Before the 2008 presidential election, when an African American friend asked him whether he thought whites would vote for Barack Obama, the author found himself answering by going back to the 17th century, to the invention of the white race as a buffer class to keep those at the bottom divided, and the way that his own white working-class people…

Describes a take-home midsemester exam in American Literature in which students express their knowledge of authors by transporting them to the present-day setting of their community college. (MG)

In addition to such writers as William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, and Eudora Welty, a good course in modern Southern fiction should include black writers such as Zora Hurston, Nella Larsen, Jean Toomer, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou, and Alice Walker. (MKM)

Suggests that instructors of introductory literature courses can teach students how to analyze content and meaning through a pervading theme. Proposes using three of Flannery O'Connor's works, focusing on the "moment of grace" theme in each story and discussing its central importance in the works. (MS)

Discusses a letter-writing assignment in which students write five letters over the course of the semester to anyone they wish about material they read in their U.S. literature class. Describes how the assignment elicited writing in which the students were personally invested, leading to their greater involvement in the class as a whole. (SR)

Presents a second discography (of compact disks only) which lists American literature (primarily poetry) set to music. Notes two publications that may be of use to those well-versed in literature but less knowledgeable about music. (SR)

Discusses the progress women have made in establishing their indentity and provides a sample outline for a course in literature. (RB)

Suggests that it is easier to invigorate class discussion and stimulate critical thinking if students discover the constructed nature of the canon by first seeing that their notions about a "typical" Poe story have been shaped by an often invisible process of selection and exclusion. (SG)

Notes that students can begin to learn that literature is not a dead art with no relevance to them by studying works that provide a wider context that will allow readers a new sense of the cultural milieu in which texts are written and read in conjunction with the ones in their course anthologies. (SC)

This essay traces two teachers' experiences crossing spaces in a combined literature and history seminar where students explore American culture and diversity and engage in service learning. The model has evolved from paired classes with collaborative activities to a student-centered environment promoting active learning. This article offers…

Recounts the accidental discovery of a long-forgotten drama "Mingos and Soldiers at Fort Henry" by James Fenimore Cooper that bears many similarities to the television series "M*A*S*H." (NKA)

Describes the authors' experiences teaching the "weeping women" archetype in the oral tale of "La Llorona," and involving students in the tradition of story telling and folklore. Shows how these activities helped to redefine "American" and "literature," to link diverse cultures and communities, and to introduce students to literary terminology and…

Considers how reading Jane Tompkins'"Sensational Designs" helps foster a new appreciation of the ways in which students contribute to the creation of a literary work. Discusses how students responded to their semester-long study of various "neglected" 19th-century women writers. (SG)

Presents six short descriptions of activities for the first day of class, involving thinking critically from day one; reading and responding to each other's work; getting to know each other to develop class cohesion; promoting class participation; posing problems in an American literature survey course; and integrating a syllabus review with a…

Argues that sophomore English students can and will read if offered assistance and literary offerings worth their attention. Suggests a course built around post-World War II American literature, since today's students can relate to the language used and to the contemporary issues raised in these novels but tend to experience difficulties when…