Reluctant Geek Guides
Affordable. Informative. Precise.
Information for the Information Age
Do you think that the people who write academic texts use a strange language that is beyond mortal comprehension? Do the convoluted sentences and ridiculously complex paragraphs used in many academic articles send you into an academically induced coma? Do you use textbooks to cure your insomnia? If you answered yes to any of these questions, or at least understand why I asked them, then the reluctant geek has some good news for you. I've written a series of guides to help you write that essay or research paper. Written in plain English, they clarify the thinking of some of the greats of modern western thought. There are several ebooks on offer on this page, including a four volume series on deliberative democracy. Future series will include Democratic Theory, Ideology, and Western Philosophy.
An informative guide on how to write a good essay (written by someone who has graded a heck of a lot of them), it contains essay writing strategies, helpful tips, and a step-by-step process guide. Learn how to get the highest grade possible for your work and avoid the mistakes that so many students make. $0.99 at Amazon or Smashwords.
This guide will help you understand the underlying concepts in deliberative democracy thought. It outlines the common features of all deliberative democracy theories, as well as how they differ. An excellent introduction to an emerging stream of democratic theory. $0.99 at Amazon or Smashwords.
John Rawls' is famed for his theory of justice and his liberal democratic thought. This guide explains his deliberative democracy theory and covers important concepts such as the idea of public reason, the ideal of public reason, and the politicised public sphere, Available for $2.99 from Amazon and Smashwords. Download a FREE sample.
Jurgen Habermas is one of the most influential thinkers of our time. This easy to understand guide explains his theory of deliberative democracy and covers many of the central concepts such as communicative reason, communicative power, and the ideal speech community. Available for $2.99 from Amazon and Smashwords. Download a FREE sample.
John Dryzek argues for a transnational deliberative democracy that moves beyond the nation state. This guide explains Dryzek's radical concept of citizenship, his arguments about de-traditionalisation of societies through globalisation and the transnational public sphere. Available for $2.99 from Amazon and Smashwords. Download a FREE sample.
This collection contains all four guides on deliberative democracy and is an excellent all round introduction to current deliberative democratic thought. Included in the collection: Deliberative Democracy Basics, John Rawls and Deliberative Democracy, Jurgen Habermas and Deliberative Democracy, and John Dryzek and Deliberative Democracy. Available for $4.99 from Amazon and Smashwords. Download a FREE sample.
The rapid adoption of communication technologies, like the Internet, in democratic public spheres has raised the question of whether these new technologies have had a positive or a negative effect upon democratic citizenship. This guide uses Steven Lukes' three-dimensional analysis of power to examine arguments of technological determinism that cast a negative light on the technology, and Castells' positive analysis of mass self-communication. Available for $2.99 from Amazon.
Herman and Chomsky's 'The Propaganda Model' describes how they believed the print and broadcast mass media were manipulating information flow into the US public sphere. This ebook begins with a detailed description of the model. It then examines how computer mediated communication, like the Internet, circumvents the information filters and loosens the stranglehold of the mass media. Available for $2.99 from Amazon.
Ricoeur's Hermeneutic Arc and the Internet by Hercules Bantas
The rise of interactive online games has challenged traditional notions of storytelling, where author tells and audience listens. This ebook uses Ricoeur's concept of a 'hermeneutic arc' to demonstrate how narratives in online games such as World of Warcraft differ from those presented through traditional media such as print and film. The analysis includes the book The Hobbit, the films Apocalypse Now and My Life as a Dog, the graphic novel Watchmen, and the online role-playing game World of Warcraft. Available for $2.99 from Amazon.
There will be more guides in the very near future. Watch this space.
