Considers President Reagan's address to the nation on February 5, 1981, concerning the state of the economy, as a contemporary secular version of the jeremiad, a rhetorical form that has persisted in America since colonial times. Describes Reagan's skillful use of the genre to motivate public response to what he viewed as an economic crisis. (NKA)

National reports on higher education are seen as a form of democratic propaganda whose aim is participation. Their progress is described through content analysis of media responses. "Aesthetic judgment" is seen as the key to participation in reform by college faculty and administrators. (Author/MLW)

Discusses Senator Kennedy's address on "Tolerance and Truth in America," given at Liberty Baptist College in 1983, to propose a "contract" for the public relationship between himself and Jerry Falwell in which each could be more civil toward the other without betraying his constituencies or threatening the other's supporters.…

Emphasizes that a Native American literature course is best taught as a criticism of the literature, not as ethnography. Outlines a literature course covering: (1) principles of the oral tradition; (2) tribal experiences in the oral tradition; (3) Native American biography/autobiography; and (4) contemporary American Indian writers. (JHZ)

A discussion of the value and feasibility of teaching literature in the high school French class draws on the opinions of French teachers attending a regional institute and a survey of public high school French teachers in North Carolina. (MSE)

Teaching techniques and small-group activities to give French language students the tools and skills to begin French literature study are discussed. Variety in course content, approach to texts, and techniques that promote active participation and enthusiasm help students acquire skills in literary analysis in a foreign language. (MSE)

Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's best-known contemporary writers. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," deals with the clash of cultures and the violent transitions in life and values brought about by the onset of British colonialism in Nigeria at the end of the 19th century. Published in 1958, just before Nigerian independence, the…

This document consists of the two issues of the journal "Visual Arts Research" published in 1995. This journal focuses on the theory and practice of visual arts education from educational, historical, philosophical, and psychological perspectives. Number 1 of this volume includes the following contributions: (1) "Children's Sensitivity to…

In recent years, there has been increasing interest within the media and in government about young people who are spending more time in front of the television or computer than in physical activities. A 1996 conference examined these issues and addressed concerns that young people's lack of activity has a detrimental effect upon their health and…

This thematic unit is all about what a classic novel about race relations in the 1930s American South, "To Kill a Mockingbird," and a frequently banned contemporary teen story about a candy sale, "The Chocolate War," have in common. The unit considers what people have in common, what it means to stand apart, and what…

This teacher's guide for public television's 6-part adaptation of George Eliot's "Middlemarch" provides information that will enrich students' viewing of the series. The guide includes a wide range of activities to help students further explore the novel's universal themes. The guide suggests that students read the informational…

Based on Stephen Crane's poems about war and his novel "The Red Badge of Courage," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that Crane examined war-related themes in prose and poetry; that close study of a poem for oral presentation helps readers see meaning or techniques not noted earlier; and that not all readers…

Examines the study of literature and literary values, the need for such study, and the problem of justifying such study. (RL)

Describes 192 studies published between July and December 1978 which deal with bilingualism and bidialectalism; language and verbal learning; literature, humanities, and media; teacher education; and written and oral communication at all educational levels. (DD)

Argues that parental licensing is the wrong approach to the serious dysfunctional aspect of contemporary American life of single parent families. The nation, instead, should adequately address the poverty, crime, unequal educational opportunities, and drug problems that already exist. (GR)