Focus Imprint

Cineplex: Intermediate German Language and Culture Through Film is a communicative textbook for second-year German-language courses that uses engaging, authentic cultural materials: feature films from Germany. Each of the ten chapters in Cineplex focuses on a contemporary, critically-acclaimed film—on highly motivational topics ranging from the West-German student movement to the German Democratic Republic to Turkish-German migrants to the Holocaust—that appeals to the needs of intermediate learners and their understanding of German-speaking culture. Designed for today's student, Cineplex is more than just a textbook—it is a space in which students can 'meet' the people of Germany through the big screen and experience German language and culture as it is performed in context.

Course Instructors: click here request the electronic (PDF) instructor's manual for Cineplex. Please contact Reinhard Zachau via his website for information about accessing film clips. 

The Cineplex Workbook is an essential companion to Cineplex: Intermediate German Language & Culture through Film, providing additional exercises for each chapter of the textbook that help students build reflexes in the German language. Exercises target vocabulary and grammar acquisition, as well as general comprehension. Useful for classroom or lab periods, for homework assignments, or for individual study and practice. Identify problem areas and track progress. An electronic answer key, for qualifying instructors, is also available, as is the complete, online, autocorrecting version of the Workbook.

Course Instructors: click here request the electronic (PDF) instructor's manual for Cineplex. Please contact Reinhard Zachau via his website for information about accessing film clips. 

Cinéphile: Intermediate French Language and Culture through Film, Third Edition is ideally suited as a primary textbook for second-year French language courses. It seamlessly integrates French-language feature films into the study of French language and culture, offering a comprehensive review of first-year French as well as ongoing study of grammar, vocabulary, and development of communicative skills within a context of film and cultural study.

Course instructors: If you have adopted the 3rd edition of Cinéphile as a required course text the instructor's manual and other resources may be requested here.

Films: The films covered in Cinéphile are not included with the purchase of the textbook or workbook. Links to purchase or rent the films are available here.

Cinéphile: Intermediate French Language and Culture through Film, Third Edition is ideally suited as a primary textbook for second-year French language courses. It seamlessly integrates French-language feature films into the study of French language and culture, offering a comprehensive review of first-year French as well as ongoing study of grammar, vocabulary, and development of communicative skills within a context of film and cultural study.

The third edition of the Cinéphile Student Workbook includes a new section, Activités écrites et orales, which provides outlines for supplemental written and oral work.

Course instructors: If you have adopted the 3rd edition of the Cinéphile Workbook as a required course text the instructor's manual and other resources may be requested here.

Films: The films covered in Cinéphile are not included with the purchase of the textbook or workbook. Links to purchase or rent the films are available here.

Jeffrey Henderson, noted Greek scholar, has translated into English one of Aristophanes' greatest comedies. Offered with detailed notes and an enlightening introduction, this modern translation brings to life the wit and elegance of the language while putting the text in historical and cultural context.

*  Download the Table of Contents for Common Ground (PDF)

*  Visit the companion Website with additional Online resources

“There is so much to know and to consider when learning to teach a language, and Common Ground presents, in a straightforward and simplified way, the most important concepts, based on SLA research. Students are more likely to retain and apply this important information when it is presented concisely, with many specific examples, as it is in this book. Common Ground has a logical organization that is easy to follow, both in terms of chapter order and the sequencing of information and activities within each chapter. The content is accurate, current, concise, readable, and easy to understand. The number of sample activities in the second half of each chapter is wonderful--they serve to illustrate the concepts in the first half of the chapter and provide students/teachers with a wealth of ideas that they will be able to adapt and use in their own classrooms. The companion website will be a great resource and a good way to update the book more regularly than producing subsequent editions, especially with respect to tech tools, webinars on teaching with technology, etc. I will definitely adopt this book into my courses; I think others will too, because of the high quality of the authors’ work, the conciseness of their writing, the numerous useful examples, and the low cost of the book to students.” —Tammy Jandrey Hertel, University of Lynchburg, and author of El cine documental: Spanish Language and Culture through Documentary Film

