A study explored the debate over comic books and children in the 1950s, addressing the communication role of comic books in forming a new community of comic book fans during that period. Using E.C. (Educational Comics) comic books as a case study, the conventions of the comic books, correspondence between producers and consumers, and articles by…

The serialized reference work "Biography Today" is initiating a "Subject Series" that in five separate volumes will encompass: authors, artists, scientists, and inventors, sports figures, and world leaders. This is the first volume in the "Author Series." There will be no duplication between the regular series and the special subject volumes. This…

This Mexican series of instructional materials is designed for Spanish speaking adults who are in the process of becoming literate or have recently become literate in their native language. The reading/writing workbook is presented in two volumes along with a teacher's manual for an adult literacy program directed at rural inhabitants of Mexico.…

This paper in the form of an outline addresses the use of songs and instrumental music throughout the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum. The rationale for using music in general, and specifically using popular songs and instrumental music, are noted. Criteria for selection of music for classroom use are listed, and a taxonomy is…

Since their founding, public libraries have debated their role in providing access to popular culture. This paper describes the historical development of public libraries as popular materials centers, and traces the development of library standards, particularly the seminal publication, "Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries: A…

In "The Story of Little Black Sambo," initially written for her own children and published in 1898, Helen Bannerman describes the adventures of a young dark-skinned child and four tigers. Because it was smaller and more manageable than most children's books of the time--text and illustrations were positioned on the same page for high…

This booklet presents a variety of materials concerning the first part of Tony Kushner's play "Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes." After a brief introduction to the play, the booklet presents a description of the principal characters in the play, a profile of the playwright, information on funding of the play, an…

This collection of working papers in art education is comprised of manuscripts by graduate students presented at the National Art Education Conference. Papers in this issue reflect several educational settings and geographic areas. The 22 articles include: (1) "Symbolic Meanings in the Ghanaian Arts: A Step Towards Developing Cultural Literacy"…

The Magazine section of these proceedings contains the following six papers: "An Analysis of 'Magazine Type': Toward an Empirically Based Typology of Magazines and Non-Newspaper Periodicals" (Marcia R. Prior-Miller); "'Redbook': Changes in Attitude and Advice 1965-1990" (Jennifer Harbour); "A Quantitative Analysis of U.S.…

This issue of "Focus on Law Studies" contains a special emphasis on teaching about law and literature, in the form of the following six articles: "Law and Literature: New Combinations in Teaching" (John Paul Ryan); "Teaching Law and American Literature" (Janet Eldred); "Teaching Law with Sacco, Vanzetti, and the Rosenbergs" (Susan N. Herman); Ann…

Kenneth Burke's concepts of identification, the five terms of dramatism, and strategic uses of ambiguity can be successfully taught to undergraduates if appropriate and familiar examples are used. Print and electronic advertising offer the instructor an up-to-date, familiar, and abundant source of classroom examples. Market segmentation models…

A selection of romances from medieval literature can be used successfully in undergraduate literature classes to trace the appearance and relevance of medieval themes, motifs, and characters in works of modern poetry, fiction, and film. New scholarly editions, historiographies, translations, and modernizations give both teachers and students more…

This study investigated the use of drama in a Spanish native language literacy course to engage adult students in the process of discussing their world. Nine 2-hour class sessions with 18 students were videotaped. During this period, using the theory of emancipatory education, the students developed a theater script based on an incident in a…

Because the video cassette recorder (VCR) is foremost among emerging media technologies in terms of shaping a distinctive home viewing culture, a study investigated the typical home video culture in a VCR household by conducting telephone surveys of three neighboring midwestern communities. Out of 516 valid responses, the survey yielded a sample…

The category of the social increasingly informs the way people think about rhetoric. The foregrounding of the social has a two-fold origin in an uneasy relationship between poststructuralism and sociolinguistics. Poststructuralism has provided a strong version of the hypothesis that language is determinative. Sociolinguistics has established that…