The Basics is a highly successful series of accessible guidebooks which provide an overview of the fundamental principles of a subject area in a jargon-free and undaunting format.
Intended for students approaching a subject for the first time, the books both introduce the essentials of a subject and provide an ideal springboard for further study. With over 50 titles spanning subjects from Artificial Intelligence to Women’s Studies, The Basics are an ideal starting point for students seeking to understand a subject area.
Each text comes with recommendations for further study and gradually introduces the complexities and nuances within a subject.
By Amy Villarejo
November 17, 2021
A comprehensive overview of how to study film, this updated third edition provides concise and provocative summaries for approaching the language of film analysis, ways of thinking about film history, and approaches and methods for studying cinema, from national cinemas to genre to stardom and ...
By Andrew Dix
November 03, 2021
American Studies: The Basics is an accessible and concise introduction that aims to unpack what American studies does and why it matters. From Moby-Dick to baseball, Hollywood westerns to #BlackLivesMatter, and Disneyland to the U.S. Supreme Court, American studies engages with a myriad of topics ...
By Andreea S. Micu
October 26, 2021
Performance Studies: The Basics offers an overview of the multiple, often overlapping definitions of performance, from performance art, performance as everyday life, and rituals, to the performative dimensions of identity, such as gender, race and sexuality. This book defines the interdisciplinary...
By Henkjan Honing
September 30, 2021
Why do people attach importance to the wordless language we call music? Music Cognition: The Basics considers the role of our cognitive functions, such as perception, memory, attention, and expectation in perceiving, making, and appreciating music. In this volume, Henkjan Honing explores the ...
By Ken Plummer
September 30, 2021
A lively, accessible and comprehensive introduction to the diverse ways of thinking about social life, Sociology: The Basics has been translated into six languages. The volume is packed with thought-provoking summaries, questions, quotations and activities. It offers an absorbing narrative about ...
By Sandie Taylor, Lance Workman
September 16, 2021
Cognitive Psychology: The Basics provides a compact introduction to the core topics in the field, discussing the science behind the everyday cognitive phenomena experienced by us all. The book considers laboratory and applied theory and research alongside technological developments to demonstrate ...
By Meghan Griffith
September 16, 2021
The issue of whether humans are free to make their own decisions has long been debated, and it continues to be controversial today. In Free Will: The Basics Meghan Griffith provides a clear and accessible introduction to this important but challenging philosophical problem. She addresses the ...
By Jonathan Herring
September 07, 2021
Criminal Law: The Basics is an insightful introduction to the legal aspects of criminal acts, ranging from battery to burglary and harassment to homicide. Starting with an in-depth exploration of the very concept of crime, the book considers key questions such as: • How should we decide what is ...
By Billy Clark
September 01, 2021
Pragmatics: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction to the study of verbal and nonverbal communication in context. Including nine chapters on the history of pragmatics, current theories, the application of pragmatics, and possible future developments in the field, this book: Offers...
By Matthew S. Rindge
July 22, 2021
Bible and Film: The Basics is a concise, accessible, and illuminating introduction to the study of Bible and Film. The book introduces non-specialists to the essential content in Bible and Film, and to some of the most common and important methods Bible and Film scholars use. Questions asked ...
By Michael McCarthy
May 26, 2021
English Grammar: The Basics offers a clear, non-jargonistic introduction to English grammar and its place in society. Rather than taking a prescriptive approach, this book helps the reader become aware of the social implications of choices they make to use standard or non-standard (regional/dialect...
By Diana Newall, Grant Pooke
March 29, 2021
Now in its second edition, this volume is an accessible introduction to the history of art. Using an international range of examples, it provides the reader with a toolkit of concepts, ideas and methods relevant to understanding art history. This new edition is fully updated with colour ...