Women in Higher Education: An Encyclopedia

Customer Reviews:

An exhaustively researched collection of essays.......2003-02-14

Compiled and edited by Ana M. Martinez Aleman (Assistant Professor of Education in the Higher Education Program at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College) and Kristen A. Renn (Assistant Professor in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education Program at Michigan State University) , Women In Higher Education: An Encyclopedia is an impressive, 635-page social and historical survey women's colleges, female professors, demographic trends connected to race and gender in higher education, and much more. An exhaustively researched collection of essays by a wide variety of learned contributors, Women In Higher Education offers a solid baseline of information and facts from which to build a better future for women everywhere looking to pursue a degree. Organized into sections specifically addressing "Historical and Cultural Contexts"; "Gender Theory and the Academy"; "Feminism in the Academy"; "Women in Curriculum"; "Women and Higher Education Policy"; "Women Students"; "Women Faculty"; "Women Administrators"; and "Women Employees", Women In Higher Education is additionally enhanced with two appendices ("Women's Studies Research Resources" and "Colleges Identifying Themselves as Women's Colleges"); an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index. Women In Higher Education is an essential, seminal, indispensable contribution to both Education Studies and Women's Studies reference collections.

Women in Higher Education: An Encyclopedia.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Higher Education

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Women in Higher Education: An Encyclopedia.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Higher Education
Barbara K. Townsend
Manufacturer: Ohio State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0009GTS94
Release Date: 2005-08-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Higher Education, published by Ohio State University Press on November 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1671 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Women in Higher Education: An Encyclopedia.(Book Review)
Author: Barbara K. Townsend
Publication: Journal of Higher Education (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 2004
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Volume: 75 Issue: 6 Page: 712(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

For a moment Dick Beardsley became the most famous runner in the world by losing a race. In the 1982 Boston Marathon, Beardsley, foiled by a motorcycle that cut him off, finished two seconds behind Alberto Salazar in one of the most memorable contests in marathon history. Staying the Course recounts that race and the difficult years that followed, including his recovery from a near-fatal farm accident, his subsequent addiction to painkillers, and a public arrest for forging prescriptions. His story of overcoming obstacles speaks to anyone who loves competition, who has survived catastrophe, or who has pursued a seemingly impossible goal.

Customer Reviews:

5 Stars as a running/marathon book.......2007-02-12

Yessiree, I give it 5 stars as a running book. I was finding I was docking some books and CDs; because I approached it like, is it perfect enough to get the highest rating like a Shakespeare play or a symphony?

I go with the genre it belongs too; and too, I'd say those who have had substance abuse/alcohol problems would find it inspiring too; cause Dick became addicted to pain killers; and did some things; that were indeed wrong.

It's a good book for athletes, cause Dick's body did start to break down some; even away from his being prone to some bad accidents. It makes me ponder, we hear about so many athletes who later end up being not in the best shape because of their sports career, say like Larry Bird. It makes you think, it's great to run that great Boston Marathon in '82; but is it worth it in the long run.

I agree, the book may have minor blemishes, might be choppy in parts in the latter half of the book, but it shouldn't keep anyone from reading it, indeed, some of this could have been expanded on.

It's a good book, kind of for your couples too; I mean, I admire his wife, Maureen, for staying with Dick; for her care, love and also standing up to him some.

I definitely, would like to read "Duel in the Sun" to continue reading on Mr. Beardsley, really, along with his rival at the Boston Marathon, Alberto Salazar and along with "Pre" Prefontaine himself; there certainly is more to read on these famous track runners from America.

As Dean Karnazes' book UltraMarathon Man is getting to be compulsory reading for Greeks (but not only them of course), I think Minnesotans and those from the surrounding areas should read this one, especially if they are interested in the sport.

Beardsley reminds me a bit of the great American cyclist from the turn of the century (meaning near 1900) Major Taylor, in that his glory descended into lows.

After going through this book, I am still contemplating parts of it and how we and history will see Dick, but I definitely would wish him and his family the best. Some parts of it, really are astonishing; and it is astonishing as a whole. He certainly has given a lot to the Marathon.

