2009 is the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Naturally, historians are thrilled. But what about their discipline? Why and how might Lincoln matter to English studies? In this article, the authors reflect on Lincoln and his influence on English studies. They argue that Lincoln has played or can play an important role in the college English…

A summary of the emphases of annual Counciletter" columns since 1965; appears also in Elementary English," vol. 48, no. 3 (March 1971), pp. 288-89, and in English Journal," vol. 60, no. 3 (March 1971), pp. 390-91. (RD)

Discusses developments in program evaluation, suggests ways these may be used to develop the English curriculum, and suggests ways to improve evaluation. (DD)

Questions the persistence of the concept of organizing scholarship and instruction along national or chronological lines. Proposes a radically new system by which English studies might be organized. Suggests developing "contact zones" which bring diverse texts into dialog with one another. (HB)

Satirizes college English instruction, specifically "catchy" composition programs and the relevant grant awards and job placement of graduate students. (JM)

Defines "literature" as including such expository works as "The Theory of the Leisure Class" and "The Lonely Crowd" and encourages development of college courses in expository modes of writing. (DD)

Examines four factors contributing to the polarization in the current debates concerning the literary canon. Investigates how two groups of teachers approach the study of literature not as an impasse but as a dialectical interchange. Argues that the four factors informing canon debates need not be resolved. (HB)

English departments of the future must encompass composition, language, literature, reading, mass media, teacher preparation, adult education, logic, and educational research. (DD)

The author describes the classroom as being both frontier and wilderness and urges teachers to recognize that, as such, successes and failures will occur despite our curricular approach. (MM)

Discusses the thinking of the Greek Sophist philosophers, particularly Gorgias and Protagoras, and their importance and relevance for contemporary English instructors. Considers the problem of language as signs of reality in the context of Sophist philosophy. (HB)

Discusses the career and achievement of the British writer Matthew Arnold. Focuses on Arnold's status as a symbol of conservatism in the current culture wars. Argues for a recuperation of a true representation of Arnold's achievement. Illustrates the dangers of misrepresenting major literary figures invoked in cultural disputes. (HB)

Discusses the ongoing debate about the role of literature in the freshman composition course. Claims that teachers of these courses individually determine the nature of each course. Shows that, for many decades, literature has not retained a secure place in freshman composition courses. (HB)

Discusses the debate about the use of literary works in freshman composition courses. Calls for more extensive research into the period of the 1950s and 1960s, with particular attention to the changes in composition instruction and the loss of literature from that curriculum. (HB)