Discusses the new "public debate" movement, taking shape because of dissatisfaction with the current dominant philosophy of intercollegiate debate. Assesses the "public" style of the advocate, the mandated broadness of the argument, the role of evidence in the argument, and emphasis on oral communication. Posits that the…

Suggests site-specific theatrical productions can create innovative productions in nontraditional spaces. Discusses the experiences of the author as he directed a site-specific production (Wendy MacLeod's "The Shallow End," set at an indoor pool) and addresses the lessons he learned from it. Includes advice on creating site-specific productions.…

Explores what effects pictures have on the concepts of immediate-engaging, distant-engaging, and distancing first-person narration. Considers how a pictorialized (as opposed to an illustrated) narrative involves different dynamics of engagement than a purely verbal narrative. (SG)

In her work as a literary consultant--first in private practice and now at Georgetown University--this author has worked with many scholars who would like to adapt their research for a trade audience. Many shared a set of core beliefs about how the rules of publishing change when one writes for a larger, more general audience in order to publish…

Forum theater is an interactive theater method in which audience members become active performers, taking advantage of the opportunity to explore multicultural dimensions of teaching in a "safe space" and receiving feedback from colleagues. Forum theater methods derive from Theater of the Oppressed, an interactive approach founded by the Brazilian…

This paper explores the potential for conducting collaborative and critical research in higher education which problematises the role and practices of the academy in maintaining exclusion. It begins with a brief discussion of UK government discourse on widening participation, and contrasts this with the research literature which indicates the…

Fifth grade teacher Molly Toussant realized with chagrin that she habitually mouthed her precepts about teaching writing in the same rote way she had recited the Apostles' Creed in Sunday school, and that her students had no idea why they had to write "like every day." So she wrote this explication in which she shows, with many examples, how her…

"Frame alignment"--the conscious process of creating correspondence between one's own "frame" (ways of making meaning out circumstances) and someone else's--is a necessary condition for participation in organized social movements. Frame alignment processes may offer a generative and useful alternative to the reductive…

This booklet offers guidelines for theater directors, activities directors, club sponsors, and school administrators to ensure the production of "bias-sensitive" performances that avoid presentation of bias based on gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation. The booklet: (1) discusses the issue of…

Contemporary rhetorician Richard M. Weaver believes that values are inseparable from rhetoric. For him, to be a rhetorician is to direct toward good or evil and to be a rhetorical critic is to determine whether that direction is the "right one" and/or judge whether the rhetorician "is a master of his art." To determine if the…

Argues that problem-solving assignments whose only purpose is to train students to report technical details ignore much of the real-world context of a problem. Presents an approach to give students a broader sense of problem solving. (MS)

In teaching writing, the "audience" became and still is fundamental, leading to the question of how students can learn to adapt their text to the assumed readership and at the same time, learn to write for their addressees. A study focused on how writers cope with the writing process, asking several questions about the concept of…

This paper focuses on using the media to reach the public and, through the public, politicians regarding literacy issues. The paper gives some tips gleaned from recent convention symposia about attracting the audience, such as involving students, teachers, or both in interviewing authors, announcing community calendars about literacy events,…

Describes incorporating a community outreach program. Notes that it is a smart and reliable strategy that theatre artists - onstage and backstage alike - can use to engage their audiences and build stronger ties to the community in which they work that go beyond just filling seats. (SG)

Defines ideology and representation as manifested in the field of theatre for youth. Discusses these theoretical constructs as they relate to practice in the field. Concludes that the field of theatre for young audiences is under-theorized. Hopes that the symposium has made participants more aware of the role of ideology, representation, and…