Cultures and Values,
10th Edition

Lois Fichner-Rathus

ISBN-13: 9780357640104
Copyright 2026 | Published
712 pages | List Price: USD $250.95

Fichner-Rathus' CULTURES AND VALUES: A GLOBAL VIEW OF THE HUMANITIES, VOLUME II, 10th Edition, takes you on a tour of some of the world's most interesting and significant examples of art, music, philosophy and literature from the beginnings of civilization to today. Discover the cultural connections occurring at the same time in different parts of the globe. Chapter previews, timelines, glossaries of key terms and "Big Picture" reviews all help make it easy for you to learn the material and study more effectively.

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Fichner-Rathus, Cultures and Values Volume 2 Table of Contents
11. 1400–1500.
Crosscurrents: Christian Europe and the Ottoman Turks. The 15th Century in Northern Europe and Italy. The Iberian Peninsula. The Americas.
12. 1500–1600: Part 1.
Africa. The Iberian Peninsula: Voyages of Exploration, Voyages of Conquest. Italy in the 16th Century. The Islamic World in the 16th Century.
13. 1500–1600: Part 2.
Northern Europe in the 16th Century. India: The Mughal Period. China: The Late Ming Dynasty.
14. 1600–1700.
Edo Japan. China: The Qing Dynasty. Europe in the 17th Century. European Colonization of the Americas.
15. 1700–1800.
A Century of Revolutions. The Enlightenment. The Late 18th Century: Time of Revolution.
16. 1800–1870.
Political, Technological, and Industrial Revolutions in Europe and the United States. The Arts: From Neoclassicism to Romanticism in Europe and America. Realism in Art and Literature. Human Rights, Equal Rights. South Asia: British Colonial Rule in India. East Asia: China and Japan.
17. 1870–1914.
War, Peace, and Modernity. The Turn of the 20th Century. The 20th Century. Imperialism and Colonization.
18. 1914–1939.
“A War to End All Wars”. Literature and Art in the Midst and Wake of War. Russia and the U.S.S.R.: Art and Revolution. European Art in the 1920s. The Mexican Revolution. Surrealism. The Harlem Renaissance: Representing Race and Place. The Great Depression. The Arts: Abstraction, Social Realism, Architecture, and Film. The Rise of Totalitarianism and the Path to a Second World War.
19. 1939–1980.
A Second World War: Events and Their Impact. Postwar Philosophy and Literature. The Cold War Era: An Age of Anxiety. Visual Arts in the 1940s and 1950s. The Civil Rights Movement in America. The Sixties: Disaffection and Rebellion. Visual Arts in the 1960s and 1970s. Global Events and Their Cultural Impact.
20. 1980–Present.
Globalization. New Philosophies, Science, and Technology. Postmodernism. Postmodern Architecture. The Visual Arts: Pluralism in Postmodernism. Postmodern Literature. Postmodern Music. Art, Identity, and Activism. Sexuality and Gender Identity. Representing Race, Identity, and Place. Social and Political Commentary. Cultural History and Identity. Historical Trauma and Memory. Parallelisms: Diaspora Identities in Art and Literature. “Us”.

  • Lois Fichner-Rathus

    Lois Fichner-Rathus is professor of art in the Department of Art and Art History of The College of New Jersey. She holds a combined undergraduate degree in fine arts and art history, an M.A. from the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, and a Ph.D. in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Art from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her areas of specialization include contemporary art, feminist art history and criticism, and modern art and architecture, as well as the theory and foundations of art and design. Dr. Fichner-Rathus is also the author of the Cengage Learning textbooks UNDERSTANDING ART and FOUNDATIONS OF ART AND DESIGN. She teaches study-abroad programs in Paris, Rome, Spain, and Cuba and resides in New York.

  • THIS CHAPTER EXPLORES Appearing alongside the Preview, this list of key topics and page numbers provides a succinct convenient overview of the chapter contents.

  • TIMELINES Appearing one or more times in a chapter, timelines have been redesigned to illustrate global historical periods and seminal events and/or cultural and technological milestones. An eye-catching, color-coded bar graph design -- keyed to specific geographic locations -- invites students to think about global developments in time in relation to one another

  • SUPERHEADS These specially-designed headings designate the major geographical locales discussed in the chapter. This guides students to the global region that is being discussed.

