Founded in 1956, Penn State University Press publishes rigorously reviewed, high-quality works of scholarship and books of regional and contemporary interest, with a focus on the humanities and social sciences. The publishing arm of the Pennsylvania State University and a division of the Penn State University Libraries, the Press promotes the advance of scholarship by disseminating knowledge—new information, interpretations, methods of analysis—widely in books, journals, and digital publications.
Scholarly publishing has faced monumental challenges over the past few decades. The Press takes its place among those institutions moving the enterprise forward. Its innovative projects continue to identify and embrace the technological advances and business models that ensure scholarly publishing will remain feasible, and widely accessible, well into the future.
Confronting Modernity Through the Lens of Tradition
A collection of essays exploring the work of Jewish American novelist Chaim Potok, with emphasis on his efforts to reconcile the appeal of modernity and the pull of traditional Judaism.
David, Canova, and the Fall of the Public Hero in Postrevolutionary France
One of Jacques-Louis David’s most ambitious and darkly enigmatic paintings, Leonidas at the Pass of Thermopylae, hangs today in the Louvre, largely ignored. Focusing on this painting, Chains embarks on a discourse about the perception of the body, sexuality, and subjectivity in early nineteenth-century European ......
Analyzes the practice and meanings of democratic decision making through an extended case study of school board meetings in one western U.S. community. Argues that for communication conduct in local governance bodies, reasonable hostility is a more promising ideal than civility.
Questions about the relevance and value of various liberal concepts are at the heart of important debates among feminist philosophers and social theorists. Although many feminists invoke concepts such as rights, equality, autonomy, and freedom in arguments for liberation, some attempt to avoid them, noting that they can also reinforce and ......
From decreased funding to censorship controversies and rising student debt, the public perception of the value of higher education has become decidedly more negative. This crisis requires advocacy and action by policymakers, educators, and the public. Championing the Public Good presents a clear set of strategies and tools for advocates making the ......
From decreased funding to censorship controversies and rising student debt, the public perception of the value of higher education has become decidedly more negative. This crisis requires advocacy and action by policymakers, educators, and the public. Championing the Public Good presents a clear set of strategies and tools for advocates making the ......
Literary Roots of Modern Ecology in the British Nineteenth Century
Traces an epistemological legacy from Romantic and Victorian ecological literature to modern scientific ecology. Investigates two essential and contrasting paradigms of nature that continue to be debated today.
Literary Roots of Modern Ecology in the British Nineteenth Century
Traces an epistemological legacy from Romantic and Victorian ecological literature to modern scientific ecology. Investigates two essential and contrasting paradigms of nature that continue to be debated today.
Lives by Einhard, Notker, Ermoldus, Thegan, and the Astronomer
Translations of ninth-century lives of the emperors Charlemagne (by Einhard and Notker) and his son Louis the Pious (by Ermoldus, Thegan, and the Astronomer). Presented chronologically and contextually, with commentary.