“Common Ground is accessible to teachers at all levels yet firmly rooted in current questions of second language acquisition (SLA). One of its primary strengths is the authors themselves, both of whom are accomplished language teachers who understand the challenges and opportunities in communication-focused language teaching. Their experience, expertise, insight, and enthusiasm for language teaching translate into a book that is refreshingly practical for teachers, especially teachers who are striving to break from traditional drills commonly presented in textbooks. I hope this book finds its way into the hands of every language teacher who is looking for concrete examples of how SLA principles meet the realities of the classroom." —Stacey Margarita Johnson, Vanderbilt University

Like its French-language companion volume Le Cinéma français contemporain: Manuel de classe, Alan Singerman and Michèle Bissière's Contemporary French Cinema: A Student's Book offers a detailed look at recent French cinema through its analyses of twenty notable and representative French films that have appeared since 1980. Sure to delight Anglophone fans of French film, it can be used with equal success in English-language courses and, when paired with its companion volume, dual-language ones.

Clips from each film covered in the textbook are available to qualified instructors in a password protected Vimeo collection. Instructors wishing to access clips from the films for course use may request access by using the online form here. The film clip request page also includes a complete list of the films covered.

"Professor Jeffrey Kahan's expertise in the history of Shakespearean acting complements Kittredge's lucid [introduction and text] to create an edition of Coriolanus that centers modern readers in the play’s performance. Kahan's introduction to the edition both recounts historical performances and carefully details recent directorial choices—choices that reappear in the course of his footnotes providing acting choices for key scenes. These notes, together with photographs of compelling performances, fix the reader's imagination firmly in the midst of Shakespeare’s chilling theatrical portrayal of Republican Rome. This highly accessible edition will prove invaluable for actors, students, and lovers of Shakespeare."
     —Cyndia Clegg, Pepperdine University

Cultura y cine: Hispanoamérica hoy, a Spanish-language textbook designed for students at the intermediate/advanced level, explores contemporary Hispanic America through Spanish-language feature films and authentic cultural texts. Topics covered include politics, education, diversity of people and geography, immigration, religion, indigenous traditions, economic issues (both advantages and challenges), music, art, and family life. Each of the eight chapters focuses on a central theme and a high-interest film and includes interviews providing current perspectives on the topic, one or more articles from periodicals, a literary selection, cultural notes, and a variety of activities including many that will appeal to today’s digital-age students. Five Vistazo panorámico sections provide a visual introduction to course fundamentals. Course Instructors: An electronic (PDF only) instructor's manual is available for qualified adopters. If you have adopted the text, request the instructor's manual here.

"The New Kittredge series is both a delight and a steal. Kittredge's textual authority, updated by eminent scholars sensitive to classroom needs and alert to staging choices, is once again available in these slim, elegant, inexpensive, user-friendly volumes. With lucid notes and incisive introductions geared especially to popular film versions, the series also offers an overview of both stage and film performances of each play. A must for any Shakespeare class."
     —Laury Magnus, Contributing Editor, New Kittredge Shakespeare and Hamletworks.org

A Cultural Reader and Workbook for Advanced Intermediate German and Beyond

"I liked how DACHL did not follow the traditional organization for such a civilization and culture textbook. I appreciated the amount of 'space' dedicated to Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, which usually have little or none." —Tim Straubel, Western Kentucky University

Taking its name from the acronym for the group of countries Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, DACHL is a combined reader/workbook that offers third-year students of German a fascinating cultural and historical tour of these four major German-speaking countries. Through its unique focus on the DACHL countries and travel throughout them, it offers an eclectic mix of discussions of Germanic cultural history from prehistoric times to the present by way of contemporary German-language articles on capitals, cuisines, music, politics, commerce, architecture, UNESCO World Heritage sites, festivals, biking, and much more. The articles are accompanied by vocabulary and followed by exercises that test comprehension and activate vocabulary. Included as well are opportunities for research, oral presentations, and writing assignments.

Additional Online Resources: http://mu-internal.net/~modern/dachl/Portal.pdf.

