This discussion suggests that most English departments have dealt with the conflict between traditional instruction and the"back-to-the-basics" movement in the language arts by focusing on the individual needs of the student, on the subject in some of its most elementary aspects, and on teaching. The English curriculum, as well as teachers in the…

This paper argues that teachers of remedial students must make their students create their own order and meanings which may be at variance with the established order around them, but are valid nevertheless. Current research stresses the need to develop a positive self-concept, particularly in remedial students and in those whose cultural values…

A description of the 100 level English program at Ohio University, an explanation of how the program got started, and a brief evaluation of how the students and faculty responded to the program are included in this paper. Acknowledging that the students come into the program with 12 years or more of study of English composition and literature, the…

After considering evidence of the importance of television in the lives of children, the background and directions of the visual literacy movement are explored. The effects of television on the child are then considered within a framework based on the work of Piaget, whose studies suggest there must be significant differences in the way television…

Summarizes issues raised in speeches and group discussions at the Minnesota Conference on the Future of Doctoral Study in English and makes personal observations about the conference in general. (MM)

Argues that after a decade of intense concentration on the theory and practice of writing, it is now important for literature to reenter the composition classroom and to become part of a course that teaches "language skills" as a continuum. (FL)

Advocates restoring humanities to a central role in the curriculum, in that educators must have the courage of their convictions and the responsibility to enact what they believe to be a good educational policy and to urge education organizations to work on their behalf. (CRH)

The net effect of the early experiences of writing "compositions" which involved either describing the circumstances of a student's life or recounting the kinds of events encapsulated in that proverbially hack title, "What I Did on My Summer Vacation," has been a tendency for older teachers to devalue nonfiction as an object of…

This paper looks at recent debates about text selection and censorship in Australia. Its aim is to point beyond the terms in which the censorship debate has been conducted in the mass media, and to prompt reflection on how texts are used in English classrooms. The paper raises questions of language and cultural identity in secondary English…

The work of English specialists is taking place in a changing context, exemplified in a fusion of elements from new technology, personal growth, and critical theory. Rather than replacing the old with the new, English specialists are incorporating the best of the past with the most interesting and productive pedagogical implications of the…

The English major at Missouri Western State College has five separate emphases. The English education and English literature emphases are traditional majors with required courses in literature, language and composition. The other emphases are technical communications, public relations, and writing. Since the state recently started requiring public…

At present, the composition program at San Diego State is located in two departments. The Academic Skills Center offers pre-baccalaureate courses for basic writers and developmental ESL writers. The Department of English and Comparative Literature offers most of the required general education two-semester sequence, advanced composition courses,…

A literature course developed at the College of Staten Island concerns the human experience with other animals and the environment. Recently, the course has been significantly altered in line with insights gained through participation in a faculty seminar on the topic of inclusion of the "other." The alterations in the course design…

A 1987 survey of college English departments revealed that only 74 (38%) of the 194 colleges surveyed offered students the opportunity to specialize in some aspect of writing in addition to literature. A 1992 survey showed that 69% of departments had begun to offer this specialization. Respondents outlined possibilities for organizing and…

When conducting a two-year college program review, there are several advantages to supplementing the standard quantitative research approach with qualitative measures. Qualitative research does not depend on a large number of random samples, it uses a flexible design which can be refined as the research is executed, and it generates findings in a…