Discusses how an assessment of "Le Livre de Marie" and "Je Vous Salue, Marie" risks reproducing the feminine/masculine dynamic by posing the films as male and female versions of the Marian myth. Acknowledges that evidence for this dichotomy exists, but both directors succeed in activating the Marian myth in ways that do not…

Argues that James Blue's complex documentaries had a limited effect on television viewers, but the films were a success nonetheless. States that it is vital to think of the complex documentary in terms of process, holding it accountable neither to the demands of the media's market economy nor to the stakes of political infighting. (PA)

Studies the public responses to Andrea Dworkin's novel "Mercy" (about rape specifically and the sexual abuse of women in general). Suggests that Dworkin's "Mercy"--like other controversial cultural texts--fostered a type of literary public sphere and that defining these spheres as "war zones" does not foster open debate or a common space for…

Students can learn to understand prose by carefully listening to the author's voice. The paper gives examples of prose in standard block form and in a poetic form, explaining why students find the poetic form more comprehensible. Students' awareness of rhetoric can be developed through the Myers Briggs inventory. (SM)

This response to Goodman's critique of "third-wave" school restructuring points out contradictions in his argument and clarifies the values of systemic transformation: social functionalism, empowerment, engaged communities, technology, negotiation, and individual needs. (SK)

Presents critical approaches to open and distance learning (ODL) and its role in modern societies based on experiences in the United Kingdom. Topics discussed include a history of correspondence education; industrial and Post-Fordist analysis of ODL; late modernity, the market, and consumerism; feminist approaches; and media and cultural studies.…

Argues that among the branches of historicism practiced by literary critics today, a branch of New Historicism that is broadly humanistic as opposed to narrowly political is the most illuminating. Describes the development and theoretical premises of this branch. Shows how it may be applied to the analysis of a literary work such as Keats's…

The author discusses concerns related to critiques of a universalist epistemology in science education. Issues discussed include description of the universalist view of science, lack of distinction between multicultural approaches and pluralistic criteria for scientific knowledge, and the kind of science being promoted by multicultural proponents.…

The segregation of humanity from wilderness is presupposed by many of the goals for restoration ecology. Critiques the underlying assumption that human presence rather than human activity is the cause of environmental degradation and examines the application of sustainable development through education as a viable ethical option. (LZ)

Discusses ways speech communication instructors can use the film "Thelma and Louise" in an upper-division rhetorical criticism class to illustrate three different critical approaches: pentadic, feminist, and ideological criticism. (SR)

Examines what "hypertext" means to literary criticism on the one hand (i.e., intertextuality) and computing on the other, to determine how the two concepts may serve each other in a mutually productive way. (GLR)

Maintains that literacy studies can contribute to the general field of literary criticism. Uses George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" as an introduction to the concept of literacy narratives, raising many questions about the process and politics of language acquisition. (SR)

Maintains that the value of both critical theory and textual criticism derives from the extent to which they inform discussable practice and advance understanding of rhetorical communication; and that criticism can contribute to rhetorical theory. (SR)

Indicates that the language of discourse needs to be evaluated more diligently by participants, greater attention must be paid to the tradition out of which an interpreter speaks, and hidden assumptions need to be unveiled more critically by participants in continuing professional discourse. (JOW)

Asserts that new readings of Mary Norton's "Borrowers" series will show that her books still have much to offer. Offers a feminist reading of these books. (PRA)