Place plays an indelible role in the way people perceive and come to understand the world around them. Place influences their interactions by shaping the genres, texts, and languages they use as writers and readers. Therefore, writing that's tied to place and community encourages students to seriously consider the effects of these interactions,…

On November 28, 2008, Jdimytai Damour, age 34, was killed by a stampeding mob of customers running to get the day-after-Thanksgiving bargains. Even after customers in the store were informed that four people were injured and one man died, most chose to keep shopping. Looking at the root causes of this unfortunate death, it seems clear that…

Many students are struggling with more depression and anxiety than ever before. These are characteristic dangers of the "consumer class"--1.7 billion people worldwide who are "characterized by diets of highly processed food, desire for bigger houses, more and bigger cars, higher levels of debt, and lifestyles devoted to the accumulation of…

Darren Crovitz explains that the explosive growth of Web-based content and communication in recent years compels us to teach students how to examine the "rhetorical nature and ethical dimensions of the online world." He demonstrates successful approaches to accomplish this goal through his analysis of the selling techniques of two Web sites…

Equates good" written communication with the short paragraphs, small words, and little sentences" produced by advertising copywriters. (RD)

Presents a critical analysis of advertising appearing in this journal from September 1978 to May 1979. (DF)

Examines the reasons why so many people have preconceptions about how much "truth" is in fiction. Notes the effects of believing that authors base their fiction primarily on personal, "true-to-life" experiences. (RL)

Suggests that mass media advertisers are responsible for the creation of our modern mythologies. (JL)

Describes the "vox pops" method, in which students respond to conflicting news media reports on identical issues and, thus, learn that watching television and reading newspapers require critical attention. (ARH)

Author's class of largely non-college-bound students were given practical lesson in powers of persuasion by setting up a Sell Bloo Goo" campaign in their school, the bloo goo" being a harmless colored jelle which their schoolmates were eager to buy by the time it appeared on the market. (PD)

Describes a unit for an English or reading class on the analysis of propaganda and advertising. (DD)

Describes techniques for the analysis of the rhetoric of cereal boxes. (DD)

Discusses what the public wants from educators in public schools, re-evaluates the stereotype of educators, proposes improvement of communication, and recommends a media-blitz to change the public's perception of educators. (JK)

Explains that guiding students to identify connotations of names chosen for fragrances can have a two-fold purpose: first, students may become more discriminating consumers; second, they may experience the sheer joy of language play, which produces a genuine and continuing interest in the operation of language. (EL)