Northeastern faculty members have written at length on a wide range of topics. Volume nine of the faculty reading list includes an array of scholarly works penned by Northeastern University professors, such as an exploration of John Coltrane’s legacy by Associate Professor of African American Studies and Music Leonard Brown, and the rich ethnography of immigrant women’s ability to leverage social ties for upward mobility by Assistant Professor of Sociology and Human Services Silvia Dominguez.

Title: “Type Primer, A”

Author: John Kane, lecturer in the department of art and design

Description: For beginning graphic designers and others interested in learning the effective use of type, this book offers a practice-based approach to the complex combination of message, image and history surrounding typography. Filled with background information, examples and exercises, it guides readers to demonstrate basic principles of typography. The book itself is an example of effective typographic design.

 

Title: “John Coltrane and Black America’s Quest for Freedom: Spirituality and the Music”

Author: Leonard Brown, associate professor of African American studies and music

Description: The author — a noted musician and scholar — explores John Coltrane’s distinct sound and the music’s spiritual qualities, which are rooted in black American music and culture, as well as aspirations for freedom. This thematic narrative is told through a collection of essays and interviews with prominent figures in black American music, jazz studies and performance. It also examines Coltrane’s legacy in both historical and contemporary contexts.

 

Title: “Giving Well: The Ethics of Philanthropy”

Author: Patricia Illingworth, associate professor of philosophy, Thomas Pogge and Leif Wenar

Description: An international and interdisciplinary group of philosophers, social scientists, lawyers and practitioners explain modern philanthropy and related issues including morality, psychology of giving, the accountability of NGOs and foundations and tax deductions. This book can help increase awareness of the benefits of philanthropy so that it can meet the vital needs of the millions worldwide that depend on voluntary contributions for their very lives.

 

Title: “Getting Ahead: Social Mobility, Public Housing, and Immigrant Networks”

Author: Silvia Dominguez, assistant professor of sociology and human services

Description: Through a rich ethnographic account of Latin-American immigrant women living in public housing in two Boston neighborhoods, the author demonstrates that many immigrant women can develop the social support needed for a rich social life, and leverage ties that open options for them to develop their social and human capital. The women can successfully negotiate the world and achieve social mobility through their own individual agency, skillfully navigating both constraints and opportunities.

 

Title: “Women, Civil Society and the Geopolitics of Democratization”

Author: Denise Horn, assistant professor of international affairs and political science

Description: This book examines the prevalence of democratization policies and how they represent an intensive hegemonic political effort in which civil society organizations are manipulated through funding strategies. Through a feminist lens, the author argues that Western gender norms — that determine degrees of participation within civil society — inform the policies of hegemonic powers and transform the foundations of civil society in transitional states. This book is appropriate for students and scholars in gender and women’s studies, political science, international relations, international affairs, political leadership or religion and philosophy.