Child and Adolescent Development: A Social Justice Approach and Intercultural Communication: A Critical Perspective win prestigious TAA Textbook Awards 

San Diego, CA – February 26, 2021 – Child and Adolescent Development: A Social Justice Approach has received a 2021 Most Promising New Textbook Award, and Intercultural Communication: A Critical Perspective has received a 2021 Textbook Excellence Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA). 

Child and Adolescent Development, authored by Kristine Anthis, is one of ten textbooks to earn a Most Promising New Textbook Award. The award recognizes excellence in first edition textbooks and learning materials. Works are judged by textbook authors and subject matter experts for their merits in four main areas: pedagogy, content/scholarship, writing, and appearance and design.

The 2021 TAA judges shared the following about Child and Adolescent Development:

“Child and Adolescent Development: A Social Justice Approach by Kristine Anthis is a well-organized scholarly publication on child and adolescent development, chunked for ease of teaching and appropriate cognitive load for students, with relevant exercises and media links. This textbook is not only a strong text in content and format, this book sets a new standard for textbooks and their relevance in a world and a country coming to terms with its—coming to terms with OUR—structural racism, barriers to equity, relegation of the poor, and social and political divisiveness.”

“I’m honored to receive this award and excited that my text is receiving recognition,” said Dr. Anthis. “Its social justice approach adds a timely and much-needed perspective to the available college textbooks on child and adolescent development.”

“Child and Adolescent Development is such an incredible textbook,” said Kassie Graves, Cognella Vice President of Editorial and the signing editor of the book. “The book is a direct reflection of Kristine’s passion, innovation, immense scholarship, and her keen understanding of the impact of social justice-related issues on child and adolescent development. Throughout this text, readers learn so much about how inequitable resources and opportunities can influence and alter the lives of children, teens, and their families. We’re incredibly proud to be Kristine’s publisher, and we’re thrilled her scholarship is receiving the recognition it deserves from TAA.”

Intercultural Communication: A Critical Perspective, written by Rona Tamiko Halualani, is one of nine textbooks honored with Textbook Excellence Awards, which recognize excellence in current textbooks and learning materials. Works are judged by textbook authors and subject matter experts for their merits in four main areas: pedagogy, content/scholarship, writing, and appearance and design.

The 2021 TAA judges shared the following about Intercultural Communication: 

“Intercultural Communication: A Critical Perspective takes a nontraditional approach to understanding intercultural communication by going beyond the mere presentation of intercultural concepts, to offering a multifaceted critical approach to our understanding of intercultural dynamics and communication. Presentation of content in this text also serves as a framework for research initiatives while also helping students to understand the many challenges and complexities that intercultural communication contexts and interactions invites and ways to successfully negotiate them.”

“I am honored to be an award recipient from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association,” said Dr. Halualani. “Intercultural Communication:  A Critical Perspective has been a labor of love for me for many years! I am pleased that instructors and students can use my book as a means to engage the complex issues of intercultural communication in relation to power.”

“I have followed Rona’s work and research for many years, and it was an editor’s dream come true to work with her,” said Todd Armstrong, Cognella Publisher of Communication, Journalism, and Media Studies, and the signing editor for the textbook. “Her drive and passion to explore how people interact in and amongst different groups through a power-dynamics and social justice lens—and to instill this passion in her readers—is both timely and timeless. This textbook is truly opening students’ awareness of how they view and communicate with one another. To have the TAA judges recognize this impact, and to honor the textbook and Rona’s work, is extremely gratifying. Cognella is honored to be her publisher.”

The awards will be presented during a virtual ceremony on Friday, March 19, 2021, at 1pm Eastern Time.

Read the TAA blog post to peruse the full list of 2021 award-winning textbooks.

In 2020, the eighth edition of Research Methods in Social Work by David Royse received a William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award and Women Leading Change: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Cliff, and Slipper edited by Callie Rennison and Amy Bonomi received a Most Promising New Textbook Award from TAA. View the TAA blog post to see all of the winners from 2020.

For a full listing of all award-winning textbooks from Cognella, visit: https://cognella.com/award-winning-titles. 

About Cognella®

Cognella® is redefining academic publishing by creating teacher-driven, student-centric higher education course materials in print and digital formats under three imprints: Cognella® Academic Publishing, Cognella® Custom, and Cognella® Active Learning. Cognella also publishes engaging nonfiction titles featuring modern perspectives as Cognella® Press. Learn more at www.cognella.com. 

About the Textbook & Academic Authors Association

The Textbook & Authors Association (TAA) provides a wide range of professional development resources, events, and networking opportunities for textbook authors and authors of scholarly journal articles and books. www.TAAonline.net 

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Natalie Piccotti
Director of Marketing, Cognella, Inc.
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