Alumni Bookshelf
The Lakes of Pontchartrain: Their History and Environments
by Robert W. Hastings (B.S. Biology, 1965)
Hastings provides a thorough examination of the historical and environmental research on the basin, with emphasis on its environmental degradation and the efforts to restore and protect this estuarine system. He also explores the current biological condition of the lakes. Hastings begins with the geological formation of the lakes and the relationship between Native Americans and the water they referred to as Okwa'ta, the "wide water." From the historical period, he describes the forays of French explorer Pierre Le Moyne D'Iberville in 1699 and traces the environmental history of the basin through the development of the New Orleans metropolitan area. Using the lakes for transportation and then recreation, the surrounding population burgeoned, and this growth resulted in severe water pollution and other environmental problems. In the 1980s the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation led a concerted drive to restore the lakes, an ongoing effort that has proved significant.
Inquiry, Argument, & Change: A Rhetoric with Readings
by Paul G. Saint-Amand (B.A. English, 1972), with Krieger, Neal, and Steinberg
Designed for college composition courses, Inquiry, Argument, & Change provides a process-oriented, stasis-based approach to argument, presenting argument first and foremost as a means of inquiry, not simply as a means of winning assent, and making its role in the process of change explicit.
This Brittle Existence
by Jeff Trippe (M.A. English, 1984)
This Brittle Existence is a sharp-edged, satirical look at the odd and insular world of a literary critic-turned-detective who attempts to uncover the intimate life of an obscure 20th-century poet.
Andean Civilization: A Tribute to Michael E. Moseley
edited by Joyce Marcus and Patrick Ryan William (Ph.D. Anthropology, 1997; M.A. Anthropology, 1995)
These new studies cover the enormous temporal span of Moseley's own work from the Preceramic era to the Tiwanaku and Moche states to the Inca empire. And, like Moseley's own studies -- from Maritime Foundations of Andean Civilization to Chan Chan: The Desert City to Cerro Baul's Brewery -- these new studies involve settlements from all over the Andes -- from the far northern highlands to the far southern coast.
Criminological Theory: A Text/Reader
by Stephen G. Tibbetts (B.A. Criminology and Law, 1991)
Criminological Theory provides the best of both worlds -- substantial but brief authored sections on all of the major course topics, followed by carefully edited, policy-oriented, original research articles covering criminological theory from past to present and beyond. The 39 articles reflect both classic studies and state-of-the-art research. Pedagogical tools include the helpful "How to Read a Research Article" before the first reading, article introductions, photographs, and discussion questions that capture student interest and help them develop their critical thinking skills.