Joel A. Nichols

This accessible and authoritative introduction tells the American story of religious liberty from its colonial beginnings to the latest Supreme Court cases. The authors analyze closely the formation of the First Amendment religion clauses and describe the unique and enduring principles of the American experiment in religious freedom - liberty of conscience, free exercise of religion, religious equality, religious pluralism, separation of church and state, and no establishment of religion. Successive chapters map all of the 240+ Supreme Court cases on religious freedom - covering the free exercise of religion; the roles of government and religion in education; the place of religion in public life; and the interaction of religious organizations and the state. The concluding reflections argue that protecting religious freedom is critical for democratic order and constitutional rule of law, even if it needs judicious balancing with other fundamental rights and state interests. Clear, comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and balanced, this classic volume is an ideal classroom text. This new 5th edition addresses fully the new hot-button issues and cases on religious freedom versus sexual liberty; religious worship in the time of COVID; freedom of conscience and exemption claims; state aid to religion; religious monuments and ceremonies in public life; and the rights and limits of religious groups.

This accessible and authoritative introduction tells the American story of religious liberty from its colonial beginnings to the latest Supreme Court cases. The authors analyze closely the formation of the First Amendment religion clauses and describe the unique and enduring principles of the American experiment in religious freedom - liberty of conscience, free exercise of religion, religious equality, religious pluralism, separation of church and state, and no establishment of religion. Successive chapters map all of the 240+ Supreme Court cases on religious freedom - covering the free exercise of religion; the roles of government and religion in education; the place of religion in public life; and the interaction of religious organizations and the state. The concluding reflections argue that protecting religious freedom is critical for democratic order and constitutional rule of law, even if it needs judicious balancing with other fundamental rights and state interests. Clear, comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and balanced, this classic volume is an ideal classroom text. This new 5th edition addresses fully the new hot-button issues and cases on religious freedom versus sexual liberty; religious worship in the time of COVID; freedom of conscience and exemption claims; state aid to religion; religious monuments and ceremonies in public life; and the rights and limits of religious groups.

Focusing on the most compelling titles across the vast area of imaginative fantasy and science fiction literature and media, this book showcases creative ways to build on existing interest in these genres and promote reading, literacy, and critical thinking. Science fiction and fantasy stories captivate the imaginations of youth and adults—even today, when real-life technological developments often border on unbelievable. We see evidence of the universal appeal of sci-fi and fantasy-themed tales in popular books, movies, and television series—from The Hunger Games, The Martian, and Star Wars to Jessica Jones and The Man in the High Castle. This guide provides avenues for making use of what naturally interests young audiences pre-teen through emerging or new adult with some 50 programs based on speculative fiction. For each of the literature-based programs, the book provides a description of the project that identifies the appropriate age level and its goals and learning objectives as well as the duration of time and materials needed. While the selection of titles is diverse, special emphasis is given to media and books created by women and people of color. The step-by-step directions, annotation of the book on which the project is based, list of related titles, and special tips ensure that you'll be able to easily implement the program in your classroom or library. Most of the programs have a technology-related component but can be adapted to be done as traditional crafts. All of the programs are appropriate for students in English and creative writing classes as well as for youth or young adults in a public library setting.

This accessible introduction tells the American story of religious liberty from its colonial beginnings to the latest Supreme Court cases. The authors provide extensive analysis of the formation of the First Amendment religion clauses and the plausible original intent or understanding of the founders. They describe the enduring principles of American religious freedom—liberty of conscience, free exercise of religion, religious equality, religious pluralism, separation of church and state, and no establishment of religion—as those principles were developed by the founders and applied by the Supreme Court. Successive chapters analyze the two hundred plus Supreme Court cases on religious freedom—on the free exercise of religion, the roles of government and religion in education, the place of religion in public life, and the interaction of religious organizations and the state. A final chapter shows how favorably American religious freedom compares with international human rights norms and European Court of Human Rights case law. Lucid, comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and balanced, this volume is an ideal classroom text and armchair paperback. Detailed appendices offer drafts of each of the religion clauses debated in 1788 and 1789, a table of all state constitutional laws on religious freedom, and a summary of every Supreme Court case on religious liberty from 1815 to 2015. Throughout the volume, the authors address frankly and fully the hot button issues of our day: religious freedom versus sexual liberty, freedom of conscience and its limitations, religious group rights and the worries about abuse, faith-based legal systems and their place in liberal democracies, and the fresh rise of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Christianity in America and abroad. For this new edition, the authors have updated each chapter in light of new scholarship and new Supreme Court case law (through the 2015 term) and have added an appendix mapping some of the cutting edge issues of religious liberty and church-state relations.

Perfect for public librarians, instructional librarians, technology and digital resource specialists, and library training specialists, this book is an essential resource for digital literacy instruction. According to Pew research published in 2013, two-thirds of public libraries report that technology training is important in their communities, and that 86.5 percent of public libraries offer classes on general Internet use. Despite the ubiquitous nature of the Internet and digital media, digital literacy instruction remains one of the major job duties of 21st-century librarians. In this book, author Joel Nichols helps you to close the digital divide and make a difference in increasing information and digital literacy for your patrons, offering tested content and methods that will make it easier for librarians to provide effective digital literacy instruction. With its discussion of key Internet safety and security topics for inexperienced Internet users, this hands-on, practical guide is what you need for approaching—and solving—these digital literacy instructional challenges. This manual serves librarians who are teaching computer and Internet basics to patrons with little or no experience by providing a packaged solution with ready-made training scripts and practical examples that teach basic digital literacy techniques. The guide also fills any gaps in your knowledge or experience and gets you up to speed with the latest digital information needs of users in order to form a solid foundation from which to provide instruction with the supplied curriculum.

Looking for a programming guide for computer tablet use in the library setting? This book provides detailed plans and instructions with specific literacy goals for child, teen, and adult audiences—exactly what librarians seeking to integrate iPad and other tablet use into their programs need. Tablet computers are fast becoming a ubiquitous technology. These devices also represent a unique opportunity for librarians and teachers because they are relatively affordable, easy to configure and maintain, and highly adaptable. Written by a practicing digital literacy instruction librarian who is also a trained children's librarian, this book offers 50 practical programming scenarios that librarians can use to integrate iPads or other tablet devices into their programming, offering different plans for toddlers and pre-K child, school-aged patrons, teenagers, adults, and even seniors. The plans provide easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and are designed to be easily adaptable to serve specific audiences. The book serves as a unique resource that helps librarians address digital literacy and bridge the digital divide by focusing on—and catering to—the needs of many age groups. Author Joel A. Nichols also provides annotated lists of apps that present librarians new to tablet computing simple and effective ways of integrating an iPad into their programs.