Course Instructor's: Click here to request a PDF-only instructor's manual for DACHL.

"There’s a tremendous amount to admire in Brian Harvey’s new Daily Life in Ancient Rome: A Sourcebook. And it stands out as a superior work against all the competing texts. Specifically, much careful thought, attention, and effort has gone into ensuring that the work is ideal for students and interested non-professionals. The texts are all translated into clear, accurate English. They are also thoroughly contextualized, both in categories as well as individually. This insistence on the historicity of the sources sets the book apart from the norm. The book also benefits from Harvey’s extensive, almost encyclopedic, knowledge of inscriptions, which are used as important sources along with the literary excerpts. Finally, the many photos by the author himself augment the texts and are themselves analyzed as unique sources."
     —Steven L. Tuck, Miami University, Ohio

"Shiffman's fidelity both to Aristotle's text and to opening the complex thought contained therein to the contemporary reader is evident throughout this translation. It neither attempts to resolve difficulty nor drown the reader in obscurity; instead, it invites the reader to puzzle through this magnificent and difficult text herself. The wonderful introduction supplies any number of tools to do so and is a model of the rigorous and restrained articulation of essential themes and contemporary resonances. The glossary contains an indispensable and illuminating discussion of terms. Readable and thought-provoking, this translation is particularly well-suited for the classroom. Students at all levels will benefit from its lucidity and provocation to thought." —Sara Brill, Fairfield University

"I find this an ideal introductory textbook for students of German literature. The material included provides an excellent overview of German literature since 1750 by embedding it in a cultural-historical context and clearly explaining the literary, cultural, and historical concepts involved. The copious exercises provide opportunities for students to organize their knowledge, engage in textual analysis, and expand their understanding of the interrelationships of literature and culture."
    —Margaret K. Devinney, Director, German Program at Temple University

Three robbers pilfer from the countryside until they are charmed by a young orphan girl. Location in Cineplex: Chapter 1. DVD Features: 76 minutes. In German with German subtitles. Region 2 DVD - Japan, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East, including Egypt. You may need special equipment to play this DVD. Please visit about.com for more details.

This Focus Philosophical Library edition includes a new translation of Descartes' seminal discourse, with an original essay by Richard Kennington. This text is designed to provide the student with a close translation, notes, and a glossary of key terms, facilitating access to ideas as they originally were presented and helping to make the translator's work transparent. 

An annotated version of Doctor Faustus, with modernized spelling and punctuation, of the 1616 B-text. James H. Lake's Introduction discusses the play’s historical and dramatic contexts, but focuses on its performance history from the Elizabethan era to our own, including film productions. Textual notes discuss variations between the A and B texts. Interviews with Ralph Alan Cohen of Shenandoah Shakespeare and Andreas Teuber (Mephistopheles in the Richard Burton production) as well as illustrations from theatre and film performances included.

Ekstase und Elend is an intermediate/advanced textbook for German studies courses that presents the cultural history of German-speaking Europe from roughly 1900 to the present. Compiled by a team of scholars of German studies, applied linguistics, and history, it offers the historical, political, and social context necessary for engaging with recent cultural products from German-speaking Europe while cultivating the vital skills for doing so in German. 

Click here to visit the companion website featuring an annotated interactive timeline, media from a variety of sources, and suggested research projects.

"I like the way Ekstase und Elend translates its 'ecstasy vs. misery' dichotomy throughout the volume. It engagingly conveys sociopolitical and even economic history by laying out sharp contrasts—through texts, images, and exercises that cover a range of topics, peoples, and events. A second major strength of the volume is its sociohistorical inclusiveness. I’ve not yet run across a German-language civilization textbook that (with the exception of the Jewish peoples, in the context of Nazi Germany and WWII) includes to such an extent the narratives of historically underrepresented groups and individuals. Strongly recommended." —James Pfrehm, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Ithaca College

El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra was first published in Spain around 1630 by Gabriel Tellez, a Spanish Baroque dramatist, poet and a Roman Catholic monk who used the name Tirso de Molina. The earliest adaptation of the legend of Don Juan, the personification of youthful indifference and all that is sinful, Tirso’s tale set in the 14th century confronts evil masquerading as honor. The Focus Student Editions are appropriate as introductory texts for Spanish language courses in literature and culture. They have been designed to help students approach the original Spanish text through an introductory essay, vocabulary and cultural notes, and study questions. All material is in Spanish, and complete in one volume.

