Since "English Journal's" (EJ's) founding in 1912, contributors have asked how literature shapes students' ethics, or morals. Ethics, on this account, is about people's ways of imagining and leading good lives. EJ authors explore how reading literature can help students see themselves and the wider world in light of visions of the good…

In this article, the author uses lesson reflection as a way to consider ethical issues that accompany teaching with texts that include death. More specifically, the article examines the relationship between moral education and analytic or skills-based education.

The consideration of questions of morality and ethics, of right and wrong is not confined to churches and mosques and synagogues; it also exists outside religious frameworks, notably in the schools and in teaching. In this article, the author extends the exploration of ethics into the classroom where virtually all acts of writing, language, and…

High school teacher Robert C. Mossman asserts that literary magazines reflect and elevate school communities' values. As adviser of his school literary magazine, Mossman encourages students to uphold certain standards for decency, while helping students learn to distinguish between original writing that is specific and thoughtful and writing that…

Argues that the typical response of "English Journal" to talk of censorship is to assume a tone of sarcasm or intellectual superiority. Responds that the language education curriculum's challenge is to make the school a learning environment through which the experience of reading and viewing and talking about texts helps future citizens make their…

Explores what the phrase "back to basics" means in terms of the English curriculum. (JL)

Warns that the lessons of Abscam--innocence by reason of stupidity or irresponsibility--are bad ones for our students. (JL)

Reviews a case of censorship of the film "1900" and suggests that teachers and scholars are not prepared to defend the viewing of legitimate and appropriate films against censorship campaigns. Examines the meaning of "community standards" and the relationship to state or national standards. (TB)

Asseverates the morality of "The Catcher in the Rye," emphasizing that teachers need not defend the book on purely literary terms. (JL)

Presents the author's (she is a well known poet, essayist, and fiction writer) 10 commandments of writing that portray writing as a moral force, an ethical practice, and also mundane plain and simple hard work. The commandments are in the form of quotes from famous writers. (SR)

Stresses the importance of language to English instruction and how it relates to literature in the classroom. (MM)

Reviews the events and issues surrounding a parent-driven attempt to ban John Gardener's "Grendel" from the high school curriculum on the grounds that it would corrupt the young morally. (TB)

Reviews Rosemary Sutcliffe's "The Sword and the Circle," a contemporary reworking of the Arthurian legend. Suggests that it fails by comparison with the versions of Tennyson and Malory because it depicts Arthur as a pawn of magicians rather than a duly elected leader working with his subjects to create a just society. (RBW)

Suggests that teaching Vietnam literature to adolescents can undermine a teacher's desire to implant in students a resistance to war. Narrates the experiences of one English teacher who was disappointed to find students attracted to war. Discusses a number of works of Vietnam literature. (HB)

Reviews the censorship debate in light of three underlying assumptions: (1) reading influences the opinions and beliefs of the reader; (2) the effect of a book, article, or passage is universal, implying there is one correct meaning for a particular work; and (3) the effects of reading are context independent. (SRT)