Motivational.......2007-01-24

I have heard Dick Beardsley speak and he is awesome. I purchased his book to give for gifts at Christmas time. He has persevered through the toughest of obstacles and is still standing with his wife by his side!

Dick Beardsley's book.......2007-01-10

My husband is a marathon runner & enjoys reading. We have met Dick Bearsley when we ran the Detroit Lakes Half marathon. My husband really enjoyed this book. He learned alot about Dick Beardsley & his marathons.

Dick Beardsley Fans.......2006-11-06

Very well written book! It shows the high and low of Dick Beardsley's running career and life. It is a very quick read, with no slow sections. It might be the best book about running that I have read.

Run Tall and Stay Strong.......2004-03-30

This book is about the life of a runner named Dick Beardsley. It talks about his life goals in running and how he got into a bad habbit of using pain killers. The book takes place in the mainland, and not in a certain place because he traveled a lot to race. See i am a runner so i like the book because it gave me the motivation to go on when the going gets tough. If i compare this book to other book i would say it is not the best running book i have read but, it is better than the other types of books i have read. I think if you are a runner you will really like the book cause it teaches you to be tough in a race and some pointers on how to run marathons. If you do not run i dont think you will have a strong liking with this book. It can get kind of boring a some parts, but the parts that tell about his races really made me want to read on, so if you are a runner i think this book is better for you than if you are not a runner. So be a runner!

Getting Together and Staying Together: The Stanford University Course on Intimate Relationships

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Great book on relationship

Getting Together and Staying Together: The Stanford University Course on Intimate Relationships
Thomas Plante , and Kieran Sullivan
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Social Psychology & Interactions | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1587212560

Customer Reviews:

Great book on relationship.......2006-10-05

This was one of the textbooks at my psychology class at stanford a few years ago. It illustrates very interesting points about how to setup your first date and what makes a relationship work. I love this book.

Staying the Course: Henry M. Jackson and National Security

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Staying the Course: Henry M. Jackson and National Security

Manufacturer: Univ of Washington Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Staying the Course: Supporting the Church's Position on Homosexuality

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Staying the Course: Supporting the Church's Position on Homosexuality
H. Newton Maloney
Manufacturer: Abingdon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nonfiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0687045347

Being Happy, Staying Alive, and Feeling Terrific (The Best of the Successful Life Course)

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Being Happy, Staying Alive, and Feeling Terrific (The Best of the Successful Life Course)

Manufacturer: Nightingale-Conant Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000FJLTJC

Product Description

A series of motivational cassettes.

How to prosper in your own business: Getting started and staying on course

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How to prosper in your own business: Getting started and staying on course
Brian R Smith
Manufacturer: S. Greene Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

India Briefing: Staying the Course (Asia Society Country Briefing)

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Excellent overview

India Briefing: Staying the Course (Asia Society Country Briefing)

Manufacturer: M.E. Sharpe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

International | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Macroeconomics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

Excellent overview.......2000-06-14

In his introduction to this eighth volume of the India Briefingseries, editor Philip Oldenburg states that 'the popular image ofIndia now is that of a country with a vibrant economy, destined to develop at a pace that will make comparisons with the 'Asian tigers' meaningful, and a political system mired in corruption and violence, with the dangers of a religious nationalism simmering' (p. 21). The contributors to this work take the opposite view: while the Indian polity is becoming more informed and active and its leaders more able, recent economic reforms are likely to proceed at a pace so slow as to render them almost meaningless. This contrasting opinion of India comes from the volume's 'special focus on the state level of government and the importance of grass-roots forces' (p. vii).

The work commences with James Wood's 'On the Periphery but in the Thick of It: Some Recent Indian Political Crises Viewed from Gujarat', which argues that how this state deals with political problems today predicts how India will handle the same predicaments tomorrow. Wood begins by illustrating the case for Gujarat as a historical harbinger of national development, describing how the state's politics have never been ideological or separatist, have seen the rapid rise of to power by new groups representing low caste Hindus, and contain vigorous volunteer activists. Although he promises to examine how these factors helped Gujarat to deal with five recent crises involving religious tensions, crime and corruption, caste politics, the environment, and the Spring 1995 state elections, what follows is more descriptive than analytical. Wood claims that, while Gujarat is geographically and in terms of population 'on the periphery', it is increasingly 'in the think of it' (p. 45) regarding major political events.