El cine documental is an innovative intermediate/advanced textbook that provides students with the tools needed to communicate accurately and appropriately in Spanish. Learning is centered on cultural themes related to thought-provoking documentaries from around the Spanish-speaking world. Through the culturally rich and linguistically authentic medium of documentary film, El cine documental provides the experience of listening to many varieties of authentic speech in context, and stimulates conversation and critical thinking by immersing students in the target cultures. Organized to provide scaffolding for students as they develop their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, each chapter includes five sections: Ver, Leer, Escuchar, Escribir, and Expandir.

An online workbook for El cine documental is also available, click here for more information about the online workbook. Click here for information about where to watch, rent, or purchase the documentary films covered in the textbook. Click here to request the PDF instructor's manual.

This is an English translation of Sophocles' tragedy of Electra, and the vengeance that she and her brother Orestes take on their mother and step father for the murder of their father. This edition also includes an "afterlife" essay that discusses adaptations of the play, as well as touches on other ways Electra has had influence (Jung's identification of the Electra Complex, O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra). Focus Classical Library provides close translations with notes and essays to provide access to understanding Greek culture.

Designed as an introduction to North and Hillard's Latin Prose Composition. Presents the beginner with the simplest vocabulary and the most elementary forms of sentence construction. Includes both English-Latin and Latin-English exercises.

This text brings together for the first time two complete key works from classical antiquity on the politics of Athens: Plato's Menexenus and Pericles' Funeral Oration (from Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War).

Designed for middle school courses in English teaching a balance between grammar, composition and literature. Course Instructors: An electronic answer key (PDF only) is available for qualified instructors who have adopted this text for course use. Click here to request the PDF answer key.

Includes updated sections on the Indo-European language family and on Latin meter, addition of a brief bibliography, and a reorganized index of sources. Suitable for intermediate-level students.

English translation of Plato's dialogue of Socrates with two prominent Sophists, Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, and their conflicting philosophical views, in which Plato satirizes the logical fallacies of the Sophists. With notes, introduction, interpretive essay, and a glossary of important words.

"Experiencing Theatre completely engages the beginning theatre student in the art of theatre. Students become playwrights, dramaturges, actors, directors, designers, adapters and collaborators through dynamic readings and excercises. This text gives them a great awareness of the work of being a theatre artist. Teachers have long strived towards creating these opportunities for their Intro students—finally a text that will make it happen."
      —Barbara Burgess-Lefebvre, Robert Morris University

COURSE INSTRUCTORS: Request free instructor preview access and learn more here.

INDIVIDUAL LEARNERS: See purchasing options and FAQs about the self-paced learner version of the course here.

$39.95 for a 12-month student subscription.

Completely updated on a new and improved platform, Familia Romana Essentials Online offers students and instructors as well as self-learners an integrated and fully-digital Latin learning experience drawn from the essential components of Pars I of Hans Ørberg’s Lingua Latina per se Illustrata series. It can be used independently of, or in conjunction with, print editions of those components as well as other supplements to Lingua Latina: Pars I. Familia Romana Essentials Online offers an electronic version of the complete text of Familia Romana in eBook format with auto-correcting exercises, the complete text of Exercitia Latina I with auto-correcting exercises, audio recordings from the text for pronunciation and listening comprehension practice, flashcard sets for vocabulary practice, a searchable Latin/English glossary that includes all vocabulary from Familia Romana, the text of Ørberg’s student manual Latine Disco, and more. 

