As with the regular issues of "Biography Today," this special subject volume on "Authors" was created to appeal to young readers in a format they can enjoy reading and readily understand. Each volume contains alphabetically-arranged sketches. Each entry in the volume provides at least one picture of the individual profiled, and…

A study examined kinds of messages prevalent in the media used by preteen and teenage girls, asking what messages are sent about goals, dating, careers, behavior, and appearance and its relationship to well being. Four media were the subject of the study, which comprised 12 samples from television programs, theatrical films, music videos, and teen…

This document presents a summary of a national telephone survey that examined messages sent to adolescent girls (ages 10 to 17) across 6 types of media most heavily used by adolescent girls: television, movies, magazines, music videos, television commercials, and magazine advertisements. The study asked what messages are sent about gender…

This pamphlet summarizes the key findings of a two-part study that investigated the messages that young women (age 10 to 17) get from the media. A content analysis examined messages to girls across a range of media most heavily used by adolescent girls: television, movies, magazines, music videos, television commercials, and magazine…

An account of an American teacher's experience in gathering material for her projected teaching experience in France. The material described consists of songs with commentaries on why they were representative of U.S. culture and essays on different aspects of their life prepared by the teacher's French students in Connecticut. (AMH)

Discusses two paperback books, "The Malacia Tapestry" and "The Shattered Chain," that are written with a junk-fiction formula yet have serious themes. Contends that teachers may find the books useful in motivating thoughtful nonreaders. (FL)

Notes that news media use has declined in recent years, particularly among young people. Offers a critical review of research on the changing role of journalism in political socialization. Evaluates calls for popular alternatives to conventional forms of news and for a postmodern conception of citizenship and the public sphere. Concludes that more…

Questions what students should know about music and claims that they need an increased awareness of the value of U.S. music, both as music and as representative of U.S. culture. Suggests that teachers can use ready made lists as starting points, but encourages them to compile their own. (KM)

Examines how postwar women's magazines introduced television to the American housewife. Reveals the way television was imbricated in the gendered division of labor and leisure at home by exploring how the magazines deliberated on the problems television posed for women's domestic chores and the efficient functioning of the household. (KEH)

Provides an up-to-date bibliography of resources available for teaching media literacy. Groups resources into the areas of media education methodology, mass media texts, general background, television, film, the news and medium of print, advertising, gender and the media, popular culture, popular music and rock video, periodicals, and…

Traces the barrel in history through language, literature, poetry, music, art, and architecture. Includes examples and anecdotes of barrels in movies, television, and recreation. Illustrates the impact of the barrel on U.S. culture. Emphasizes that the importance of such an example of technology cannot be adequately measured. (DK)

Provides ideas and resources for using popular music to teach geography. Discusses social values, conservation and land issues, and developmental issues in Latin America. Concludes that popular music reflects the character of a place as well as the perspective and values of the musician. (DK)

It is proposed that the college core curriculum should provide students with the background to understand magazines and books read by culturally literate, college graduates. As an example, Allan Bloom's "The Closing of the American Mind" is examined for important themes, language, and historical and cultural figures. (MSE)

Examines rap music's origins as street music and poetry in the early 1970s and as an expression of Black youth experience. Discusses rap groups, women and Whites in rap, Christian rap, copyright disputes, and distribution difficulties. Rap is an informal educational medium that affects adolescents' values and attitudes. (JB)

Explores the exercise of institutional and ideological power over rap music and fans, how artists and fans respond to that context, and the complex relationships between rap's political economy and the sociologically based crime discourse that frames it. Rap's poetic voice is a political expression of the Black experience. (JB)