Selective Bibliography for the Study of Adolescence and Cultural Knowledge
by
Jeanne M. Marsh
Submitted to
Brian and Mary O'Connor
LI 804 -Theory of Organization of Information
Spring 1996
Introduction
The topic "Adolescence and Cultural Knowledge" may be variously
interpreted to mean one or more of the following: (1) the extent to which
adolescents are knowledgeable in American or western world cultural
traditions; (2) the breadth and depth of their knowledge of world cultures;
and/or (3) the degree to which they may be immersed in the youth
subculture which has evolved in this century in industrialized parts of the
world. To omit any of these three aspects of the term would be to unduly
limit the definition of "cultural knowledge" and to ignore the ways in
which such knowledge is acquired. In building personal knowledge
constructs, every young person draws from history, current affairs and
personal experience, the three areas of social knowledge suggested by the
interpretations above. Therefore, this bibliography includes materials
applicable to each interpretation. A study of all these materials should
yield a balanced understanding of the topic in its full complexity.
Çå°ree;*Π
The purpose of this compilation, then, is to guide the user to selected
readings on adolescent cultural knowledge. The users of such a
bibliography would be my fellow library students interested in three
interrelated areas of research: determining the state of cultural literacy
among American youth; encouraging multicultural awareness in those same
young people; and seeking an understanding of their distinctive youth
culture as it relates to traditional cultural knowledge. Librarians must
know more about youth in order to better serve that segment of the
population. School library media specialists, those librarians who directly
participate in the education of our young people, will be particularly
interested in such a bibliography, for the school curriculum should both
transmit traditional American culture and prepare our youth for the
emerging global society.
Ð#*1
The bibliography is collected under three subheadings: Cultural
Literacy, Multicultural Awareness, and Youth Culture. Within each
category, materials are arranged in descending order of importance, based
on my subjective judgment as to their relative value to the research effort.
I have, for the most part, limited the materials to those published since
1987, the year when the question of "cultural literacy" first came to public
attention. However, several earlier works were included to provide
historical perspective. Included in the annotation for each book is the
bibliographical information, followed by a short summary, a listing of the
subject field(s), the nature of the source, the reason for inclusion in the list,
information on the author when available, and sources where reviews may
be found. When one of the last two elements is missing, the entry will
usually be listed toward the end of the readings, unless the relevance of its
content outweighs such incompleteness. With a few exceptions I did not
acquire the journal articles for review, so those entries will incorporate the
abstract and any other pertinent information taken directly from the index
or database from which I retrieved the item. Following those entries, I
will indicate the source of the bibliographic information in a note. The
journal entries and magazine articles I actually reviewed myself will be
summarized, but no additional information will be given.
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The research process for this project seemed self-directed once I
began to search. Because "cultural literacy" suggested itself as a starting
point for a study of cultural knowledge, I began with several obvious
sources. The three often-quoted and controversial books by Hirsch, Bloom
and Ravitch/Finn became the center from which my research spread. These
three works were widely read and discussed when they were first published
in 1987. Whether or not the commentaries supported the authors'
conclusions, these books generated public discussion on the problem of
defining what should be incorporated under the term "cultural literacy."
That term also gave me a starting point for a keyword search. In on-line
searches via ACLIN and CARL, I accessed Colorado College's library, the
US Air Force Academy Library, the library at the University of Colorado
at Colorado Springs, and the Pikes Peak Public Library. In these databases
and in EBSCO's Middle Search magazine index on CD ROM, I found
numerous entries relating to the topic. ERIC, UnCover, Book Review
Digest and Book Review Index were other sources I consulted for articles
and reviews.
Ÿö{-+
Reading several of the criticisms of the three books began to stretch
my view of the topic at hand. Additional keyword searches (adolescence,
cultural knowledge, teen culture, adolescent knowledge, adolescence and
cultural knowledge, youth culture) yielded sources which refocused my
search toward a broader interpretation of the term "cultural knowledge."
