Three papers given at a seminar on the state of the "discipline" of English are presented which form an introduction to an analysis of the activity of "teaching and researching English" as it is currently being done at Queensland University (Australia) and others. Following an introduction summarizing the background of the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 24 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) humorous children's literature and divergent thinking; (2) the development of children's ability to apprehend and distribute attention to important elements in…

A course entitled "In Another Country: Perspectives on Human Values" is being initiated in Manor Junior College (Pennsylvania) in an attempt to revitalize liberal arts offerings while making them relevant to career oriented students. Satisfying composition and philosophy requirements, this experimental six credit course will be offered to allied…

Intended for college instructors, this paper describes a course that explores the ways in which technology shapes American life by focusing on the ethical questions that technology raises. The introductory section of the paper includes a description of the course and its objectives. The next two sections contain the assignment sequence and study…

Focusing on a wide range of interdisciplinary themes and ideas for humanities instruction, the 17 articles in this journal issue discuss the following topics: (1) literature, humanities, and the adult learner; (2) the role of the humanities in educating for a democracy; (3) humanities in the marketplace; (4) literature versus "great books" in high…

To engage students' interest and help them appreciate black drama, teachers may have their classes discuss and dramatize three plays that deal with adolescence and the stifling mother: James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner," Louis Peterson's "Take a Giant Step," and J.E. Franklin's "Black Girl." This paper shows how the…

Examines the styles and themes of Chicano literature and cites specific examples of fiction and poetry that may prove challenging for students of Oral Interpretation. (MH)

This commentary explores some of the most pointed criticisms of the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB), and of high-stakes standardized testing more generally. The author focuses specifically on the impact of NCLB on urban schools -- schools which are the constant focus of reform in a culture that presumably wishes to educate its citizens in…

This article argues that the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) creates what Sergiovanni et al. (2004) term "turbulent policy demands" which foster ethical dilemmas for principals. It focuses on the impact of the implementation of NCLB on students with disabilities, as it appears that there is discontinuity between the…

The English curriculum for grades 10-12 at Kansas High School, a small rural school in Eastern Illinois, consists of mini-courses with an enrollment of 7-20 students. Students must pass the ninth grade English course before they are permitted to register for mini-courses; they are required to take English as sophomores and juniors. During this…

A survey of secondary school English teachers employed by three school districts in Utah was conducted by the teacher education committee of the English department of Weber State College (Ogden) to determine the areas of English instruction for which their teacher education courses had not adequately prepared them. On a scale from one to five, the…

A year-long holistic study of literary responses was conducted to determine the effects of using a transactive literary paradigm in secondary school English classrooms. (The transactive--for transactional--paradigm emphasizes the reader's involvement with a text and the reader's use of personal experiences to extract meaning from texts.)…

Present day right wing attacks on schools and the back to basics movement are in many ways similar to the criticisms made during the McCarthy era of 1949-54, neither movement offering any novel solutions to educational or social problems. Allen A. Zoll and the National Council on American Education provided much rhetoric on constitutional rights…

Following a discussion of the similarities and differences among the various communications media, the two main sections of this monograph describe ways to teach the skills of viewing and to study the moving image. The assumption is that television and film have unique characteristics that differentiate them from speech and books, requiring…

THIS CULMINATING UNIT OF THE 12TH-GRADE OREGON LITERATURE CURRICULUM IS BASED UPON ONE WORK, "HAMLET." THE TEACHER VERSION INCLUDES DISCUSSIONS OF (1) THE RELEVANCE OF HAMLET'S CHARACTER TO MODERN TIMES, (2) THE PROBLEMS IN THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF THE GHOST, CLAUDIUS, AND HAMLET, (3) THE PLAY'S THREE-PHASE STRUCTURE, (4) THE PLAY'S…