  • Ideals and Ideals Formerly called "Culture & Society," this revised feature gathers cultural beliefs and practices, ideas and ideals that sprang from the human intellect and became guideposts for the journey through life.

  • In order to show the connections and contexts of creation of humanistic works, chapters have been revised to have a chronological, global lens. Content from non-Western chapters is now fully integrated with Western chapters. For example, content in Chapter 18, Africa, is now integrated into the chronological framework, showing the connections between cultural creations there with those going on Europe, Asia and the Americas. As a result, all chapter titles have changed to show the years being covered rather than named as after a location or geographically specific artistic movement.

  • NEW CONNECTIONS This feature brings to light commonalities among cultures and cultural output, contemporary perspectives on relationships to historical events and parallels between works from different disciplines within the humanities.

  • A new subtitle, A Global Approach to the Humanities, reflects the expanded emphasis of the book on presenting cultural developments globally and chronologically, interweaving their narratives so that students see connections between the human creative impulse happening at the same time but in different geographical places.

  • CHAPTER PREVIEWS This feature is designed to draw students into the material of each chapter by connecting intriguing examples of art, literature and visual culture with the ideas and ideals that permeate the time periods about to be examined. Students are encouraged to face each chapter’s material with curiosity and anticipation. At the same time, previews reinforce connections to the knowledge students have accumulated from previous chapters.

  • Spotify playlists provide access to the music selections discussed by the authors.

  • Numerous new artworks, illustrations and primary texts throughout enliven the text and engage students. While keeping the most popular works, this edition expands the offerings to provide a more diverse, global selection.

  • COMPARE + CONTRAST This feature presents two or more works of art and/or literature side by side to encourage students to focus on stylistic, technical, conceptual and cultural similarities and differences. This feature hones analytical and interpretive skills and promotes critical thinking by encouraging students to consider the larger context in which works were created.

  • The Culture and Values features provide a well-balanced blend of art, literature, philosophy and music for every major culture and historical period -- all presented in a clear, conversational style.

  • MAPS The maps in this text serve as visual representations of history and culture shaped by geography. As such, the text features an assortment of maps including map projections with topography and inset global locators along with thematic maps. Maps have been revised to show the connections between cultures across the globe.

  • End-of-chapter glossaries help students master the material by providing an easy way to access and review key terms and their meanings.

  • A comprehensive set of digital resources, available via MindTap and compatible with most LMS platforms, includes a host of resources and tools for both your course and your students. MindTap resources include an interactive eBook with zoomable images, links to related videos and Google Map locations, links to full versions of the literary works excerpted in the text, flashcards, quizzes, streaming music and more.

  • Resources for instructors include chapter PowerPoint presentations, a comprehensive test bank and an Instructor’s Manual with discussion prompts and activity ideas.

  • The text is available as a bundled package containing Volumes I and II or as two volumes split at the Renaissance. Volume I includes Chapters 1–11 (2,500BCE–1500 CE); Volume II includes Chapters 11–20 (1400 CE–Present Day).

  • PHONETIC PRONUNCIATIONS Phonetic spelling accompanies non-English-language words where they appear in the running text, making it possible for students to refer to people, places, periods and cultures correctly and confidently.

  • THE BIG PICTURE The feature at the end of each chapter summarizes the cultural events and achievements that shape the character of each place and period. Organized into categories (Language and Literature; Art, Architecture and Music; Philosophy and Religion), the Big Picture reinforces for students the simultaneity of developments in history and the humanities from a global perspective. Now with a new and improved design for the 10th edition.

  • Author Lois Fichner-Rathus gives a fresh, unified voice to the revision in this 10th edition. As an active instructor at The College of NJ, she brings to the textbook her daily experience teaching the Introduction to Humanities course to a diverse student body. Fichner-Rathus combines a conversational writing style with exciting high-resolution images to connect with students and foster their understanding. She has expanded the global content and integrated it within the chronological structure in a way that makes it easy for instructors to teach and engaging for students to learn.

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.