Nascent doubts about the diagnostic usefulness of this volume are vanquished by the next chapter, 'India's Chief Ministers and the Problem of Governability'. Here, James Manor explains how, despite decades of institutional decay, the nibbling away of their authority by the centre, and economic reforms which have left states with a smaller share of central revenue, chief ministers have been able to marshal their formidable powers to effectively govern the hugely complex entities that are Indian states. He illustrates his argument using the recent political reigns of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the Bharatiya Janata Party chief minister of Rajasthan, and Sharad Pawar, his Congress counterpart in Maharashtra. Though very different in personality and politics, both have skillfully gathered information, built coalitions, exercised the common touch and looked beyond the short term to further the socioeconomic conditions of their constituents. Manor argues that India's multi-party system remains 'creative enough' (p. 68) to continue producing alternatives better than the incumbent. Indeed, the country's long democratic experience means even the most insidious chief minister cannot wholly negate the positive contribution of the 'huge number' (p. 69) of skilled political activists who can and do ensure both the continuation of imaginative solutions to institutional decay, and the restoration of 'minimally civilized social relations after periods of severe conflict' (p. 72).

Meghnad Desai is less sure of India's economic future. He begins 'Economic Reform: Stalled by Politics?' by describing how attempts at radical economic adjustment from independence onwards have repeatedly been stifled and/or reversed by political considerations. Although such democratic restraints mean India has never experienced sustained double-digit inflation from one year to the next, they have produced what is mocked as the 'Hindu rate of [low] growth' (p. 83). A jump to East Asian rates of growth is unlikely, argues Desai, for the coalition-building character of democracy which has ensured a 'social balance' (p. 83) between prosperous farmers, big industrialists, urban unionized workers and the urban middle class guarantees resistance to current Congress attempts at economic liberalization. Trade unions will oppose giving management discretion to hire and fire, industrialists will oppose opening up a restricted market to foreign competition, and the urban and rural bourgeoisie will oppose integration into global economic agreements because 'free trade equals neoimperialism' (p. 93). While opposition parties of both the right and left have been quick to seize upon such fears, Congress has been unwilling and/or unable to mobilize a coalition of potential beneficiaries ('small and big business, employees in the unorganized sector, rural and urban poor...and consumers') (p. 94) to champion economic reforms. It is unlikely, concludes Desai, that the fragility of the current political system will allow the creation of a government both secure and confident enough to deploy the medium-term perspective necessary to carry through significant economic reforms.

E.A. Ramaswamy is similarly pessimistic in 'Organized Labor and Economic Reform', an apparant contradiction in terms as the former want nothing to do with the latter. In a well-structured expose of its historical development and structure, Ramaswamy shows why organized labour in India continues to command significant clout despite its current fragmentation, gerontocratic leadership and relative numerical insignificance compared to unorganized labour. The basic reason for this lopsided influence is because organized labour 'is essentially an outcrop of politics...[both] the battering ram of party campaigns...[and the means for] patronage distribution' (pp. 102, 107). (...)

India Briefing leaves this reviewer with several impressions. First, economic liberalization must proceed if India is to extend its benefits beyond the urban and rural elite. Second, such reforms are seriously endangered by the electoral vulnerability of the current Congress administration. Third, Indian democracy remains resilient. Fourth, responsibility for this strength is shifting from the centre downwards. Indeed, the future of India has never rested more with its people, especially those volunteer activists and organizations willing to take responsibility for local government and local economic reforms. The volume is highly recommended. END

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National Export Strategy: Staying the Course, 6th Annual Report to the Congress

Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Relations | International | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0756702011

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Perseverance : Staying on Course, Studies From 1st Peter (201 Deeper Bible Study Ser.)
Lyman (Editor) Serendipty House Staff; Coleman
Manufacturer: Serendipity House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TMM9QW

