Cites the recent United States State Department's labeling of recent Canadian films--one on nuclear war and two on acid rain--as political propaganda as a sign of the need to review the nature of propaganda. Suggests that teaching students to intelligently evaluate propaganda is preferable to submitting to government dictum. (MM)

Proposes that the study of the short story should have a prominent place in any high school English curriculum. Provides suggestions for such a course. (RL)

Describes a unit involving the novel, screenplay, and film of "Sounder" in which students experienced literature as something to be lived through rather than directed by the teachers. Notes that teachers and students abandoned their typical classroom roles in favor of becoming co-explorers and co-creators of texts. (RS)

Describes a high school mini-course called "Gender Bender" (a survey course of the contemporary literature on gender differences) that studied gender issues that were troubling high school students. Describes how the course discussed gender and schooling; gender roles in society; images in the media; dating, marriage, and divorce; and…

Assesses extent and nature of cutss made in the version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" used in a 1980 Harcourt, Brace and World anthology. Suggests that rather than serving to shorten or clarify the play as claimed by the editor, cuts were actually made to clean up the text and eliminate any passages with a sexual connotation. (RBW)

Describes a three-week unit, "Television Communication and Critical Thinking," designed to make junior high students more forceful writers and discriminating viewers. Argues that by analyzing television advertising, news, and programming, students learn to think more critically about communication techniques and to use those techniques…

Describes a high-school gender-studies course that used the structure of mythology and folk tradition as a basis for examining contemporary works of literature. Notes that the course provided students the opportunity to reflect on gender roles, on the lives of men and women in other cultures, and on students' own relationships within gender…

Describes an activity called "Critical Analysis of Literature." Students read, think, debate, and write about controversial books, examining whether each novel should be included in the school curriculum. This teaches students to critically analyze information, develop an appreciation for literature, and develop a respect for thinking on their…

Discusses the political relevance of Miller's play about Salem witch trials to (1) the McCarthy era hearings, and (2) current cases between religious fundamentalists and school curriculum boards. Summarizes the history of these events and relates them to an interpretation of "The Crucible." (JG)

Advocates confronting controversial subjects in classrooms. Describes bringing hatred into the curriculum of a film study class. Articulates purposes and obstacles. Addresses how to handle tough topics and ways to introduce civil rights issues. Describes the final student project. States that students make a transition from consciousness to…

Describes an in-house writing workshop for plant supervisors that built on participants' strengths in organization, ability to establish an effective tone, and familiarity with company products and procedures. (MM)

Offers a rationale that can be used to defend the assignment of Alice Walker's controversial novel for class reading. Indicates four issues that might evoke calls for censorship: (1) subject matter, (2) vocabulary, (3) grammar, and (4) the epistolary form of the work. (RBW)

Describes a technique for defusing protests against books assigned as classroom reading. Demonstrates how to justify a modern book by comparing it to books of the past. (RBW)

Discusses a method for involving students in topics so that research evolves from a desire to know. Describes using response group discussion about real life problems to find topics, freewriting loops, and class presentation before and during research. Reports positive atmosphere and interest. (JG)

Describes a project that involved an eighth-grade advanced English class in learning about banned books and censorship with the hope that students would learn enough about a highly controversial subject to be able to form intelligent options. (EL)