In the end, my research led me to redefine the kinds of cultural knowledge
that a truly literate young patron will possess. True, many articles
continue to encourage educators and librarians to transmit traditional
cultural knowledge to students, as the basis for perpetuating the values of
our society and providing a common frame of reference. Beyond the
obvious need for mainstream cultural literacy, however, our educational
goal should be to broaden young people's cultural knowledge to encompass
an understanding of different cultures (multiculturalism), so that they can
function effectively as adults in the global society. Meanwhile, we
educators must understand how today's youth culture impacts young
people's ability and willingness to embrace adult cultural values. These
three focuses, therefore, became the major divisions of my bibliography.
¡üT/&
Because the concept of "cultural literacy" is open to so many
interpretations, I tried to reflect these often conflicting ideas when selecting
entries for this bibliography. Mine was a problem of limiting sources,
rather than locating them. I often came upon sources which leaned more
toward psychology of learning than cultural acquisition of knowledge.
With reluctance, I excluded those sources. The teen culture aspect of my
research often ran toward discussions of cultural deviance, and those
materials I also bypassed. Sometimes the discussion of cultural knowledge
was too generalized, and it did not focus enough on youth. Finally, my
frustration was in not knowing when to stop gathering sources and begin
collating them. To help myself in this effort, I asked the question, "If I
were doing research on this topic, how much material and of what sort
would I really want to access?" When I answered the question from a
user's point of view, it was much easier to select and exclude documents.
The most gratifying part of my search was learning how to use the on-line
search engines. I was amazed at how easily I could acquire abstracts and
even full-text documents in this manner. A visit to the Rampart High
School library and one full day at the UCCS library completed my
research. The more time I spent gathering these materials, the more I
found myself wanting to take on the research task suggested by this
bibliographic project.
•¥
A concentrated study of the entries in this bibliography could not
help but bring about a more circumspect approach to the question of
cultural literacy. As I broaden my own academic and cultural horizons, I
understand the words of Fred Newton Scott, who wrote in 1913: "...we
must continue to teach in the school and the university what cannot be
learned by ordinary students under ordinary conditions in the street and the
shop, namely, the ideal values of men and things in society. For this
purpose a certain detachment from the commonplace will always be
necessary, and this is supplied by the fittest survivals of man's past
expressions and communications" (from the original article entitled "Our
Problems," English Journal 2, January 1913: pp. 1-10, which was quoted
in the column "EJ Seventy-Five Years Ago," English Journal, January
1988: p. 63). With a sense of pride and awesome responsibility, I begin to
realize that librarians are often the gatekeepers to such cultural knowledge.
Bibliographic Entries
Cultural Literacy
Books:
What Do Our 17-Year-Olds Know? A Report on the First National
Assessment of History and Literature Diane Ravitch & Chester E. Finn, Jr.
New York: Harper & Row, 1987.
Summary: Reports on the first nationwide test of American high school
students' knowledge of history and literature. Authors contend that poor
test results indicate a failure of the society to adequately transmit its culture
to the younger generation. Examines youth lifestyles and family
backgrounds to help explain findings. Recommends ways to improve
teaching of cultural knowledge.
Subjects: United States History--Study and Teaching (Secondary)
American Literature--Study and Teaching (Secondary)
High Schools--United States-- Curricula. Nature:
Organized under four major headings discussing the test, the participants,
the test results and recommendations. Includes appendix and
index.Inclusion: This source focuses specifically on the cultural literacy of
our American youth in the traditional sense of the term. It was one of the
books which originally generated a great deal of controversy over the
definition of cultural literacy and our expectations of youth.
Authors:
Diane Ravitch -- Adjunct Professor of History and Education at Teachers
College, Columbia University; author of The Troubled Crusade:
American Education, 1945-1980, The Schools We Deserve, and The Great
School Wars.
Chester E. Finn, Jr. -- Professor of Education and Public Policy at
Vanderbilt University; Assistant Secretary of U.S. Dept. of Education at
the time the book was published; author or editor of five books, including
Against Mediocrity and Challenges to the Humanities.
Review: Foreword by Lynne V. Cheney, then Chairman for the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed
Democracy and
Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students. Allan Bloom. New
York: Simon &
Schuster, 1987.
Summary: Indictment of the post-secondary educational system for failing
to educate students in the values and traditions of democracy.