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Perseverance: Staying the Course, Ten Studies on First Peter (201 Deeper Bible Study)
Serendipity House
Manufacturer: Serendipity
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Study | New Testament | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Topical | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1574940821

Book Description

This study of Erich von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder focuses on what the common ethical themes in their Hollywood films unveil about the cultural and intellectual heritage of these German and Austrian emigres and their influence on American culture. Aware of the influential power of their films, these filmmakers strove to raise the intellectual standard and the positive educational value of the American film. Brief individual biographies describe their heritage, major influences, and goals and draw connections among the three filmmakers in their preference for German and Austrian literature, which focuses on social criticism, ethics, and the problem of identity. Detailed analyses of their individual styles of filmmaking and readings of selected films reveal how they put their philosophies into practice and to what extent they influenced one another. Films analyzed include The Merry Widow, The Wedding March, Heaven can Wait, To Be or Not To Be, Sunset Boulevard, and The Fortune Cookie among others. By delineating their contributions to the development of modern film, this research explores the filmmakers impact on film and cultural history. The convergence of social and philosophical inquiry film-history in this study of Lubitsch, Wilder, and von Stroheim will appeal to scholars of film, of German literature and culture, and of American cultural history. Separate chapters discuss each filmmaker and his movies. A glossary of technical terms and a selected filmography are included.

Ethics and Social Criticism in the Hollywood Films of Erich Von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder

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Ethics and Social Criticism in the Hollywood Films of Erich Von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder
Nora Henry
Manufacturer: Praeger
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LZIDJ4

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Ethics and Social Criticism in the Hollywood Films of Erich von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder
Nora Henry
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORGD7I

Book Description

This book examines all of the major traditions of social thought to clearly show their influence in our understanding of sport and leisure. Also shows how sport has contributed to our understanding of such themes as

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Sport and Leisure in Social Thought
GRANT JARVIE
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUHCFY

Customer Reviews:

An ate-th as good as the first book.......2000-06-25

"Traps Ate" is not nearly as good as the first few books in the series; the traps in this one are sillier and thus less useful to a game master. I prefer the cleverer traps in the earlier books. The traps here tend towards excessive detailed overkill. Still somewhat humorous, but I'd guess most of the traps in this book are designed by younger gamemasters who are aiming for ridiculous ways to kill characters, rather than the very game-playable traps of the earlier books.

Book Description

The Rational Unified Process embodies the best practices of proven
software development methods, and is an optimal match to the features
of the UML.
--Grady Booch, Ivar Jacobson, and James Rumbaugh

This concise book offers a quick introduction to the concepts,
structure, content,and motivation of the Rational Unified
Process. This revolutionary software development process provides a
disciplined approach to assigning, managing, and completing tasks
within a software development organization and is the first
development process to exploit the full capabilities of the
industry-standard Unified Modeling Language. The Rational Unified
Process is unique in that it captures many of the proven best
practices in modern software development and presents them in a form
that can be tailored to a wide range of projects and organizations.

The Rational Unified Process will help software development teams
produce, within a predictable schedule and a reasonable budget, the
highest-quality software possible to meet the needs of end
users. Throughout the book, the author shares his inside knowledge of
the process, focusing his coverage on key aspects that are critical to
mastering this proven approach to software development.

In this book you will discover:
What the Rational Unified Process is--and what it is not
The concepts used in the Rational Unified Process, as well as its structure
The best practices that have been synthesized in this process
How this process can provide the guidance you need for your specific project responsibilities

Customer Reviews:

All fluff, no substance.......2005-09-16

It's an introduction, all right. The trouble is, it's such a high level introduction that there's almost no useful information whatsoever. The entire time I was reading, I was waiting for the author to get to the meat, only to discover at the end that there was none. It was like ordering a double cheeseburger, and getting two buns with ketchup and a pickle, and no beef patties.

I can only assume that Rational paid the author for his time in the hopes that people, after reading this book, would purchase their entire software suite just to find out what the RUP actually involves.

Despite my severe disappointment (and relief that I didn't have to pay for it myself), I can't rate it any lower than two stars. It's well written, and it could quite possibly be useful to managers and other business types who have no idea how software development works. The second star is for Rational's sheer chutzpah in getting a respected publisher to put out a $30 marketing pamphlet for them.

