Literature in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts is used for language development and intercultural understanding. However, the role of literature, specifically short stories (SSs), in shaping cultural representations of the U.S. in EFL teacher preparation programs (TPPs) remains unclear. This study examines how U.S. SSs in an English…

Rooted in examples from their own and others' classrooms, the authors offer discipline-specific practices for implementing antiracist literature instruction in White-dominant schools. Each chapter explores a key dimension of antiracist literature teaching and learning, including designing literature-based units that emphasize racial literacy,…

This essay seeks to explore some of the common challenges facing teachers of multicultural American literature, particularly in the general education classroom. More specifically, the author addresses two typical student responses to this body of literature: the tendency to see the literature as entirely foreign and the tendency to universalize or…

How can teachers help their students to meet high standards of reading and writing while also preparing them to become thoughtful and productive members of a multicultural society? And why is it important to do this? In her new book, Mary Dilg brings us into her high school English classroom, where we see students reach across the social,…

This article talks about how two American authors of Latin-Caribbean descent, Esmeralda Santiago and Julia Alvarez, inscribe their native language into the discourse of American literature, contributing to a more diverse picture of what American culture is. Thus Alvarez's and Santiago's texts not only renegotiate ethnic immigrant experiences of…

Investigates the problem of why preservice teachers are disinclined to teach noncanonical multicultural literature. Gives particular consideration to the need to help teachers develop strong rationales for teaching ethnically diverse literature that will sustain them through the resistances they will inevitably encounter to a multicultural agenda.…

Discusses three of Lawrence Yep's novels (which portray the Chinese-American experience of being caught between two worlds) as good examples of what literature about ethnic groups should be. (SR)

Outlines and discusses the necessary components for developing literature programs that are truly representative of the rich tradition and cultural diversity of writings in the English language. (RL)

During the past 30 years, great changes have occurred in secondary literature programs' specific selections and cultural content. Today's English teachers are altering program content to reflect the variety of ethnic, religious, racial, and other social groups in the U.S. The New England Association of Teachers of English's list of…

According to five surveys, only four major authors--Shakespeare, Dickens, Hawthorne, and George Eliot--have survived the dramatic 90-year shift from a predominantly British (or Eurocentric) curriculum to a primarily U.S. curriculum. Programs must now evolve to reflect the cultures of all students, while maintaining appropriate intellectual, moral,…

Lists authors and titles of 52 items of literature about the U.S. ethnic experience by 40 authors from 23 ethnic groups. (SR)

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…

Examines the possibility of a university based on dissensus, disagreement, and diversity. Deconstructs the traditional English major, noting the inappropriateness of studying British literature as a substitute for a national cultural whole. Notes that the United States has never really had cultural unity and has always looked to the future for it.…

In 1996, Lakeland Community College (Ohio) participated in the American Association of Community Colleges' Exploring America's Communities project, which works to strengthen the instruction of American history, literature, and culture at community colleges. The primary objective of the team's approach has been to identify strategies for enhancing…

This book focuses on the childhood and young adult experience of 10 of the American West's most intriguing writers. The book presents autobiographical and other primary sources, biographical sketches, teaching guidelines, and numerous curriculum-driven activities to engage young readers in the works of notable people whose lives were shaped by the…