Examination of the causes for such failure and
loss of moral perspective in society and education.
Subjects: United States -- Intellectual Life -- 20th Century
Education, Higher -- United States--Philosophy.
Nature: The book consists of a Foreword by Saul Bellow, a Preface and an
Introduction, followed by a three-part analysis of the students, the
American society, and the university's role, both traditional and as
it actually operates today. Includes an index.
Inclusion: This book was mentioned in commentaries as often as was
Hirsch's book. It provides
the philosophical point of view for the cultural literacy movement.
Even though it focuses on higher education, the discussion of the societal
malaise is relevant to all ages and to the educational system in general.
Author: At the time the book was written, Allan Bloom was Professor in
the Committee on
Social thought and the College and co-director of the John M. Olin
Center for Inquiry into the Theory and Practice of Democracy at the
University of Chicago. He has taught at several universities. At Cornell
he received the Clark Teaching Award in 1967.
Review: Reviewed along with Hirsch's book by Robert Pattison, in the
column "Books and the Arts" (pp. 710-720), in the May 30, 1987 edition
of The Nation.
Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know. E.D. Hirsch,
Jr. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1987.
Summary: The author argues strongly for a core of cultural knowledge
which should be incorporated into the reading curriculum of the United
States. Students do not read well because reading is taught as a skill in
our schools, rather than being used as a tool for the teaching of this
nation's cultural values. The author includes a list of "What Literate
Americans Should Know."
Subjects: Literacy--United States
Educational Anthropology--United States
Culture
Nature: Includes a preface and six chapters, followed by an appendix of
cultural literacy terms,
notes, and an index.
Inclusion: No matter where I looked in my keyword searches, references
to this book appeared. It was highly controversial when published, and
its perceived elitism provided a catalyst for a counter-movement
toward multiculturalism which is still strong almost ten years later.
Author: At the time this book was published, E.D. Hirsch was William R.
Kenan Professor of English at the University of Virginia.
Review: Reviewed by Dan Griswold in The Gazette Telegraph, Sept 7,
1987, p. B11.
Also reviewed by Stefan Kanfer in Time magazine, July 20, 1987,
pp.72-73.
Empowering Education: Critical Thinking for Social Change. Ira Shor.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.
Summary: This book challenges the assumptions made by Bloom, Hirsch
and Ravitch/Finn, that culture is a traditional body of knowledge to be
passed on intact to succeeding generations. In fact, he bases his book on
the premise that society and culture are not static, and thus, neither
is cultural literacy. He advocates a "participatory pedagogy" and
cooperative curriculum development which empowers the learner.
Subjects Critical pedagogy -- United States
Nature: The author presents his challenge as a reasoned argument, then
gives teachers an alternative to traditional instructional practices.
Inclusion: This book provides a philosophical argument in support of those
who challenge the basic assumption of cultural authority residing in
any single world view. As such, it provides an alternative viewpoint to
those of the three books listed first in this bibliography, as well as
bridging the gap between the sections of this bibliography Cultural
Literacy, Multicultural Awareness, and Youth Culture. I see it as a
comprehensive work which helps to tie together the research effort.
Author: Ira Shor is Professor of English at the City University of New
York, College of Staten Island.
Review: Reviewed by Dudley Barlow in Education Digest, Nov93, v59
Issue 3, p.76.
We Hold These Truths: Understanding the Ideas and Ideals of the
Constitution. Mortimer Adler. New York: MacMillan Publishing
Company, 1987.
Summary: Dr. Adler holds the position that students are not learning basic
citizenship in our secondary schools, because they are not studying and
mastering the content of those historical documents which convey the
philosophy of our form of government (e.g., the Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address).
Subject: United States--Constitutional Law
Nature: An analysis of the problem in the body of the book is followed by
an appendix comprised of the documents which Adler believes must be
understood by all culturally literate citizens.
Inclusion: This book urges a practical application for cultural literacy:
specifically, to enable the citizens of the United States to control our
own national destiny. The only way to accomplish this self-
government is to understand the basis for our democracy, as established
in the documents written throughout the history of our nation. This book
is a practical manual built on the concept of cultural literacy.
