Presents a condensed method for involving students in the kind of theatrical problem-solving that transforms a script to a play. Describes how to incorporate a "human slide show" into the class. Notes that students must read plays not just to understand events, but to make artistic choices about how to stage the action so that an…

Notes that in rehearsals and performances, a jumble of silences are encountered. Discusses silence in the following situations: as frustration; as imposition; as invisibility; as power; as pleasure; as safety; as humility; as necessity; and as potential. Contends that when dramaturgs enter into conversation and break silence, they must carefully…

Outlines a dramaturg's process when working on three different plays. Contends that the myriad variations on the question "what will happen next?" serve as the basic architecture on which the dynamic relationship between the story/storytellers and the audience is built. Observes that the continual planning and answering of questions is…

Considers how inviting students to play Walker Gibson's "talk-back game" is an excellent way to bring the complications of appropriate tone to life. Describes three steps to incorporate Gibson's concept into the classroom. Notes that Gibson's concept considers the potential resistance of the reader. (SG)

Explores the Harry Potter phenomenon with college students in a university course. Compares the first book with the first movie. Presents an in-depth discussion of the movie and how it relates to the book. (SG)

Uses a quasi-experimental design to test the effects of exposure to the miniseries "Amerika" on attitudes about communism and United States/Soviet relations. Finds that viewers of the miniseries believe that Americans should guard against a very real communist threat by supporting a strong military defense, including the development of…

Examines a campaign's effectiveness in reaching various audience segments with information on heart disease risk reduction. Shows that both ability to process health information and motivation to learn about health are significant predictors of learning in both the education and reference communities. (MM)

Shows how grammar may be used conceptually to help students cultivate an understanding of the conventions of authorial presence in technical writing. (MM)

Analyzes "The Italian" (1915), an early "immigrant" film, examining its problematic relation to questions of working-class and middle-class audience composition. Shows how this film reveals that the creation of narratives suitable for diverse audiences requires continuous readjustment of an adequate mode of address. (MM)

Professional event planners give advice on producing pleasing alumni special events. Planning elements include creating a theme, picking the place, finding talented people to help, thinking carefully about seating options, setting the mood, having clear objectives, drafting a detailed script, and managing last-minute changes. (MSE)

Discusses the plays of Wendy Kesselman. Analyzes the plays in light of the special demands they make upon young audiences. (MS)

Describes a writing exercise to help technical writing students determine the appropriate methods of extension for technical definitions, decide which terms need to be defined for a particular audience, and place definitions effectively in the document. (MM)

Finds that both severity of violation and recipient of explanation affect the linguistic content of elementary school-aged girls' excuses. Concludes that older girls used fewer single apologies, incorporated more repair components, and tailored their explanations to the nature of each violation. (JAD)

Examines the rhetorical constructs of the "question-and-answer format" as it has been used widely both in popular, informative, advertising, and journalistic literature. Considers its classical origins, its intent and effect, and the ways in which it plays on the reader's resistance. (TB)

Looks back at 150 years of writing for children in Australia through the illumination cast by Wolfgang Iser's notion of "the implied reader." Suggests that the implied reader in 1841 was of the educated elite; by 1941 the reader was more likely to be middle-class with popular tastes and interests; and the reader of 1991 reflected a…