This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: (1) a psycholinguistic analysis of the rhetoric of Abba S. Eban; (2) synergetic tetrahedral communication models; (3) a form critical approach to the oral traditions of the black church…

The purpose of this second book of 21 self-contained essays is the same as that of the first volume published in 1972: to bring together the scholarly theory and current research regarding oral interpretation. One third of the essays are centered on literature itself: prose fiction, poetry, and the drama. These essays discuss topics such as point…

Lasting appreciation of literature does not just naturally issue out of basic reading skill training, because the outcomes desired in basic reading skills and in literary appreciation are different. Therefore, the materials used in each must be different. The language adapted for skill building exercises is different from that used in stories,…

The purposes of this book are to introduce film as an art and to show how close, both in form and content, literature and the narrative film are to one another. To accomplish these purposes, the basic components of literature and film are compared, including language (the novel uses words, while the film uses images), point of view, and figurative…

Schools can best inculate critical habits of mind by devoted, exciting teaching of the disciplines. (JH)

Examines the role of critical language in film criticism. Compares and contrasts Monroe Beardsley's philosophy on film aesthetics with the New Criticism. Outlines some of the contributions Beardsley has made to the study of film criticism. (KM)

In this article, the author challenges English teachers of literature to examine applications of reader response theory in teaching reading which posit that readers approach a text from two stances: "aesthetic" (emotional) or "efferent" (literal). The essay presents a case study of pre-service English teachers and adolescents'…

This paper explores a middle school teacher's and his students' perceptions of the differences between online synchronous literature discussions and face-to-face literature discussions. Each member of this literature group participated in two face-to-face and two online literature discussions. Participants were interviewed twice to discuss their…

An area of visual communication that might be classified as a "design failure" is the visual presentation of information about "prescription-only medicines" for patients. This information is provided on packaging, leaflets, brochures, labels and websites. The practical issue is that there are problems in convincing patients to…

This article explores international student teaching (IST) within the narratives of a prospective language teacher from the midwestern region of the United States. With a focus on one participant, the case study highlights significant factors that relate to the IST experience in Ecuador. A corpus generated from verbal protocols collected over a…

This presentation provides conceptual frameworks for understanding critics of educational technology; these frameworks are developed by using a series of concepts, approaches, and techniques of historical analysis from the area of intellectual history. The difference between study in the history of ideas and the history of culture is noted. The…

Almost since its inception, the word "dehumanization" has caused apprehension, especially as the words relate to educational technology. This paper is a brief analysis of educational technology's critics from the late 1950s through present time; it also serves as a study of how their rhetoric has affected the structure of elementary and…

The discussion of the critical analysis of instructional design is framed within Habermas' three fundamental human interests: technical, practical, and emancipatory. The primary goal of this paper is to explore alternative approaches for instructional designers' reflection and critique. Ultimately, this reflection and critique should shed light on…

This paper explores the philosophical foundations and implications of fantasy theme analysis, introduced by Ernest B. Bormann in 1972. The paper rejects the appropriation of fantasy theme analysis as compatible with, or as support for the philosophical position of relativism and relativist rhetorical theories. Rather, it suggests that fantasy…

The best check on the preposterous claims of crisis rhetoric is an appreciation of the nature of risk analysis and how it functions in argumentation. The use of risk analysis is common in policy debate. While the stock issues paradigm focused the debate exclusively on the affirmative case, the advent of policy systems analysis has transformed…