Author: According to Justice Harry A. Blackmun, who wrote the
Foreword to this book, Dr. Adler is a most distinguished political
philosopher. At the time of publication he was chairman of the Board
of Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Director of the Institute for
Philosophical Research in Chicago, Honorary Trustee of the Aspen Institute
for Humanistic Studies, and author of 38 books.
Review: Phi Delta Kappan, V69, Dec '87, p.250.
Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, and the Attack on America's Public
Schools. David C. Berliner and Bruce J. Biddle. Reading, MA:
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1995.
Summary: In this book the authors counter the popular notion that schools
are failing our society in their task of teaching our youth. This study
closely examines, among other things, the nature of standardized tests and
the changing demographics of those who are testing for college
entrance. In all, the authors confront seven "myths" or criticisms leveled
at the educational system. They also suggest some solutions to
genuine problems they see in the system.
Subjects: Public schools -- United States
Educational change -- United States
Nature: The authors examine seven criticisms leveled at the American
educational system, then propose their own analysis of the state of U.S.
education. Their examination is based on demographic and statistical
research.
Inclusion: I chose to include this work as a balance against the books which
so heavily indict the educational system of our country. Even though
these authors are a part of the educational establishment and so have a
stake in validating its role in society, in this book they raise
considerations which the other authors have not addressed: changing
demographics and the positive impact of modern culture on our youth, as
well as some genuine concerns. It appears to be an insightful look
into a subject that has provided so much fodder for public complaint.
Authors: Berliner was 1994's recipient of NEA's highest honor, its
Friends of Education Award. He is Professor of Psychology and
Education, as well as Curriculum and Instruction at Arizona State
University.
Biddle is Editor of the journal Social Psychology of Education and
professor of both Psychology and Sociology, and Director of the Center
for Research in Social Behavior at the University of Missouri.
Review: Reviewed by Dudley Barlow in Education Digest, V61 Issue 3,
Nov '95, p31.
Articles:
Hirsch, E. D. "Cultural Literacy: Let's Get Specific." NEA Journal, Jan
1988, pp. 15-19.
Summary: In this article Hirsch reiterates his plea for a systematic
teaching of functional (cultural) literacy in the schools. He attributes the
decline in such literacy to the emphasis on skills instruction rather than
contextual learning. He places the responsibility for teaching cultural
literacy with the schools, and particularly challenges teachers to uphold
their traditional role as transmitters of cultural knowledge. He
defends his list against critics who label it WASPish and elitist.
Sanoff, Alvin P. et al. "What Americans Should Know." U.S. News &
World Report,
Sept. 28, 1987, pp. 86-94.
Summary: The author discusses the three books by E.D. Hirsch, Allan
Bloom and Ravitch/Finn (listed as the first three items in this
bibliography). Insets of sample pages from the books are included. Test
results reported by Ravitch and Finn are re-examined. Themes
emphasized by Hirsch--that schools must get away from skills-based
teaching--and Bloom--that loss of cultural context is the result of the
1960's movement toward "cultural relativism"--are revisited. The
author questions whether a democratic society can function without
cultural literacy.
Inclusion: This article incorporated a discussion of all three of the main
works published in 1987, on the subject of cultural literacy. It is a
good comparison of the three books.
Tuttleton, James W. "Literacy at the Barricades." Commentary, July
1987, pp. 45-48.
Summary: This article compares the two books Cultural Literacy, by E.D.
Hirsch, and The Legacies of Literacy: Continuities and Contradictions in
Western Culture and Society, by Harvey J. Graff. The author attacks
Graff's argument that literacy is a manipulative tool of the dominant
culture, as appallingly reductionist. He supports Hirsch's appeal for the
teaching of cultural literacy.
Inclusion: I included this article as an example of the controversy aroused
by the publication of Cultural Literacy.
Gallimore, Ronald and others. "The Developmental and Sociocultural
Foundations of Mentoring." ERIC Issue: RIEJUN93.
