Open Educational Resources (OERs)
Steely Library's guide to OERs at NKU, where you can find information on locating OER resources, grant opportunities, and more.
General Education - Culture and Creativity OER © 2025 by Aidan Dorman is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International 
Introduction
This guide offers promising OER textbooks for courses within the General Education - Culture and Creativity section.
Created by Aidan Dorman, the OER Fellow during the Spring 2025 semester
SPI 101 - Elementary Spanish I
A list of collected OER focused on beginner-level Spanish learning and teaching fitting for SPI 101 — Elementary Spanish I.
- Basic Spanish Language & CultureContributing Author: Germàn Gutiérrez
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: An introduction to Spanish grammar with pronunciation exercises and information about the history of the language and culture
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, PDF - Beginning Spanish ¡Empecemos por aquí!Contributing Authors: Jenny Ceciliano and Lisa Notman
License: CC BY NC
Currency: Originally published in 2021, last updated in 2022
Coverage: Activities focused on building communication skills and cultural understanding
Format: Online Textbook or PDF - Beginning Spanish – adopted mixContributing Author: Lucia Taylor
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2023
Coverage: An amalgamation of multiple beginner-friendly OER collected into one online textbook for Utah Tech University
Format: Pressbooks - First Year Spanish 1Contributing Author: Paul Echhardt
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2019
Coverage: Introductory vocabulary, articles of speech, and conjugation
Format: Pressbooks or printable PDF - Introducción al Español: Spanish WorkbookContributing Author: Betty Múnera Rojas
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2024
Coverage: An adaptation of a Spanish textbook by Rita Palacios to provide students with interactive exercises
Format: Pressbooks - Introduction to Spanish Verb TensesContributing Author: Sarah O’Connor
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2023
Coverage: 11 chapters introducing readers to Spanish verb tenses
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, PDF - Let’s Chat! SpanishContributing Authors: Amber Hoye, Kelly Arispe, Abby Cain, Alejandra Garcia, and more.
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: Beginner and intermediate speaking exercises
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, PDF - Libro Libre: Beginning SpanishContributing Authors: Erin Huebener and Jessica Steinberg
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2018
Coverage: An introduction to Spanish vocabulary and grammar
Format: Online PDF - Nuestra comunidad latinaContributing Authors: Nucola19 and Janice E. Rodríguez
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency:Originally published in 2020
Coverage: “Nuestra comunidad latina is an open educational, content-forward resource for first-semester students of Spanish that seeks to foster appreciation of the Spanish-speaking world and contributions of Latinos to American society while developing novice-mid proficiency in productive and receptive skills.”
Format: Pressbooks - Semillas: Elementary Spanish IContributing Authors: Gabriela Olivares, eden jones, Rachel Klevar, and Giovanni Zimotti
License: CC BY
Currency: Unknown, date of publishing not given
Coverage: An introductory open-access Spanish textbook that includes listening, reading, writing, and speaking practice
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, PDF - Spanish I: Beginning Spanish Language and CultureContributing Author: Matthew Dean
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2020
Coverage: A peer-reviewed textbook created with beginner U.S. college students in mind, containing themed chapters each with subsections that have their own learning objectives and assignments
Format: Online PDF
GER 101 - Elementary German I
A list of collected OER focused on beginner-level German learning and teaching fitting for GER 101 — Elementary German I.
- Deutsch im BlickContributing Authors: Zsuzsanna Abrams and Karen Kelton
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2017
Coverage: Includes reading, writing, and pronunciation activities along with beginner-friendly textbook content, structured for online instruction (and possibly self-teaching?)
Format: Online PDF - Discovering GermanContributing Author: Sabine Milz
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2024
Coverage: Introductory knowledge of language, culture, and context for learning German with interactive elements
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, PDF
Additional Notes: Compatible with assistive/adaptive technology - A Foundation Course in Reading GermanContributing Author: Howard Martin
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2017
Coverage: Foundational knowledge for learning to read German
Format: Online PDF - German 101Contributing Author: Rebecca Linem
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: Similar to that of other entry/elementary level German textbooks, but with pictures and videos
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - German 102Contributing Author: Rebecca Linam
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: A continuation of the content from German 101
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Let’s Chat! GermanContributing Authors: Alexandria Crandall, Amber Hoye, Annika Henderson, Brenna McNeil, and more
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: A collection of activities for learning German in both face-to-face and online instruction, includes levels 1 through 4
Format: Pressbooks - Willkommen: Deutsch für alleContributing Authors: Claudia Kost and Crystal Sawatzky
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2020
Coverage: Introductory German content with a pre-planned structure
Format: Pressbooks
FRE 101 - Elementary French I
A list of collected OER focused on beginner-level French learning and teaching fitting for FRE 101 — Elementary French I.