Not a book to teach you how to use RUP.......2004-06-14

This book introduces the logic behind Rational Unified Process (RUP). RUP is a novel idea. It puts several good practices in a consolidated package. What makes RUP useful is the fact that Rational provides all the necessary software tools to support this. This book does an average job in explaining the RUP. It over stresses obvious and well accepted concepts like "iterative development"; which makes the first half (6 chapters) of this book a bit boring. For a professional with software development and management experience, I found the first sixe chapters are best read at a cursory glance. The second half of the book introduces the workflows - and it is this half that I found more interesting. I finished this book as bed time readoing over the weekend - so this book is an easy reading. However this book is not about teaching how to use Rational Products. This book only gives an overview of the basis of origination of RUP. You would need another book to become an expert in using RUP.

A good overview of the entire RUP framework..........2004-05-10

Target Audience
IT professionals who need to learn about the Rational Unified Process (RUP)

Contents
This book is a relatively high-level overview of the entire RUP process.

The book is divided into the following chapters: Software Development Best Practices; The Rational Unified Process; Static Structure: Process Description; Dynamic Structure: Iterative Development; An Architecture-Centric Process; A Use-Case-Driven Process; The Project Management Discipline; The Business Modeling Discipline; The Requirements Discipline; The Analysis and Design Discipline; The Implementation Discipline; The Test Discipline; The Configuration and Change Management Discipline; The Environment Discipline; The Deployment Discipline; Typical Iteration Plans; Implementing the Rational Unified Process; Summary of Roles; Summary of Artifacts; Acronyms; Glossary; Bibliography; Index

Review
The Rational Unified Process, or RUP, is a software engineering methodology that attempts to map out and document all parts of a software development project. It's extremely comprehensive, but it's also adaptable to whatever level of effort is appropriate for your situation. This book, The Rational Unified Process - An Introduction, is a good start to begin your understanding of RUP.

First off, let me say this is not an easy read. It's a good book with all the information you need to know to start using RUP, but the information is dense and highly detail oriented. Like most developers, I'm more oriented towards coding and testing. But realistically, you need to know what the system should do before you get to the coding piece. RUP helps to put all that into a formal framework so that the necessary things will get done in the proper order.

While the entire RUP framework might feel overwhelming, the author makes sure to let you know that you can adapt the RUP to meet your situation. If you are adding a function to an existing system, you will be more focused on use cases, development, and deployment processes. The author does a good job in segmenting the information so that you can more easily focus on your needs.

You should also not consider this the end-all volume on RUP that you will ever need. Kruchten doesn't try to detail specific techniques like use cases or UML. You will learn where they fit in to RUP, but you will need additional information on how to implement use cases or UML diagrams. Consider this the volume that allows you to place everything in a mental framework so that you can figure out what you will need to know going forward.

Conclusion
If you are considering or in the process of implementing RUP, this is a book you should be studying. It's not an easy read, but it will give you the overview you need to understand the process and concepts.

If you are interested in RUP, this is the place to start........2004-05-08

The Rational Unified Process (RUP) was originally developed by Rational Software, which was recently purchased by IBM. Therefore, you now see the RUP sometimes referred to as IBM's Web-enabled software engineering process. As this name implies, it is a set of guidelines, some soft and others fairly rigid to the point of being a rule, for the creation of software. Like all useful principles of computer science, the RUP is a dynamic entity, being constantly modified to reflect the changes taking place in software creation. Therefore, if you are already familiar with the RUP and are wondering if you should read this book, the answer is an emphatic yes. If you are unfamiliar with the RUP, the answer is an even more emphatic yes.
The purpose of this book is to provide an introduction to RUP 2003, the latest iteration of the process. Like the previous books on RUP, it is written at a level suitable for managers. There is some necessary technical jargon, but nothing beyond what a software project development manager would be expected to be able to comprehend.
The book opens with a history of the RUP, what it is used for and the overall structure of the RUP. This is followed by a very brief introduction to fundamental concepts such as iterative development, architecture-centric processes and use cases. Necessary for beginners, most of this material can be skipped by those having experience in those areas.
Part II covers the various areas, referred to as disciplines. They are:

* The project management discipline.
* The business-modeling discipline.
* The requirements discipline.
* The analysis and design discipline.
* The implementation discipline.
* The test discipline.
* The configuration and change management discipline.
* The environment discipline.
* The deployment discipline.

