Rural Communities

Now updated with recent major conceptual and topical developments, this core text presents a practical framework for students to understand the internal and external forces shaping rural communities today.Communities in rural America are a complex mixture of peoples and cultures struggling for survival by implementing innovative approaches to their problems. These people range from miners who have been laid off in West Virginia, to Laotian immigrants relocating in Kansas to work at a beef processing plant, to entrepreneurs drawing up plans for a world-class ski resort in California's Sierra Nevada.This thoroughly revised edition of "Rural Communities: Legacy and Change" focuses on various capitals in rural areas - natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial and built. This integrative approach provides a practical guide to making ethical decisions, putting them into practice and communicating them effectively to others."A Practical Approach to Ethics: Living and Leading with Integrity" is designed for courses in contemporary moral issues, applied ethics and leadership. It helps readers develop their skills in ethical decision-making and put those decisions into effective practice. Its unique focus on leadership, especially the moral dimensions of leadership, teaches students to understand and communicate their own beliefs as a step to building coalitions with those who may hold different views. It is also distinctive in combining ethical theory with both multicultural ethics (Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, feminism) and a practical orientation to moral decision making and leadership.