In his seminal work connecting composition studies and sustainability, Derek Owens (2001: 8,6) notes that "learning how to live sustainably ought to be our primary cultural concern and, as such, must play a central role in our curricula". Within composition studies, Owens suggests that sustainability might begin with the study of the environment,…

To help students meet the demands of society, the University of Houston is using the framework of learning communities and constructivism to create a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching to provide media-rich thematically linked courses to engage a diverse student population. A case study investigated three semesters of thematically linked…

Providing a rationale for the involvement of college English departments in interdisciplinary work, the papers in this collection discuss the difficulties surrounding the introduction of interdisciplinary courses and programs that make special demands on the time and energy of individual faculty members and on limited departmental resources.…

Discusses how English teachers can work with other departments to promote interdisciplinary approaches to teaching. Describes sharing writing labs; producing television news reports; engaging in a school-wide theme week; an "academic" Olympic Games; vocabulary exercises in the social studies classes; mock trials; and a team-taught social…

Argues for deemphasis of hyperspecialization and narrow departmental structures and an emphasis on collective efforts, interdisciplinarity, and beyond-the-campus connections. Outlines shortcomings of Ph.D. programs in rhetoric and composition: (1) lip service paid to language and languages; (2) not enough attention on teaching; (3) neglect of…