- Au Boulot! First-Year FrenchContributing Authors: David A. Dinneen, Hope Christiansen, Madeleine Kernen, and Herve Pensec
License: CC BY NC
Currency: Originally published in 1995
Coverage: “a two-year college French program consisting of: a textbook, workbook and 21 accompanying audio exercises”
Format: PDF - Français inclusif: An Interactive Textbook for French 101Contributing Authors: Amber Hoye, Dr. Mariah Devereux Herbeck, Brittney Gehrig, and more
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: An online textbook for a four-semester French curriculum that includes interactive and visual elements
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Français inclusif: An Interactive Textbook for French 102Contributing Authors: Dr. Mariah Devereux Herbeck, Amber Hoye, Brittney Gehrig, and more
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: A continuation of Français inclusif: An Interactive Textbook for French 101
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Français interactifContributing Authors: Karen Kelton, Nancy Guilloteau, and Carl Blyth
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2019
Coverage: Classroom activities and homework meant to accompany the web-based French program
Format: Online or PDF - Introduction to FrenchContributing Author: Rita Palacios
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2017
Coverage: An introduction to French speaking, writing, and reading skills
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF
Additional Notes: Includes audio files for pronunciation - Introduction to French Level IContributing Author: philippe1
License: CC BY
Currency: Unknown published/copyrighted date
Coverage: An introductory look at French vocabulary and grammar
Format: Pressbooks - Let’s Chat! FrenchContributing Authors: Alexandre Bourque-Labbé, Amber Hoye, Andrea Blythe, and more
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: Speaking activities for novice-intermediate learners
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Let’s Read French BooksContributing Authors: Somayeh Kamranian, Guy de Maupassant, Alphonse Daudet, and Jean Giono
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2020
Coverage: An introduction to French language and culture through literature, including engagement activities
Format: Pressbooks - LibertéContributing Authors: Gretchen V. Angelo and Emmanuelle Remy
License: CC BY SA
Currency: Originally published in 2022, last updated in 2023
Coverage: “a first-year college French textbook with a true communicative approach”
Format: Online PDF
EMB 100 - Media Literacy
A list of OER fitting for consideration as supplementary material for EMB 100 — Media Literacy.
- Be Credible: Information Literacy for Journalism, Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing StudentContributing Authors: Peter S. Bobkowski and Karna Younger
License: CC BY NC
Currency: First published in 2018, second edition was published in 2019
Coverage: “includes chapters on public records, freedom of information requests, nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, scholarly research, public data, interviews and more.”
Format: Downloadable PDF - Critical Media Literacy and Civic LearningContributing Author: Maloy, R.W., Trust, T., Butler, A., and Xu, C.
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2021
Coverage: An interactive introduction to the U.S. Government and Civic Life from a media literacy viewpoint
Format: Online textbook
Additional Notes: Includes interactive elements and audio formats for each chapter - Fundamentals of CommunicationContributing Authors: LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: An introduction to the study of communication
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Introduction to Communication and Media StudiesContributing Author: JJ. Sylvia IV
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2024
Coverage: “examines communication and media studies, covering key communication theories and illustrating how to develop information and media literacy through critical thinking and rhetorical analysis.”
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Mass Communication, Media, and Culture – An Introduction to Mass CommunicationContributing Author: Listed as "anonymous"
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2016
Coverage: An introductory look at mass communication across different forms of media and the ethics of such
Format: Libretexts online textbook, PDF - The Mass Media LandscapeContributing Authors: Dave Bostwick and Alyssa Riley
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2024
Coverage: “a compilation of lessons to help audiences understand the evolution of U.S. mass media and disruptive media technologies. It includes overviews of media law, media ethics and media literacy.”
Format: Pressbooks
Additional Notes: “Chapters contain interactive exercises, review quizzes, writing assignments, and multimedia content.” - Media, Society, Culture and YouContributing Author: Mark Poepsel
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2018
Coverage: “major mass communication terms and concepts including "digital culture." It discusses various media platforms and how they are evolving as Information and Communication Technologies change.”