Summary: This paper presents a series of propositions concerning
processes that are at work in mentoring relationships, with each
proposition accompanied by a brief discussion of the theory and
research on which it is based. Examples are provided of the role of
mentoring in the development of creative individuals. The propositions
cover...the importance of speech and other signs and symbols that
work to create intersubjectivity among participants transmitting
meaning, values, affect, motivaton, and culture. Further sections
discuss mentoring as enculturation through which cultural
inheritance is passed on in mentoring....
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Note: This summary is excerpted from an abstract found in a combined
ERIC search.
Inclusion: Whereas I have not read this article, the concept of mentorships
as a vehicle for the transmission of culture holds promise in an
industrialized society where typically youth are separated from the work
world. In the Youth Culture section of the bibliography, the author of
Youth in a Changing Society, makes a similar plea for intergenerational
communication.
Johnson, Lory, Comp. Annotated Bibliography for High School Reading:
A Suggested Bibliography for 9-12 Students. Revised Edition. ERIC
Issue: RIESEP94.
Summary: Designed to expose young readers to a wide variety of literary
genres, this annotated bibliography provides a list of approximately 700
recently published adolescent literature selections representative of the
universal themes in literature.
Note: This summary is excerpted from an abstract found in a combined
ERIC search.
Johnson, Lory, Comp. Annotated Bibliography for Junior High/Middle
School Reading: A Suggested Bibliography for 6-9 Students.
Revised Edition. ERIC Issue: RIESEP94.
Summary: Designed to expose young readers to a wide variety of literary
genres, this annotated bibliography provides a list of over 500 recently
published adolescent literature selections representative of the
universal themes in literature.
Note: This summary is excerpted from an abstract found in a combined
ERIC search.
Multicultural Awareness
Books:
Empowerment through Multicultural Education. Ed. Christine E. Sleeter.
Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991.
Summary: This book is a collection of fourteen essays aimed at
empowering students who do not respond to traditional curriculum and
its traditional presentation. The contributors to this volume cover such
factors as race, gender, economic class, technological disadvantage, and
linguistic disadvantage among students. The introductory essay by the
editor describes the variety of ways in which the term "multicultural
education" is misinterpreted by those who object to the concept. The
remainder of the collection deals with specific student populations,
strategies for educational empowerment, and teacher training issues.
Subjects: Intercultural education--United States
Education--Social aspects -- United States -- Case studies
Educational equalization -- United States
Political socialization -- United States
Teachers -- Training of -- United States
Nature: The essays are arranged in three parts, corresponding to the issues
mentioned in the summary above. It includes an index, a notes and
reference section, and biographical notes on each of the sixteen
contributing essayists.
Inclusion: This book is central to the defined focus of the bibliography. It
tackles head-on the conflict between those who advocate teaching a
basic core literacy and those who are disturbed by what they see as
ethnocentrism in education. The strength of this book is in the variety
and quality of its contributors. If I were to choose a single source from
which to "citation chase," it would be this one. Unfortunately, I
found it too late in my research to allow for that activity. I would
highly recommend the user of this bibliography to do so. Of particular
relevance to the topic at hand is the essay by Christine Sleeter and Carl
Grant, entitled "Mapping Terrains of Power: Student Cultural
Knowledge Versus Classroom Knowledge."
Author: Christine E. Sleeter is Associate Professor of Education at the
University of Wisconsin- Parkside. Her major research interests are
multicultural education, school ethnography, teacher education, and
sociology of special education. She contributes to a variety of
educational journals and is author of the book, Keepers of the
American Dream.
Reviews: Journal of Teacher Education, V43 March '92, p.149.
Choice, V28 May '91, p. 1538.
Videos for Understanding Diversity: A Core Selection and Evaluative
Guide. Ed. Gregory I. Stevens. Chicago & London: American
Library Association, 1993.
Summary: This book is a catalog of videos on the the topic of cultural
diversity. Also provided are annotations describing contents and
giving suggestions for use in the classroom setting. Included with
each entry are critical comments by experts in the subject field
covered by the specific video.
Subjects: Intercultural education -- United States -- Video tape catalogs
Pluralism (Social sciences) -- United States -- Video tape catalogs
Nature: This catalog includes an introduction, a usage guide, a key to
themes and categories, an index of titles and themes, a categorical
index, and reviews of each entry
Inclusion: I was delighted to find this resource available from the ALA.
