Describes an introductory economics course in which all of the reading material is drawn from the Great Books of Western Civilization. Explains the rationale and mechanics of the course. Includes an annotated course syllabus that details how the reading material relates to the lecture material. (RLH)

Popular literature consists of novels, stories, and essays--and by extension, plays, movies, and teledramas--that attract a significant audience. Having students study popular fiction in English classes can help to "hook" the non-reader because popular fiction is more accessible and simpler in structure and language than the literary classics.…

A discussion of the liberal arts'"great books," specifically in political philosophy, reflects on the value of the core curriculum, the value of expanding the traditional canon, the use of reading to learn, results of true learning, and the danger of shunning works traditionally seen as important. (MSE)

American schools have debated the merits of a national canon since the inception of English as a subject a century ago. In earlier years, the mission of the language arts was much more elitist and hierarchical. English was a subject that taught the great works, so that aspiring students could be familiar with the standard pantheon of authors and…

Intended as an accessible resource for students researching America's greatest literary figures, this collection of essays about John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" contains a biography of the author and essays taken from a wide variety of sources. The essays are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension level of young adults;…

This annotated bibliography contains five sections and 62 items. The first section lists general resources including six Web site addresses; the second section, on Shakespeare's works, contains five Web site addresses; the third section, on Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre, provides five Web site addresses; the fourth section presents classroom…

When the author left California for the University of Minnesota twenty-five years ago, he vowed never again to become involved in departmental or university politics. He'd had enough of that at California State, Los Angeles, and he was determined to devote his full attention, apart from teaching, to several scholarly projects that had simmered so…

As most any high school or college English teacher can verify, it is the rare group of students that approaches the study of Shakespeare with anything other than a mixture of anxiety over the difficulty of making sense of the plays' language and annoyance that, once again, they will be forced to engage in an activity they find both unjustifiably…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a two-year project at Lynchburg College (Virginia) to develop an interdisciplinary program of classical readings in six required courses. Although originating in the college's senior symposium, the current program's emphasis is on remedying the dichotomy between basic skills and…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year project of faculty and curricular development using a variety of classic texts and involving 10 liberal arts colleges and one state university. Three-week summer seminars were held for faculty who studied self-selected classics introduced by master teachers, and discussed…

Intended as an accessible resource for students researching America's greatest literary figures, this collection of essays about John Steinbeck's (1902-1968) work contains an in-depth biography and essays taken from a wide variety of sources. The essays are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension levels of young adults; each essay is…

Intended as an accessible resource for students researching America's greatest literary figures, this collection of essays about Ernest Hemingway's (1899-1961) work contains an in-depth biography and essays taken from a wide variety of sources. The essays are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension levels of young adults; each essay is…

A national survey revealed that college English professors still rely heavily on traditional literary texts but are adding new books, asking new questions, and using new teaching approaches. A majority of respondents said a goal was to help students understand the influence of race, class, and gender in literature. (MSE)

Describes training strategies developed to introduce Web-based instructional projects to an assistant professor of drama and a senior professor of classics, both of whom had limited computer skills but were interested in including multimedia technology and the Web in their courses. Suggestions for incorporating these ideas into current training…

The debate over teaching the "canon," a collection of great books authored by Homer, Plato, Shakespeare, Kant, Darwin, and others that has traditionally represented the Western intellectual tradition, as a core of the college curriculum, is examined. Discussion begins with a description of how the canon has been taught from ancient…