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Technology, Media Literacy, and the Human Subject: A Posthuman ApproachContributing Author: Richard S. Lewis
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2021
Coverage: provides “a transdisciplinary method that allows for both practical and theoretical analyses of media investigations. Informed by postphenomenology, media ecology, philosophical posthumanism, and complexity theory the author proposes both a framework and a pragmatic instrument for understanding the multiplicity of relations that all contribute to how we affect—and are affected by—our relations with media technology.”
Format: Online PDF or HTML
ENG 200 - Understanding Literature
A list of OER material focused on the basics of understanding literature, including public domain titles mentioned in past syllabi.
- DraculaContributing Author: Bram Stoker
License: Public Domain
Currency: Originally published in 1897
Coverage: The entirety of Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - The Emergence of Irish Gothic Fiction – Histories, Origins, Theories?Contributing Author: Jarlath Killeen
License: CC BY NC
Currency: Originally published in 2014
Coverage: Analyzing Irish Gothic literature and the origins of certain themes and ideas
Format: PDF/Online PDF - Exploring Poetry FormsContributing Authors: Amy Sage Webb-Baza, Bethanie O'Dell, Hannah Lingard, and more.
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Updated in 2024
Coverage: Different types of poetic forms with examples
Format: Webpages - FrankensteinContributing Author: Mary Shelley
License: Public Domain
Currency: Originally published in 1818
Coverage: The entirety of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, PDF, and audio files - An Introduction to PoetryContributing Authors: Alan Lindsay, PhD and Candace Bergstrom, MFA
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2019
Coverage: An introduction to reading and understanding poetry
Format: Pressbooks, formatted as an online course - Literature, the Humanities, and HumanityContributing Author: Theodore L. Steinberg
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2014
Coverage: An introduction to reading literature with a different focus each chapter on specific works from notable authors
Format: Online textbook and PDF - Naming the Unnameable: An Approach to Poetry for New GenerationsContributing Author: Michelle Bonczek Evory
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2018
Coverage: An introduction to reading and understanding poetry through a more modern lens
Format: Pressbooks and PDF - Oedipus RexContributing Author: Sophocles
License: Public Domain
Currency: Written in 429 BC
Coverage: The entirety of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, PDF, and audio files - The Picture of Dorian GrayContributing Author: Oscar Wilde
License: Public Domain
Currency: Originally published in 1891
Coverage: The entirety of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, PDF, and audio files - Surface and Subtext: Literature, Research, WritingContributing Authors: Claire Carly-Miles, Dorothy Todd, Frances Thielman, and more.
License: CC BY NC
Currency: Originally published in 2024
Coverage: An introduction to different forms of literature, their key components, and analyzing them
Format: Pressbooks - Wilde’s EARNEST: A Century and More of Critical CommentaryContributing Author: Joseph Donohue
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2020
Coverage: A collection of critiques and analysis of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest across it’s more than a century of publication and performance
Format: Pressbooks - Writing and Literature: Composition as Inquiry, Learning, Thinking, and CommunicationContributing Author: Tanya Long Bennett
License: CC BY SA
Currency: Originally published in 2018
Coverage: An introduction to analyzing literature and poetry from the perspective of a writer
Format: Online PDF, accessable PDF, accessable Word document
PHI 181 - Philosophers, Creativity and Culture
A list of OER material focused on the basics of understanding philosophy, including public domain titles referenced in past syllabi.
- A Brief Introduction to PhilosophyContributing Author: Yoni Porat
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2021
Coverage: A basic, introductory overview of philosophy
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - An Introduction to PhilosophyContributing Author: W. Russ Payne, PhD
License: CC BY NC
Currency: Originally published in 2023
Coverage: Similar to that of a traditional introductory textbook, foundational knowledge of philosophy
Format: Online PDF - Introduction to PhilosophyContributing Author: Sondra Peron
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2025
Coverage: Basic, foundational understanding of philosophy
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Introduction to PhilosophyContributing Authors: Nathan Smith, Gregory Browne. Parish Conkling, and more.
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: Similar to that of a traditional textbook, an introductory look at philosophy on a global and multi-cultural scale
Format: OpenStax Online Textbook and PDF - Introduction to PhilosophyContributing Authors: Matthew Van Cleave, Paul Jurczak, Christopher Schneck, and Douglas Sjoquist
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2019
Coverage: An introductory look at philosophy, organized by topic
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Introduction to Philosophy: EthicsContributing Authors: Frank Aragbonfoh Abumere, Douglas Giles, Ya-Yun (Sherry) Kao, and more.