Not only is it an exhaustive listing of videos on the topic, but the reviews
are invaluable. Other elements to recommend this resource are the
guidelines for use, including copyright restrictions for public
viewing; and a directory of distributors found in the back of the catalog.
Author: Selection by the American Library Association
Review: School Library Media Quarterly, V21 Summer '93, p. 266.
The Graywolf Annual Five: Multicultural Literacy--Opening the
American Mind. Ed. Rick Simonson & Scott Walker. St. Paul:
Graywolf Press, 1988.
Summary: This book is a response to Hirsch's and Bloom's books, which
Scott Walker concedes are correct in their assessment of the general lack
of cultural knowledge in America. The author suggests, however, that
the cultural literacy list is simply too exclusive.
Subject: Multicultural education -- United States
Nature: This volume is a collection of thirteen essays by such writers as
James Baldwin, Wendell Berry, Carlos Fuentes, and Ishmael Read,
designed to expand the definition of cultural literacy into one of
multicultural literacy. In the book the editors also offer a list of
multicultural entries to be added to Hirsch's original list of what
every American needs to know to be culturally literate.
Inclusion: As the focus for my bibliography began to include criticisms of
the primary sources concerning cultural literacy, this book offered
itself as a mediator between the two viewpoints. While conceding the lack
of traditional cultural knowledge is a serious problem, the editors see
multiculturalism as a more enlightened path to cultural literacy. The
stature and variety of contributing authors lends authority to this volume as
a valuable addition to the bibliography.
Authors: Rick Simonson is the book buyer for Elliott Bay Books of
Seattle.
No information on Scott Walker.
Review: Reviewed by Kim Ode in the Rocky Mountain News, Jan. 5,
1989, p. 12-S.
Learning Across Cultures. Ed. Gary Althen. United States: NAFSA
Association of International Educators, 1994.
Summary: This book addresses the theme of cultural exchange on an
international scale. It is a collection of essays dealing with a variety
of cross-cultural issues and the need for education in this arena. The
aim of the book is to equip youth for a future world where regular
intercultural exchange will be a way of life. Topics covered include
intercultural communication, cross-cultural adaptation and training,
cultural differences on campus, and the multicultural classroom.
Subject: Multicultural education -- United States
Nature: Nine essays by various contributors are organized into this
volume. The book includes an introduction by the editor and a section
of bibliographic notes on the authors.
Inclusion: This selection seemed to round out this section of the
bibliography because of its emphasis on international cultural exchange
and the impact of such on the future of our students. American
youth today live in a changing world which increasingly stresses global
exchange. An adequate preparation for the future must include
multicultural awareness and cross-cultural training.
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Author: The editor of this collection, Gary Althen, is assistant director for
foreign students and scholars in the University of Iowa's Office of
International Education and Services. He is author or co-author of
over forty publications relating to international cultural exchange.
Review: No review found.
Articles:
Banks, J. "Multicultural Literacy and Curriculum Reform." Education
Digest, Dec91, Vol. 57 Issue 4, p10, 4p.
Summary: Presents a reprint of article from "Educational Horizons,"
which states that our concept of cultural literacy should not be neutral
and static. Rather than transmitting knowledge in a largely uncritical
way, educators should help students recognize that knowledge reflects
the social context in which it is created and that it has normative and
value assumptions.
Note: This entry was taken from the EBSCO Middle Search CD ROM,
Spring 1996.
Inclusion: I chose to include this article, even though I have not reviewed
it, because of its emphasis on culture as an evolving, on-going reflection
of its time and societal circumstances. Such an idea is vital to a tie
between youth culture and adult culture.
Shore, Paul. "Curriculum and Cuture." Humanist, May/Jun95, Vol. 55
Issue 3, p30, 2p.
Summary: This article discusses the value placed on cultural knowledge by
students in American society versus the attitude toward such knowledge
in other countries. He concludes that Americans have a "fragmented
appreciation for culture stemming from the tension between our desire
to forget [our immigrant roots, for instance] and our need to remember."
He maintains that we need a shared cultural language to enable us as a
nation to maintain a unified society.
