The pedagogical and theoretical questions raised by the notion of using microcomputers in the teaching of literature are covered in this report, rather than the current state of computer use in the classroom. In part, the report formulates basic premises that underly what teachers do in literature classrooms and asks what skills, concepts, and…

The Task-Based Approach (TBA) has gained popularity in the field of language teaching since the last decade of the 20th Century and significant scholars have joined the discussion and increased the amount of analytical studies on the issue. Nevertheless experimental research is poor, and the tendency of some of the scholars is nowadays shifting…

Teachers often impose old, literary perceptual patterns on the visual arts. (JH)

The four articles in this journal explore various aspects of empathy and its application to oral interpretation of literature. The first article examines the concept of empathy, discusses measures of it, and includes an "accurate empathy exercise" and an empathy scale. The second article discusses the way in which the writings of Dylan…

Novels intended for adolescent readers have the following qualities in common: a tone that is implied by the diction and the syntax; themes that relate to adolescent concerns such as the search for status and identity, breaking family ties, and handling sex; a predilection to teach through example or to convey a message; and an atmosphere of…

All English teachers share an occasional uneasiness about whether English really matters. Three major sources for this uneasiness are: (1) English teachers are uncertain about their basic purpose. Historically, the emphasis in the English profession has shifted from sharing the best that has been thought and said, to literary history, to rigorous…

This paper examines the fantasy literature that is currently available to young readers. Twenty-two children's books are listed and discussed under the following topics: good storytelling and lively imagination, recurring themes, satires and word play, original fairytales, and works that reflect the divided self, the occult, and parapsychology. It…

This monograph posits a rhetorical theory of video-art and presents perspectives on the status of video-art in Latin America. Video-art, which utilizes technology in the field of aesthetics, is perceived as fundamentally rhetorical and stylistic. Conclusions about the form include the comments that the analysis of visual messages is possible…

Literature-dominated foreign language courses, and their failure to develop cross-cultural understanding, are discussed. Changes in language syllabuses to include other aspects of the foreign culture are suggested. (RM)

A report on recent endeavors to improve the doctoral program in the Spanish department at the University of Connecticut. It also draws upon resolutions of 1972 conferences on graduate study at Wichita State University and the University of Texas. Individualized instruction, improved student-teacher relations and revision of examinations are basic…

Analysis of 24 sets of journal entries, drafts, and revisions of papers written by college students in literature/composition courses suggested three stages in the process of reading and writing about literature. In the progressive stage, which is based on theories of transactional literary analysis, brief writing exercises, such as journal…

This paper describes a thematically organized interdisciplinary reading course, offers a rationale for including literature in a reading curriculum, and outlines an approach for presenting the short story in the context of a thematic interdisciplinary college reading course. It concludes with a brief discussion of two short stories and provides…