"Kirby reproduces in simple, clear English—and almost always line for line—the meaning of Goethe's German text, with metrical variations that evoke the shifting meters of the original."
      —Jane Brown, University of Washington

Finis Rei Publicae combines a close reading of selections of late Republican prose with a thorough grammar review. Caesar's Civil War forms the core of the reading material; excerpts from letters of Cicero, Hirtius' treatment of the period just before the outbreak of war, and some other readings supplement Caesar's narrative. Course Instructors: An electronic answer key (PDF) is available for qualified adopters, click here to request a copy of the answer key.

Contains the companion exercises to the Finis Rei Publicae textbook.

This text is designed for courses in the introduction to classical Greek using the "direct method" of learning. This method is a near immersion method in which much of the course and the book as possible is done in Greek, relying less on translation and more on acquiring skills in reading, speaking and thinking in the target language. Rouse's classic book has been thoroughly revised for the modern students by Anne Mahoney. The Greek reader, Rouse's Greek Boy, is a companion that carefully follows the progression of this text.

Five Russian stories (in English) from the post-Soviet era from among the best modern writers. The stories reflect cultural and political styles and concerns in Russian literature today. Translated with notes and introduction in English.

These forty-six Classical Greek readings provide entertaining and thought-provoking passages, in increasing difficulty, from the great authors of Classical Greece, from Plato and Xenophon to Aesop, Aristophanes, and Thucydides. Forth-Six Stories can be used for translation, reading, exploring Greek culture, and reviewing grammar and vocabulary. Course instructors: An electronic translation key (PDF) for Forty-Six Stories in Classical Greek (PDF only) is available for qualified adopters. If you have adopted the text, click here to request the translation key.

Includes Plato's Atlantis, Euhemeros of Messene's Sacred Inscription, Iamboulos's Island of the Sun, and Bacon's New Atlantis, with a supplement of Utopian Prototypes, Developments and Variations. 

This is a brief, but handy book outlining the task of viewing theatrical performances and evaluating them. Although aimed primarily at the festival level respondent, it is a book that can enhance the ability to evaluate and respond to the theatre experience, creating at the broadest level a sensitive and enriched audience.

An engaging, content-based book for incorporating Francophone cinema and culture into advanced French Language courses or Francophone Studies courses. Each chapter of the book is devoted to a single feature film and includes aids for students watching the film, discussing and writing about the film, and understanding the film within the cultural context. The films come from all regions of the Francophone world, from Vietnam to Algeria to Haiti, and are organized chronologically from the colonial experience to today. Course instructors: An electronic (PDF) instructor's manual for Francophone Cultures is available to qualified instructors who have adopted the text for their course, click here to request a copy.

French Cinema: A Student's Book is an introduction to French cinema, in English. This text includes the history of the origins of French film, an explanation of how to analyze a film, a lexicon of French cinema terms, and an analysis of 17 major masterpieces of French filmmaking. A parallel French version of this text, Apprentissage du cinema francais, is also available, so the same course can be taught to students of French culture as well as students of French language.

Additional Resources: French Cinema companion website.

"Overall . . . I find this translation of the Frogs to be entertaining and very readable. Furthermore, Henderson's comprehensive introduction makes this translation quite useful for general readers or students at any level." —Erin K. Moodie, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

A new edition of the bestselling Classical Greek textbook, that combines a traditionally rigorous introduction of Ancient Greek with an encouraging, pleasant, and accessible presentation for today’s modern students. From Alpha to Omega inspires students of Ancient Greek by structuring lessons around manageable selections of actual Ancient Greek writings, beginning with Aesop’s most amusing and curious fables. By the second half of the book, students are able to take on instructive passages from The New Testament, Demosthenes, Xenophon, Thucydides, Lysias, Arrian, Aristotle, and Plato. Course Instructors: An electronic answer key for the textbook (PDF only) is available for qualified adopters. If you have adopted the text, click here to request the answer key.

Designed to accompany Anne H. Groton’s From Alpha to Omega, Fourth Edition, this book of ancillary exercises reinforces grammatical and syntactical knowledge, helps develop an operational vocabulary, and improves oral proficiency. Ancillary Exercises presents concepts from the textbook in new ways, helping students overcome any problem-areas. Instructors can use the exercises in class, or since answers are provided in the back of Ancillary Exercises, students can practice on their own time and at their own pace.

