Corporations have used and continue to use schools as conduits to establish consumption as the ultimate expression of participatory democracy and, thus, as the supreme good and standard of personal growth. By nurturing this narrow moral ideal as the "summum bonum" (the highest good) of public and private life, our corporate-infused schools work to…

David Wisniewski's 1992 picture book version of the African epic of "Sundiata, Lion King of Mali" and the actual historical account of the 13th century Lion King, Sundiata, are both badly served by Disney's "The Lion King." Disney has been praised for using African animals as story characters; for using the African landscape as…

Response-based approaches to teaching and learning literature provide alternatives to objectifying literature. Where traditional approaches champion close readings of texts and "correct" interpretations, response-based theorists regard readers as active meaning-makers whose personal experiences affect their interpretations of literary…

This paper presents 14 cooperative learning lesson plans and related handouts suitable for use in communication courses. The paper begins with 8 handouts that deal with objectives; criteria; differences between the old paradigm and the new paradigm based on cooperative learning; positive interdependences; group differences between cooperative…

This digest provides a historical review of some current literary theories and practices which developed from contemporary philosophy. Structuralism, associated with Ferdinand de Saussure and Claude Levi-Strauss, with a seemingly scientific view of language and culture posited a systemic "center" that organized and sustained an entire…

Whatever the view an educator takes of collaborative learning, it does seem that it takes a lot of class time. However, computer networking capabilities allow for all the advantages of collaborative learning without requiring the instructor to devote large blocks of precious in-class time to encourage it. Five good ways to use networking…

This paper describes RaPiD, a computer-aided assistant for the design of dental prostheses called removable partial dentures. The user manipulates icons directly to indicate the desired design solution to a given clinical situation. A developing design is represented as a logic database of components in a design; expert rules are applied as…

Based on the idea that the study of postmodernism is a useful and valuable pursuit because it engages students in discussions of fundamental questions about the individual's situation in the world, this book takes an interdisciplinary approach to address postmodernism effectively. The book conceives postmodernism as a widespread cultural…

Science and art have much in common. Artists as well as scientists carefully observe and communicate their subjects. Throughout time, artists have been involved in experimentation, an important scientific method which can lead to new discoveries. Both scientific developments and the ongoing history of art are cumulative. This learning packet is an…

A study explored the implications of a rhetorical approach to professional education in business--specifically, how a social constructivist view of language might change how students learn concepts and theories of business. It focused on undergraduate education in management, with data drawn from a case study of a student in a pilot version of an…

This paper analyzes the mission statement of a small liberal arts college: (1) to establish a rationale for examining a mission statement from a postmodern perspective, which will aid in the understanding of the context within which the mission statement and accompanying goals were developed and produced; (2) to clarify the multiple voices and…

Contributors to this anthology analyze the contemporary academic methods for critiquing art and suggest new ways that might further the understandings of art created by diverse individuals and groups. Essays are organized into three sections. Part 1, "Changes and Extensions in Critical Approaches" includes essays: (1) "Beyond Universalism in Art…

This essay explores the concept of reader stance as defined by L. Rosenblatt (1978, 1994) as a useful framework from which to view the relative imbalance between the efferent and aesthetic reading of literature, particularly among schoolage adolescents. It then examines how 4 theoretical models and perspectives offer considerable explanatory…

To meet the needs of undergraduate seminarians attending St. John's University in New York who are required to take speech communication courses and to appeal also to nonseminarian undergraduates, a Religious Communication minor was proposed. The minor consists of 18 credits in speech. In addition to arranging currently offered courses into a…

This digest examines criticism of bilingual education and its effect on public opinion, discusses the rationale underlying good bilingual education programs, and summarizes research findings that reveal programs' effectiveness. Quality bilingual education provides students with knowledge and literacy in their first language, which indirectly but…