Examines the text, audience readings, and historical placement of an episode of "Cagney & Lacey" concerning abortion. Suggests that the ability of audiences to shape their own readings is seriously constrained by a variety of factors in any given rhetorical situation. (SR)

Examines whether Roosevelt's condemnation of electric utility public relations represented a fair interpretation of the Federal Trade Commission investigation into the issue as authorized by Senate Resolution 83 in February, 1928. Concludes that the condemnation was campaign rhetoric, but constituted a successful public relations campaign for the…

Academic humanists have been hearing that too much of their research and teaching was politicized, trivialized by a fascination with popular culture, and preoccupied with questions of race, gender, and class. The most frequent target of critics are literary theorists and others farthest from traditional subjects and approaches. (MLW)

Focuses on the Nuyorican stage of Puerto Rican immigrant literature, suggesting topics and structural characteristics to discuss and teach along with other American literary traditions. Points out that Nuyorican literature shares many of the concerns of these other traditions. (SR)

Explains how a teacher used Shakespeare plays to engage special needs and at-risk students with whom she had had limited success in engaging in other ways. Describes Shakespeare-related activities such as journal writing, acting, and something the teacher calls "write around," which requires students to visit different stations and write short…

Reviews graphic novels for young adults, including five titles from "The Adventures of Tintin," a French series that often uses ethnic and racial stereotypes which reflect the time in which they were published, and "Wolverine," a Marvel comic character adventure. (Contains six references.) (LRW)

Uses statements in adventure education brochures to indicate assumptions in the field of adventure education. Points out discrepancies between these assumptions and actual practice. Examines assumptions that adventure education promotes personal growth, that learning from adventure experiences transfers to other areas, and that adventure education…

Analyzes the public rhetoric of the influential "Law and Economics" movement. Explores the affinity between rhetoric and judicial argument in the work of Judge Richard A. Posner. Shows how Posner's antirhetorical posture is itself a rhetoric inviting audiences to adopt particular views of society and law. (HB)

Presents summaries of empirical studies of kindergartners, fifth graders, high school students, and college students, which suggest that people use stereotypes and gender-based identification in encoding, retrieving, and making inferences. Discusses results of qualitative research on differences in male and female responses to literary texts.…

Describes how literature can help students contend with racial stereotypes. Discusses the problematic nature of the concept of race. Uses Christopher Columbus as a case study of the author's claim. (HB)

Considers the tension between deterministic social construction and individual autonomy of the subject in the act of reading literary texts. Develops a critical reading pedagogy that takes into account the balance between those two extremes of the dialectic of reading praxis. Illustrates the pedagogy with two concrete examples. (HB)

Conceptualizes how a study of vernacular discourse could be carried out by defining vernacular, describing the critique of vernacular discourse, and explaining the purpose of such criticism. Illustrates this approach through a brief study of one example of vernacular discourse: World War II representations of women in the "Pacific…

Discusses cultural and ethnic stereotypes in the award-winning book "Ten Little Rabbits." Suggests that existing American Indian/Alaska Native narratives serve social and teaching purposes by providing authentic representations of a community's social, cultural, and literary life. (RS)

Analyses children's responses to "The Arkansaw Bear," a work of dramatic literature for children. Discusses two types of literary understandings displayed by the children: affective values of literature, and formal aspects of literary analysis. Suggests that it is time to welcome the literature of theater into the world of children's…

Claims that Peter Elbow's rhetoric of reading has been oversimplified by applications of taxonomic critiques. Shows how Elbow not only does not ignore the social, but that in fact Elbow's rhetoric tends to try to control it. (HB)