Considers how in the contemporary world, queer theory mediates in culture between normative ideologies and material practices, between intellectual inquiry and social activism, between text and context, between teaching and learning. Presents an introduction for this special issue, noting that the essays collected represent pedagogical…

Discusses and compares two recent books on American higher education: "The Closing of the American Mind" by Allan Bloom, and "Lives on the Boundary" by Mike Rose. Develops a view which synthesizes those of Bloom and Rose. Considers this view as comparable to that of Paul Goodman. (HB)

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)

Examines the meaning of the word "history" as used in the common phrase "literary history" by critics and scholars. Asserts the differences between historical scholarship and literary history. Argues that the grounding activity of literary history is insulated from the relativism insisted upon by poststructuralist theorizing.…

Discusses the shift from public funding of the university to corporate sponsorship and dependence on other private sources. Acknowledges how students are forced into corporate jobs to repay school debt. Suggests using English to promote a setting which encourages students to value people over profits, enjoy access to quality education, and value…

Begins with a quick history of the English profession's response to the prospect/specter of the computer as reader of student writing. Describes two programs that are now being heavily marketed and publicized nationally. Sketches out some of the implications of these programs for members of the profession of English in America. (SG)

Hopes to promote recognition of the importance of the intersections between discourse, place, and environment through theoretical examinations and pedagogical approaches. Offers some preliminary working definitions for ecocomposition and examines the evolution of ecocomposition; distinguishes between ecocomposition and ecocriticism; and offers…

Addresses the climate of disappointment that characterizes English studies generally and composition studies--particularly writing program administration (WPA). Considers that the context of disappointment is shaped by a number of overlapping factors including: the widely perceived job market collapse in the humanities; the national abuse of…

Common grading practices are parodied. (JH)

Presents the conflict between the liberal view of the teaching of English, in which teachers are responsible for the growth of each student, and the conservative view, which is meritocratic or elitist. (DD)

Discusses the conflict between the intentional fallacy in reading (it is inappropriate to deduce literary intention from effects) and the intentional imperative in writing (intention is necessary to our understanding while writing). (DD)

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

A fictional account which points out that writing involves both exploration and communication and that students should be taught to explore both themselves and their political environment. (DD)

Describes a course on the Nazi holocaust and Vietnam which encouraged students to feel a responsibility and right to assert themselves as critical citizens. (DD)

Analyzes the evils of political and commercial doublespeak and contends that they can be alleviated by the truth of good literature. (DD)