing publishing and future trends, the authors examine the culture and economic structure of the industry with a specific focus on consumer, college textbook, and scholarly publishing components.  The Culture and Commerce of Publishing in the 21st Century is the definitive social and economic analysis of the current state and future trends of the industry; it examines the substantive issues, challenges, and problems confronting the diverse, and in many ways fragile, book publishing industry in the United States.

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Architecture:

Sensory Design

(University of Minnesota Press, 2007)

Frank Vodvarka (Professor of Fine Arts, Loyola University Chicago)

Joy Monice Malnar (Associate Professor of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

What if we designed for all of our senses?    In Sensory Design, Malnar and Vodvarka explore the nature of our responses to spatial constructs ranging from buildings to gardens and outdoor spaces to constructions of fantasy.  The ultimate result of the text is a new philosophy of design that both celebrates our sensuous occupation of the built environment and creates more humane design.