Books in At Issue Series series

"From the Black Death of the fourteenth century to contemporary Ebola outbreaks and the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis, pandemics and disease outbreaks have devastated societies, wiped out significant portions of populations, and necessitated political, social, and scientific changes to address these public health catastrophes. What have scientists and policymakers learned from historical pandemics, and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks? Journalists, politicians, medical professionals, and other experts from a range of fields weigh in on how pandemics happen and potential means of controlling them"--

The federal budget affects all of us, whether we know it or not. Monies spent by the government go into our education, our security, our military, and our bridges and roads. But who is accountable for the budget, and what happens if we don't agree where the money is going? The expert viewpoints in this informative anthology examine where our tax dollars go, whether citizens have a say in spending, and what it means when the deficit just keeps growing.

Few people deny that America has a shameful history of racism, but there is widespread disagreement about how much our society has changed since the civil rights era. By looking at both sides of controversial issues like immigration, environmental justice, and racial profiling, this anthology examines the current state of race relations in America and abroad.

As the field of genetic engineering continues to develop, a host of new ethical dilemmas are created. Many ethicists believe that it is our moral duty to pursue the new genetic technologies for the benefit of mankind. Others see this tinkering with nature as ethically unacceptable. This text debates the central issues of genetic modification, including human cloning, genetically modified foods and altering the genes of our descendants.