Argues that composition cannot be taught apart from reading, that reading means only the reading of great writing, and that the teaching of reading and writing is best handled by people who have studied literature and created some themselves. Offers suggestions for the improvement of the undergraduate English curriculum. (FL)

Urges the Association of Departments of English (ADE) to issue position statements on promotion and tenure, on teaching composition, and on becoming more active politically. (AEA)

Describes "academentia," the delusion that disciplines are intellectually powerful as a result of their specialization. Prescribes "neighborliness"--intellectual and practical work done from the perspective of critical consciousness--as the antidote to academentia. Suggests that writing projects have great potential as…

Describes the distinction between the National Endowment for the Arts, which funds artists, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds those who talk about art. Examines the similar distinction in alliances between writers and scholars in English departments, focusing on their effects on writing programs. (MM)

Considers the role of the visiting writer in encouraging and supplying useful writing advice to student writers. Proposes some principles for the art of writing that writers offer composition students, especially related to the art of writing over its craft. (HB)

Considers how in the 1990s most English departments have altered curricula to accommodate the explosion of the canon, the emphasis on cultural studies, the arrival of new technology in writing and literature classrooms, and the varied learning styles of students. Discusses how many of these changes have been patches rather than substantial…

Considers that ever since distance learning technology has enabled colleges and universities to offer courses to students who might otherwise not be able to earn college credit, resistance has emerged on pedagogical or fiscal grounds. Notes that most students in distance learning composition classes indicate that they would participate in such a…

Contemplates how Northrop Frye, a serious man, displayed great confidence that there is a group of those who have seriously studied literature who know that this study is coherent and progressive and who have a sense of the unity of the subject. Suspects that many do not know or no longer know this sense unity of the subject and have to posit it…

Adequate grading of student compositions in large classes makes inordinate demands on the English teacher's time. To convince administrators to reduce teaching loads, teachers need familiarity with research supporting the instructional advantages of smaller classes and closer attention, and with opposing research. (An extensive annotated research…

Investigates writing instruction trends by surveying university English departments and examining the types of writing courses offered and the enrollments in these courses over a 10-year period. Finds that most writing instruction remains in "service" courses, particularly freshman composition, but that the kinds of writing taught are more diverse…

Describes the author's educational experiences as a student of Robert Scholes. Elaborates on one of the earliest projects of computers and the humanities. Notes how he and his work has affected her experiences in teaching writing and literature pedagogy. (SG)

Examines the underlying meaning of the phrase, "writing across the curriculum," its various administrative forms, and its implications for the faculties of colleges, particularly for English department faculties. (AEA)

Discusses the central issues regarding the formulation of a technology policy within college English departments. Examines the way that such a policy affects the teaching and research carried out in computer-supported environments. Provides extensive data concerning the support of computer-using faculty members. (HB)

Describes how an English professor trained to become a technical writer for industry and the benefits of such training to all technical writing teachers. (AEA)

Presents a report of the Association of Departments of English's (ADE) investigation of issues and procedures concerning assessment in English departments. Offers advice to educators, based on information from department chairs and colleagues. (TB)