Humanities & Social Sciences Library

Always on : language in an online and mobile world
Naomi S. Baron
Oxford [u.a.] Oxford Univ. Press 2008
Call no.: P107.B265

Joint Winner of the 2008 Duke of Edinburgh ESU English Language Book Award

This book is about how online and mobile technologies influence the way we read, write, present ourselves as well as its effect on social relationships.

The author did a study on IM lingo and also looked into the effects of gender on IM speech and writing.
Does out of sight equates to out of mind? Interestingly, the chapter on IM research mentioned that the presence of digital natives “lingers through their words”, even as they post away messages on their computers.

Why are online social networking sites like Facebook so popular? According to Cassidy, Facebook allows users to maintain friendships with minimum effort. Moreover, for many people, Facebook enable them to see and be seen.  A comparison was made between Facebook and IM, both of which can be used for presentation of self and for managing social relationships. The author also explored the reasons behind other online platforms like blogs and wikipedia. 

For more information, read the review in Times Higher Education.

Nipponia –a quarterly magazine that introduces people worldwide to timely contemporary subjects and traditional culture in Japan– has ceased publication.  However, earlier print issues of Nipponia from issue 48 (2009) are still available at the Library.  You can also access the online version in English and Japanese.

If you are going to the Land of the Rising Sun for your student exchange programme, there are many books on Japanese culture such as kabuki, origami, chanoyu and others that are available in our Library.  Here’s a short listing of our offerings.  If you need further assistance with book searches, please check with staff at the Service Desks.

Joyful origami boxes
Tomoko Fuse.�
Edition:  1st ed.�
Tokyo, Japan : Japan Publications Trading Co. ; New York : Distributors, U.S., Kodansha America through Farrar, Straus & Giroux, [1996]
Call no.: TT870.F993
Location: Lee Wee Nam Library

Kabuki heroes on the Osaka stage, 1780-1830
C. Andrew Gerstle.�
London : British Museum Press, 2005
Call no.: PN2924.5.K3G383
Location: ADM Library

Tea of the sages : the art of sencha
Patricia J. Graham.
Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, c1998.
Call no.: GT2910.G741
Location: Business Library

Japanese inn and travel : illustrated = Nihon no ryokan.
[Tokyo] : Japan Travel Bureau, 1990.
Call no.: DS821.J35 VOL.14
Location: Chinese Library

Researchers at the University of Warwick found children who suffered physical or emotional bullying were twice as likely to develop psychotic symptoms by early adolescence, compared to children who are not bullied.  The research team, led by Professor Dieter Wolke, Professor of Developmental Psychology, followed 6,437 children from birth to 13 years. (Extracted from Science Daily News) [Read more]

Dear Library Users,

All NTU Libraries will be closed on 9th May 2009 (Vesak Day) and 11th May 2009  (University Holiday).

Thank you.

Dear Library Users,

All NTU Libraries will be closed on 1st May 2009(Labour Day).

Thank you.

Dear Library Users,

All NTU LIbraries will be closed on 10th April 2009 (Good Friday).

Thank you.

Interested in feministic perspectives on film, television, and visual media? Researching on the analyses of the cultural politics of globalization?

You would love to know that the library now has access to most recent issues of the two most read journals published by Duke University Press!

Click ‘Connect’ and select “Duke University Press” to access the Journal via NTU Library A to Z E-Journal List.

Camera Obscura
This journal provides spotlight to emerging feministic writers in the field of visual media in relation to race studies, postcolonial studies and queer studies. The library now has the complete access to all the issues since year 2000.

Public Culture
This jounal is a three-time CELJ award-winning journal that provides a forum for cultural studies, popular cultures and globalization. The publisher say, “Providing a forum for the internationalization of cultural studies, Public Culture essays have mapped the capital, human, and media flows drawing cities, peoples, and states into transnational relationships and political economies.”

The premise of this title is (simply enough) to explore how and why religion has endured through modern times.

The above statement may seem strange indeed, for religion is seemingly inextricably interwoven into the fabric of most if not all societies worldwide. However it will be valuable to pause and think about the changes in the world over the past few centuries.

In the field of politics and governance, the secular state is now the widely adopted model. Beyond the secular state, some administrations have even tried to suppress religion entirely in societies. One of the more recent examples is the state atheism of Communist China of the 1950s to 1960s, where religion was actively discouraged. For example the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s saw concerted efforts to reduce the influence of religion. Despite all this however, religion appears to be enjoying a resurgence in modern China.

In the field of science, large strides in areas such as Biology, Physics and Astronomy have led some individuals to question the validity of religious texts, such as the account of the Book of Genesis. Still the number of individuals who profess to hold a religion does not seem to have diminished.

The question raised by this book is thus why religion persists in the modern world. The author does not attempt to answer this question directly, but instead provides a historical overview of the rise and fall of religions of the world along with their main teachings. The analysis of religion alongside historical events is interesting and thought provoking. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the role religion has played in world history, or for anyone with a general interest in religion as a whole. However it is not recommended for advanced students as the scope of study is so broad as to make the analysis relatively shallow.

Title: Religion in world history
Authors: John C. Super and Briane K. Turley
Call number: BL65.H5S959
Available at: HSS Library

Thirty years ago, Feb 27, 1979, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew called a meeting of ministers, ministers of state and senior civil servants to discuss how government papers and minutes can be written in clear, clean prose.

Below are excerpts of Mr Lee’s address on the quality of written English - which remains recognisibly the same even after 30 years.

“The facility to express yourself in a written language is yet another facet or manifestation of your ability, plus application and discipline.

Our biggest obstacle to better English is shyness. It is a psychological barrier. Nobody likes to stop and ask, “Please, what does that mean?” or “Please tell me, where have I gone wrong?” To pretend you know when
you don’t know is abysmal folly.

The written English we want is clean, clear prose. I choose my words carefully- not elegant, not stylish, just clean, clear prose. It means simplifying, polishing and tightening.”

Quotes extracted from the “Adress by the Prime Ministers, Ministers of State and Senior Civil Service Officers at the Regional Language Centre on 27 Feb 79″. Click here to view the full speech.