While the steps used in the analysis differs from discipline to discipline, the following are common to all:

* Purpose.
* Roles and artifacts.
* Workflow.
* Tool support.
* Summary.

The tool support section is particularly helpful if you are evaluating the RUP for possible use in your organization. IBM/Rational has many tools that can aid you in your efficient use of the RUP. In fact, without software tools to aid you, much of the material in this book would be of theoretical interest only.
Large software projects require an overall organizing process to be imposed on them if there is to be a chance for successful completion. The RUP is currently one of the best such processes and this book will show the fundamentals of the process and how it can work for you.

Definitive.......2004-04-15

First of all, please let me clarify something. In another review of mine (for the book "The Rational Unified Process Made Easy" of Kroll & Kruchten) I mentioned that there are 3 books on the RUP. Well, this might have been true in August of 2003, but it is not anymore: There are 3 more books on the RUP out there, namely:
- "Adopting the Rational Unified Process"
- "Software Development for Small Teams"
- "Practical Software Engineering" (.NET-oriented)

To be frank, I found the "Made Easy" book to a be a bit more fun than this one. Probably, because this book is more descriptive, whereas the "Made Easy" one is more normative. Having said that, I feel this book is the definitive book to have if you
are working with the RUP, and a heck of a useful book to read even if you're not. Especially now that everything Rational has gained more leverage (because of the acquisition of Rational Software by IBM that gives RUP an arguably more powerful marketing mechanism and exposure, let alone its plausible gradual integration into the methodologies used by the 150,000-people-strong IBM Global Services organization), this book becomes even more relevant.

There is a foreword by Grady Booch (one of the 3 amigos) that goes though a can-never-remember-how-many thousand mile view of the whole landscape, followed by a chapter by the author, who briefly goes through all the nice concepts (iterative development, architecture, etc.) that permeate the RUP. There is also a brief history of the RUP in this chapter that I found quite illuminating. I always like to know the historal context; it usually helps explain the rationale behind ideas and constructs.

The next chapter, entitled "Static Structure", discusses the constituent concepts of the RUP, namely role, activity, artifact, workflow, discipline, deliberately ignoring for the moment the temporal dimension (for the most part). It is chapter 4, "Dynamic Structure", where the core concept of iterative development is expounded, and the expected contrast with the traditional waterfall is made (hence explaining the rationale for coming up with the perhaps-not-intuitive-at-first-glance idea of iterative development). Phases and milestones are explained.

If there are three pillars of the RUP, these are (i) iterative development, (ii) executable architecture, and (iii) use-case driven development. Hence, it comes to no surprise that the next two chapters deal with architecture and use cases. In chapter 5 a mention is made, among other things, to the author's important work on the 4+1 Views of Architecture that underlies the RUP. Chapter 6 is a condensed discussion of the role and merit of use cases in a software development process in general, and RUP in particular.

This concludes Part I of the book. Part II consists of 9 chapters, one for each RUP so-called discipline (Project Management, Business Modeling, Requirements, Analysis and Design, Implementation, Test, Configuration, Environment, Deployment). The "Made Easy" book follows a similar pattern, with the difference, congruent with I've already mentioned above, that this book tends to treat the Disciplines in a descriptive rather than normative manner.

There is a pretty good "Summary of Roles" appendix at the end, and I liked the Glossary too, as the definitions contained therein are very precise but at the same time very comprehensible too. Finally, there is a rich annotated bibliography section, which, if you're at all like me, you'll find rather useful (There's also a poster of the RUP at the back if you're into that sort of thing).

All in all, I haven't at all regretted the 38.50 and the time I've spent reading the book; and imagine that I was familiar with this stuff already. If this happens to be the first book you read on RUP (as it should normally be) then the benefit for you will be even greater.

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