"This is the only text that actually teaches the student how to cope with practical Russian-English interpretation and translation problems which are becoming ever more important in today's global village. All those to whom I have recommended the first edition have found it a highly useful if not indispensable tool, and this revised and expanded version will be welcomed by advanced students of Russian as well as future interpreters and translators. Dr. Visson is to be commended for her emphasis on the importance of using correct and appropriate English equivalents for a broad range of Russian formal and informal colloquial expressions."
     —Frank J. Miller, Russian Language Coordinator, Columbia University

German Culture through Film: An Introduction to German Cinema is an English-language text that serves equally well in courses on modern German film, in courses on general film studies, in courses that incorporate film as a way to study culture, and as an engaging resource for scholars, students, and devotees of cinema and film history. In its second edition, German Culture through Film expands on the first edition, providing additional chapters with context for understanding the era in which the featured films were produced. Thirty-three notable German films are arranged in seven chronological chapters, spanning key moments in German film history, from the silent era to the present.

For additional film resources visit Reinhard Zachau's German film website.

Download a PDF of the Table of Contents, with the full list of films covered in the book.

German for Reading presupposes no previous acquaintance with German and can be used with equal effectiveness by graduate students in the arts and sciences who are preparing to pass a reading knowledge examination, or by undergraduates who are beginning to deal seriously with the problems of reading. Its programmed format permits it to be used either as a classroom text or by individuals working on their own. The second edition builds on strengths of the first while updating outdated terminology, removing terms and phrases no longer in use, and incorporating many revisions made in light of suggestions from readers.

Geschäftsdeutsch introduces the students to the language of business German. It is foremost a language book, with the goal of increasing the students’ knowledge and interest in Germany’s national and global economy. Edition 1.1 includes a number of corrections as well as updates reflecting changes in German business culture. A companion website offers extra detail for all chapters and interactive activities with several audio/video assignments. The website also provides many links—chapter by chapter—for a semester project. Course Instructors: An electronic (PDF) instructor's manual and electronic (PDF) instructor's test bank are available for qualified instructors who have adopted the text for their course. Click here to request the instructor materials.

Golden Prose in the Age of Augustus is an anthology containing fresh, accurate and readable translations of the seven great prose writers from the Augustan period and covers a broad range of prose writing with introduction, maps, chronology, glossary, bibliography and notes. 

An anthology containing fresh and rhythmic translations of the great poets from the Augustan period, Golden Verses covers a broad range of verse with introduction, maps, chronology, glossary, bibliography and notes. Alessi's text is designed specifically for the college market, providing students with access to the thought and context at the roots of our culture. Designed to be read in conjunction with major works of the Augustan Age—Ovid's Metamorphosis and Vergil's Aeneid.

"Arieti and Barrus have provided us with a fine contribution to the literature on Plato's Gorgias. This text includes a literal translation of the Gorgias with a helpful introductory essay, and copious notes. It includes a priceless appendix of the only literal translations available today of several key speeches from Thucydides, as well as a valuable glossary and appendices on the rules of dialectic that may be derived from the arguments of the Gorgias, and on Plato's use of the terms mythos and logos, with which not all scholars may agree, but which I think all should find of interest."
     —Michael Palmer, University of Maine

This is a handy pocket reference of morphological forms for Classical Greek and places the parts of speech in charts/tables for quick reference. This is designed to serve as a source for drill and memorization for students learning Greek. Coil binding makes it possible to lay the book flat or fold it back for easier reading.

Focus Edition of the classic British text, including original typesetting. Standard Greek, including all common words and constructions, special vocabularies, a general vocabulary, irregular verbs, a list of prepositional phrases, and more. Course Instructors: An electronic (PDF) answer key available to qualified course instructors who have adopted this text for their course, (not available for sale to students). If you have adopted this text, click here to request a copy of the answer key.