In this article Sutherland surveys over the period of the last 40 years (the length of an average full academic career) the changes which have occurred to the departmental structures and procedures in the teaching of and research into English Literature in British universities. He perceives a marginalization of the English department in the…

The arts disciplines (visual arts, music, theatre, and dance) merit and require formal study. Policy makers should support studies in the arts as core disciplines, as specified in the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)," the federal legislation that sets policy and appropriations for public education. The arts merit and…

Over the last two decades in many countries, culturally responsive, multicultural and bilingual approaches to teaching have largely been replaced by standardised curricula and pedagogy, rooted in a political shift toward neoliberalism that has pushed business models of school reform. I argue that neoliberal reforms, by negating the central…

Considers the position of the subject area supervisor. Reports on a survey of the characteristics of these positions as they are found in the school districts of Pennsylvania. Assesses the potential for the continuation of the positions in the districts surveyed. (HB)

Considers the national curricular practices in college English departments, specifically with regard to "service" courses. Provides excerpts of data from the Modern Language Association's national survey of 92 English departments. (HB)

Focuses on secondary school departments in England, arguing that current approaches to school improvement do not adequately reflect or incorporate the department level. Highlights the processes that contribute to improved departmental performance, and subsequently, to school and classroom improvement, drawing upon empirical evidence from two…

A conceptual model for agricultural education departments posits that teaching/learning is the central mission, it encompasses more than teacher preparation (e.g., extension, agricultural communications), the various parts of the department should contribute to the mission and be interrelated, and settings in which the mission is applied are of…

Discusses how professional conversation should focus on the intersection of teaching and text. Notes that exemplary practices can be found in two-year college English programs, and university research programs should find ways to study and critique that practice. Suggests that graduate programs in English should explicitly acknowledge that a…

The success of home economics research depends upon a team effort by the unit administrator, the subject matter leader, and the faculty doing the research. All must be convinced of the importance of the research to the profession, the unit, and the individual. (JOW)

Discusses how the author learned to make a research assistant (RA) a part of the administrative package. Shares her ambition to make available good teaching editions of out-of-print novels by Victorian women writers. Suggests coediting new editions of a literary text with RAs and/or post-doctorate students. (SG)

Discusses the findings of an extensive research study of the authors and writing most frequently assigned in college-level English survey courses. Finds that similar historical periods and authors are considered in the survey courses offered by college and university English departments. Finds that traditional authors continue to be taught in…

Considers the Modern Language Association's 1990 survey of doctorate-granting departments in English and other languages regarding doctoral study. Analyzes the survey results in depth, including institutional characteristics, numbers of applicants, number enrolled, degrees granted, and program trends. (HB)

The accomplishments of Janet Emig constitute perhaps the most influential contribution to the study of how humans compose discourse and how teachers should help them. Her background prepared her for her initial goal of becoming a medical doctor, but she determined to study literature because of its enduring interest to her. As a graduate student…

Based on the experience of reorganization of adult education departments in Dutch universities, the notion of adult education as a distinct discipline is rejected in favor of a pluralistic use of social sciences theories. It is argued that discipline-based, fundamental research can contribute more to the development of a knowledge base than…

The Fake Book is a square spiral bound Xeroxed book, about 7" by 7", maybe 250 pages long. It's all music--the notes, usually in C or B minor, of hundreds of standard tunes, jazz, pop, and every once in a while, classical. The Fake Book and all of its variants provide an evolving canon of tunes that defines a set of common standards for…