Addresses teachers' feelings of dismay, perhaps even disgust with the work of their students. Concludes that how educators talk about students reveals what they think about themselves as teachers; and how they think about themselves as teachers reveals how they think about higher education and its role in enacting democracy. (SG)

Suggests guidelines for departments and institutions regarding information technology; guidelines dealing with the hiring, reappointment, tenure, and promotion processes designed to help departments and faculty members implement effective evaluation procedures; and guidelines that recommend the minimal reference information that should be provided…

Considers how the placement of personal computers in every departmental and faculty members' office has made it possible for faculty and departmental clerical staff members to perform tasks previously performed elsewhere. Describes a department that runs largely by committee, in which newsletters, alumni relations, the web site, and strategic…

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)

This study reveals the school culture and the teachers' professional development activities in a Japanese high school learning environment. Furthermore, it documents the relationships among the context, teachers' beliefs, practices, and interactions. Using multiple data sources including interviews, observations, and documents of teachers from an…

As a special topics course in composition, ENEX 495: "Women, Writing, and Rhetoric" is a program elective for graduate students in the English department, English majors, Gender and Women's Studies students, and a writing-intensive elective for non-majors at The University of Montana, a doctoral granting institution located in the Rocky…

Patricia Bizzell argues that inquiry into ethics and English studies is paralyzed by the view that "the imposition of ideological agendas...[is]...morally questionable," yet "our moral sensibility motivates us to promote particular ethic positions." The field is caught in this dilemma because its postmodern skepticism forces it…

An exploration was made of the discursive conventions for inscribing a reciprocal relationship between research activities and teaching practices typical of articles published in "College Composition and Communication." The study looked at 31 essays published in the 1993 volume. Ten recurring features of the articles were identified;…

Although most programs in technical communication reside in English departments where the focus is on writing, rhetoric, and exposition, the graduate certificate program in interactive multimedia at Mercer University is being developed for the Technical Communication Department within the School of Engineering. As a result, many of the…

The department of English at West Chester University, Pennsylvania provides a laboratory for examining the situation of composition in a department that has documented its dedication to a unified study of English based on attention to reading and writing. The department adopted a "Statement of Coherence" that signals a dialectic: the…

Communication among teaching assistants can be as complicated as communication among full time faculty members, so that power relationships influence the rhetoric they use when they talk about being students, teachers, and professionals. Analysis of the political dimensions of teaching assistant interaction in the English department at the…

Among the changes that have characterized English studies over the past 25 years is an increase in self-reflection. The rise of various kinds of writing collectively labeled "theory" has influenced this move to scrutinize actions and motives. Composition studies have developed classroom strategies for asking students to reflect on their…

Writing in Western culture requires mastery of both rhetorical theory and the expressive writing often promoted in composition studies, however great the conflict between them might be. The tension between these two poles can even be a source of excitement and motivation. Landmark composition studies such as those of James Britton and Janet Emig…

The creative responses of the University of California at Berkeley English Department to changing social and economic conditions are described and recommended as exemplary. (JH)

Despite many shortcomings, elective programs seem to do good things for students and teachers. (JH)