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2019
Coverage: Part of a collection of textbooks that each cover a subsection of philosophy, this one centers on ethics
Format: Pressbooks - Introduction to Philosophy: LogicContributing Authors: Bahram Assadian, Matthew Knachel, Cassiano Terra Rodrigues, and more.
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2020
Coverage: Part of a collection of textbooks that each cover a subsection of philosophy, this one centers on logic
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Introduction to Philosophy ReaderContributing Author: Noah Levin, PhD
License: CC BY SA
Currency: Originally published in 2017 and last updated in 2020
Coverage: An introductory look at well-known readings in Philosophy organized by topic
Format: PDF - Learning From Arguments: An Introduction to PhilosophyContributing Author: Daniel Z. Korman
License: CC BY NC
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: An introductory look at philosophical arguments organized by topic
Format: Online PDF - The Originals: Classic Readings in Western PhilosophyContributing Author: Jeff McLaughlin
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2017
Coverage: A collection of popular works in western philosophy, organized by topic
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Sapientia: Open Readings in PhilosophyContributing Author: Henry Imler
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2019
Coverage: A collection of philosophical readings
Format: Pressbooks - Words of Wisdom: Into to PhilosophyContributing Author: Jody Ondich
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2018
Coverage: An introductory look at key figures and texts in philosophy
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF
POP 205 - Introduction to Popular Culture
A list of OER fitting for consideration as supplementary material for POP 205 — Introduction to Popular Culture.
- American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural IdentityContributing Authors: Angela L. Miller, Janet C. Berlo, Bryan J. Wolf, and more.
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2008
Coverage: Covers a wide range of American art history, including as modern as the 80s – 2000s
Format: Online PDF - The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An IntroductionContributing Authors: Kyle Morgan and Meg Rodriguez
License: CC BY NC
Currency: Originally published in 2020
Coverage: Overview of the history of the LGBTQ Rights Movement(s) in America
Format: PDF
Additional notes: Each chapter can be downloaded individually, and the entire PDF can be accessed at the bottom of the page without downloading - Culture and MediaContributing Author: Jack Lule
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2012
Coverage: Intersection of media and culture with some U.S. focus
Format: Webpages - Dress, Appearance, and Diversity in U.S. SocietyContributing Author: Kelly L. Reddy-Best
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2020
Coverage: Sections specific to identities and certain communities, U.S. focused with interactive content
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF
Additional notes: The textbook seems to have been curated for a specific class at Iowa State University and as such might have specific references to ISU - Gendered LivesContributing Authors: Katie Nelson and Nadine T. Fernandez
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2022
Coverage: Gender and sexuality in different global regions
Format: Pressbooks - Humans R Social Media – 2024 “Living Book” EditionContributing Authors: Diana Daly, Jacquie Kuru, Nathan Schneider, Alexandra Fripp, In collaboration with iVoices Media Lab
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2024
Coverage: Identity, specifically in relation to social media usage
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Popular Culture and World Politics: Theories, methods, PedagogiesContributing Authors: Jutta Weldes, Christina Rowley, Constance Duncombe, and more
License: CC BY NC SA
Currency: Originally published in 2015
Coverage: Popular culture in relation to world politics
Format: Webpage and PDF
Additional notes: Each chapter can stand on its own and can be accessed/ downloaded individually - A Quick and Dirty Guide to Art, Music, and CultureContributing Author: Clayton Funk
License: CC BY
Currency: Originally published in 2016
Coverage: Art, music, and culture from the 1950s – 2010s
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - Resonances: Engaging in Music in Its Cultural ContextContributing Authors: Rebecca R. Johnston, Louis Hajosy, David R. Peoples, and more
License: CC BY SA
Currency: Originally published in 2020
Coverage: Cultural context of classical and contemporary music
Format: PDF - Speaking of CultureContributing Author: Nolan Weil
License: CC BY NC
Currency: Originally published in 2018
Coverage: Culture and Identity globally from an anthropological perspective
Format: Pressbooks, EPUB, and PDF - U.S. History – Chapter 32Contributing Authors: P. Scott Corbett, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, and more.
License: CC BY
Currency: Last updated January 27, 2025
Coverage: History focused, but the chapter linked centers on 21st-century historic events in the U.S. and may be useful
Format: Openstax online textbook
