This article responds to Jordan and Gray's critique of the global coursebook and the call to have open, critical discussions about coursebook use in light of SLA research (Jordan and Gray 2019). I?make a case for why the assumptions made about what constitutes a global coursebook are too narrow. I?also dismiss the idea of one type of global…

The advocacy of task-based language teaching (TBLT) has met with resistance. The critiques of TBLT and the misconceptions that underlie them have already been addressed in Ellis (2009) and Long (2016). The purpose of this article is to move forward by examining a number of real problems that TBLT faces--such as how a "task" should be…

This article is a response to criticism of my book "Big Ideas for Little Kids." The main topics addressed are: Who is the audience for the book? Can people without formal philosophical training can be good facilitators of elementary school philosophy discussions? Is it important to assess attempts to teach philosophy in elementary school? Should…

States that an oral interpretation course can deepen students' understanding of literature, extend their familiarity with important works, and help them appreciate the intricacies of rhythm and tone in poetry. Outlines student assignments for an oral interpretation course in the English program. (MM)

An instructor of an adolescent literature course wanted to give the students an opportunity to study some novels not specifically written for an adolescent audience. Examples of such novels were: Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye," and Jamaica Kincaid's "Annie John." Including…

After deciding which criteria a capstone course in a speech communication department should meet, faculty at West Texas A&M University decided to designate SCOM 401, Introduction to Rhetorical Criticism, as the capstone course. It is offered fall semester every year for juniors or seniors, and students are required to present their final…

To raise the consciousness of adults regarding their mental and social processing of popular media, specifically movies, a course was implemented through a Colorado Episcopal parish's adult education program. The course was designed to show students how to better understand the ways in which their presuppositions create meaning in what they view…

Rhetorical studies of the media during the past decade have tended to focus upon specific types of media such as music, television, film, and radio. Most recently, however, rhetorical studies such as James Chesebro's "The Media Reality" suggest that rhetorical critics are moving toward an examination of the collective influence of the media in…

Defends the combination of literature and writing instruction, offering a special course at the University of South Carolina as an example of the way intensive work in composition can be combined with an old-fashioned literary survey. (RL)

Reports on ways in which an undergraduate English course can be structured to invite wide-ranging forms of response. Describes how this was done through an expository reading and writing course based on rhetorical modes and noncanonical texts. Claims that student satisfaction and achievement were excellent. (HB)