Inclusion: This article makes an interesting comparison between
mainstream American perceptions of culture and the perspective on
culture shared by most other countries of the world, not to mention
the value placed on such cultural traditions owned by minorities in our
own country. I thought it provided a slightly different justification for
Hirsch-style cultural literacy.
Youth Culture
Books:
Studies in Adolescence: A Book of Readings in Adolescent Development.
Ed. Robert Grinder.New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1975.
Summary: This book is comprised of forty-four essays on the nature of
adolescence. According to the editor, almost seventy researchers
contributed their efforts, and articles were drawn from twenty-eight
journals. Most of the essays focus on the relationship of youths with
social institutions including, among others, the peer group, the
family, and the educational system.
Subjects: Adolescence -- Addresses, essays, lectures
Nature: This work includes a preface and an index. The body of the book
is divided into eight major subthemes.
Inclusion: In spite of the copyright date, I included this work, partly
because of its comprehensive coverage of the topic of adolescence and the
authority of its contributing authors, but particularly because it focuses
extensively on the relationship of youth to the larger society and culture.
Of special relevance to the bibliography are Part 1 (Adolescence and
Society), Part 5 (Socialization: Youth-Culture Commitments) and
Part 6 (Socialization: Value Commitments).
äá≠
Author: A professor at the University of Arizona, Robert Grinder has
revised this book three times. Earlier editions were published in 1963
and 1969.
Youth in a Changing Society. Fred Milson. London: Routledge & Kegan
Paul Ltd., 1972.
Summary: Criticism of youth culture has a long tradition. In his
introduction the author comments on the perennial interest in youth which
society has exhibited since the time of Socrates. This book concerns
itself with adults' almost obsessive preoccupation with the failure of
youth to reflect traditional societal values. Added to this stereotypical
perception of youth culture is the stress placed upon the young by a
rapidly changing world. The author's hope is in building closer
relationships between older and younger members of society to ensure
cultural transmission to the younger generation and to dispel harmful
stereotypes.
Subjects: No LC listings
Nature: The book includes an introduction, five chapters and an index.
Inclusion: The theme of this book is just as relevant today as it was twenty-
five years ago. I particularly appreciated the author's positive approach
to the issue of intergenerational communication. Although the book
was written in Great Britain, the relevance to American youth and
society is clear. From an educator's viewpoint, I liked this book for
its empathetic perspective on young people.
Author: At the time of publication, Fred Milson was head of the Youth
and Community Service Department at Westhill College of
Education in Birmingham, England.
Review: Choice, V9 Oct '72, p. 1051.
The Sociology of Youth: Themes and Perspectives in Sociology. Simon
Frith. Ormskirk, GB: Causeway Press Ltd., 1984.
Summary: This book discusses the rise of a youth culture and its
sociological impact as industrialization has brought about a separation
between home and work. It discusses the function of a youth culture in
managing transitions during adolescent years. Other topics include
youth as a social problem (delinquency, racial and class conflicts), sub-
cultural theory and the future of youth in society.
Subjects: No LC listings
Nature: The book includes six chapters, an index and a bibliography.
Inclusion: This book gave valuable historical perspective on the rise of a
distinct youth culture in modern society. It was the only book I
found which specifically justified such a subculture for its practical
value in the process of coping with the overwhelming transitions faced by
adolescents.
Author: No information
Review: Times Educational Supplement, Sept. 14, 1984, p. 38.
Articles:
Witkin, Mitzi. "A Defense of Using Pop Media in the Middle-School
Classroom." English Journal, Jan94, Vol. 83 Issue 1, p30, 4p, 1bw.
Summary: Defends the use of pop media in the middle-school classroom.
Billy Crystal's speech on his acceptance of the Creative Achievement
Award for Comedy; Asking of teachers to reflect on the lessons they
prepare and to find ways to validate nontraditional tasks in the
classrooms; Teachers' use of popular teen culture in the classroom.
Note: This entry was taken from the EBSCO Middle Search CD Rom.
Inclusion: I included this article because encourages application of the
theories presented by the books earlier listed in this section of the
bibliography.
Marshak, David. "Re-Humanizing Our Children" Education Digest,
Dec95, Bol. 61 Issue 4, p7, 5p, 1 cartoon.
