Traditional literary canons, represented by E. D. Hirsch's list in "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs To Know" of works which every literate American "needs to know," deemphasize the cultural significance of women and minorities. An alternative and expanded model of cultural literacy, GODDESS (Gender or Diversity…

Basic skills versus free reading for comprehension, classics versus contemporary novels, and ethnic literature versus a common core of literary culture are among the hotly debated arguments in teaching today. Even among educators and specialists in the field, there is no agreement. However, the National Council of Teachers of English Commission on…

Although literature and reading are considered liberal arts, it would seem that teachers of English and reading have been anything but "liberal" in their treatment of books and reading. By and large, teachers at all levels have failed to capitalize on the enormous potential of reading to make a significant difference in the lives of students. By…

By using a thematic approach and by drawing on other disciplines for breadth, English teachers can "honorably seduce" career-oriented students into a love affair with literature and draw them back into the English curriculum. For example, a teacher's conversation with a student focusing on fathers and sons led the teacher to suggest that the…

All English teachers share an occasional uneasiness about whether English really matters. Three major sources for this uneasiness are: (1) English teachers are uncertain about their basic purpose. Historically, the emphasis in the English profession has shifted from sharing the best that has been thought and said, to literary history, to rigorous…

This paper draws from the writings of Edwin O. Reischauer to support its arguments that high school and college curricula should be extended to include Asian culture, particularly the humanities of China, Japan, India, and medieval Islam. The following literature selections are proposed and highlighted: (1) India and Southeast Asia: the "Ramayana"…

The eight articles in this bulletin suggest methods of introducing classical literature into the English curriculum. Article titles are: "Ideas for Teaching Classical Mythology"; "What Novels Should High School Students Read?"; "Enlivening the Classics for Live Students"; "Poetry in Performance: The Value of Song and Oral Interpretation in…

Literature can play a prominent part in revitalizing the teaching of English because it can provide students with both immediate and future rewards. As an immediate reward, literature allows students to imaginatively experience situations which they have not yet encountered. It thus acts acts as a liberating force for young people from the…

Six articles report on problems confronting English teaching and scholarship. Selections are by (1) William M. Gibson and Edwin H. Cady, who survey the present state of textually accurate editions of American authors; (2) John C. Gerber, who writes on the success of 20 Commission on English Institutes conducted during the summer of 1962 as…

Lists basic skills which high school teachers should acquire in literature, language, composition, non-print media, and the general English curriculum. (DD)

Reviews various methods of teaching literature and proposes that response to literature be an element in the teaching of literature. Considers the role of the teacher in a response-centered classroom and how to create a classroom environment that will encourage interpretation and response to literature. (SRT)

Traces the development of a literature program for use in high school journalism classes in California. Contains a synopsis of the program units. (DF)

Lists four benefits to a journalism class of a good reading program, including proving academic worthiness for a class in jeopardy and aligning journalism classes with the nationwide requirement of reading across the curriculum. (DF)

Cites three strategies for teaching literature in journalism classes, including using literature packets as a class project and having students receive grades for the work they do on the literature packets. (DF)

Calls for a rethinking of the literary canon and a reflection on the order of culture's discourses and the relations among them. (CRH)