Presents an overview of the language and literature of California, and particularly of Los Angeles. Describes the social context and work of the following writers: Bret Harte, Henry Dana Jr., Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, Gertrude Atherton, Helen Hunt Jackson, Frank Norris, John Steinbeck, Mary Austin, and others. Also discusses minority literature…

Raises questions about the extent to which the classical treatment of arrangement is still appropriated by the modern composition teacher, and the ways in which this concept is tied to notions of coherence. Discusses implications for modern composition theory and practice. (MS)

The author traces oral forms of expression used in nonliterate societies and states that children, before they become literate, also depend on the spoken word for learning and communication. The author suggests that a better understanding of orality helps educators gain a fuller sense of the cognitive tasks that children undertake. (Author/CH)

Describes feminist scholarship as a pluralistic, activist form of scholarship, which sees gender as the primary category of social organization. Claims that until recently, feminist scholarship has contributed little to the field of communication research, and that it is needed in order to give a voice to women's concerns. (MM)

Teaching in a cross-cultural context requires the use of culturally appropriate communication skills, an awareness of cultural relevance, and a teaching style matched to adult learning styles. (CH)

Studying and understanding classrooms narratively allows researchers to see the unities, continuities, and rhythms in the whole which cannot be discovered by analyzing parts. Narrative links educations to other aspects of the study of human experience and adds insight to the process of becoming a teacher. (MT)

Shows how different relations between the adult and child and the learning environments they engender are closely related to the attitudes which the adult has developed within his/her own culture. Examines the conflicts inherent in education, which endeavors to transmit cultural values and promote personal growth at the same time. (AYC)

Reviews C.A. Bowers's book, "The Promise of Theory: Education and the Politics of Cultural Change." Summarizes Bowers's central arguments concerning modernity, the relation of schooled knowledge to the nature of all cultural knowledge, and usefulness of the sociology of knowledge to improving instruction. (KH)

Reviews two studies of the relationship between gender loading in languages and the perception of gender by speakers of those languages; the two studies reach contradictory conclusions. Examines a number of theoretical and methodological issues in linguistic relativity research and suggests avenues for further research. (SED)

Defines ethnomethodology as the study of how reasoning and activities are organizable within the limits and resources of a culture as rational, identifiable events and occurrences. Discusses the aims, practices, and values of ethnomethodology, suggesting that it not be judged by the criteria of logical positivism. (DMM)

Reviews the present state of knowledge with respect to substance abuse among Hispanic youth. Outlines several factors which have inhibited a thorough analysis of Hispanic drug-alcohol abuse and identifies salient issues to be addressed in the 1980s. Suggests the need for culture-specific programs. (CMG)

The teacher of English can help working class children draw sustenance for the imagination from their own world and its values. (PS)

Academic disciplines are suggested to be more closely related to national cultural patterns and to changes in society and educational organization than is often assumed. (LBH)

The author uses T. Parsons' and G. Platt's social theory to analyze the secularization of American higher education, then evaluates the necessity and desirability of that secularity. (GW)