Summary: This article looks at the reasons for emergence of a youth
culture in modern society: industrialization separating youth from the
workplace; the freedom provided by automobiles; post-war
prosperity; technology giving rise to teen-centered mass media; and high
school consolidation. He concentrates on this last element, postulating that
loss of adult-student intimacy in a larger school creates the need for a
teen culture to fill the affective void. He discusses how schools may
begin to once again teach values, giving concrete suggestions for
attaining this goal.
Inclusion: Cultural values are an important aspect of cultural knowledge.
This article brings together the concepts of youth culture and the
educators' role in the teaching of traditional cultural values. For this
reason I thought it a valuable addition to the bibliography.
Simonetti, Marie-Claire. "Teenage Truths and Tribulations across
Cultures." Journal of Popular Film and Television, Spring 1994, v22n1,
pp. 38-42.
Summary: TV shows plaly a vital role in the conditoning of American and
Canadian youth. America's "Beverly Hills 90210" and Canada's
"Degrassi Junior High" and their impact on teenagers are discussed.
Note: This entry was taken from a combined ERIC search.
Inclusion: Although I had no opportunity to read this article, the abstract
suggests that it will be a good addition to the bibliography because
of the importance mass media play in the formation, reflection and
dissemination of youth culture.
Ducey, Michael. "The Meaning of 'Adolescent Chatter' in the Context of
Violent Schools."
Contemporary Education, v52 n1, p42-46, Fall 1980.
Summary: The incresing failure of cross-generational cultural
transmission in America can be examined through research into the
meaning of adoslescent language usage. Adolescents view
inconsistencies in adult society as contradictory to imposed norms. Since
society is experiencing a loss of culture, secondary schools need to
become the locus for its transmission.
Note: This entry was taken from a combined ERIC search.
Inclusion: Although the title of this article does not look promising, the
abstract indicates its relevance to the topic of the bibliography,
including a slant toward my audience of library media specialists. I did
not read the article, but it looks promising.
Eve, Raymond A "'Adolescent Culture,' Convenient Myth or Reality? A
Comparison of Students and Their Teachers." Sociology of Education,
V48 Issue 2, Sep76, pp. 152- 67.
Summary: Attempts to ascertain empirically whether a "value gap"
between youth culture and the adult world does exist by discussing finding
of five authors on the subject. Evidence indicates that although students
do maintain a statistically distinct value system, this system is
primarily conventional in its orientation and differs only to a relatively
small degree from the value system of the adult world.
Note: This entry was taken from a combined ERIC search
Inclusion: This article takes issue with the popular assumption that youth
do not share that part of cultural knowledge which we identify as
traditional values. Because youth tend to "mellow with age," I am
interested in this idea. I was not able to read the article, however.
Burlingame, William V. "An Investigation of the Correlates of Adherence
to the Adolescent Peer Culture." ERIC Issue RIEJAN68.
Summary: The adolescent peer culture was examined to determine
conditions among adolescents associated with dependence on, or
independence of, the youoth culture. A model containing the
dimensions of the youth culture was constructed. Adolescent youth culture
adherence include the tendency to view the adolescent years as idyllic
and developmentally distinct, and the tendency to conflict with the
usual representatives of societal authority....
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Note: This entry was taken from a combined ERIC search
Inclusion: This study sounds as though it may provide an interesting model
to test some of the assumptions society holds concerning teen culture.
I did not read the article.
Lukenbill, W. Bernard. "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Popular
Culture as Sources of Behavior Information for Youth." Catholic
Library World, v56 n9, Apr'85, pp382-86.
Summary: Discusses five developmental needs of adolescents and explains
how they contribute to an "instrumental approach" to the selection of
library materials. Highlights include traditional attitudes of
librarians; place of popular culture in libraries; popular culture media
as arbitrators of behaviors; and heroes, mass media, and reading. Eighteen
sources are given.
Note: This entry was taken from a combined ERIC search
Inclusion: This article seems to consider the role of librarianship with
regard to youth culture. It is the only source I saw specifically dealing
with this connection. I did not read the article, however.