Bøger udgivet af Waldport Press

Clearing a Vygotskyan Path examines the politics of dialect from a developmental psychology and epistemological perspective, showing how misperceptions of language use shape attitudes and influence our ways of talking about language and teaching "correct" forms of writing. Beyond seeing language as a natural cognitive outcome of socializing processes, Broudy shows how writers coping with various apprehensions can develop through language play higher forms of awareness of their own innate sense of rhetorical expression. Gestalt theory and the cognitive effects of cohesion and coherence serve as the theoretical backdrop of play. His research has implications in related areas where words and phrases can serve as coping mechanisms for anxiety, normalizing stress, and bringing closure to traumatic experiences.

Broudy and Pollick critically examine the programs of four radio pundits (Limbaugh, Schultz, Colmes and Hannity) and two TV pundits (O'Reilly and Olbermann), comparatively assessing their argumentative styles, call screening processes, use of 'teasers', guest diversity (how ideologically balanced the guest list is), and the ratio of time devoted to callers vs. host soliloquies. Authors also fit the genre into an historical context, tracing its roots back to Father Coughlin from the 1930s. In addition, the authors examine how propagandistic each show is and how such propaganda might affect civic (and civilized) participation, public discourse and the perception of political issues. The writing style ranges from scholarly to more conversational and cheeky (especially when obviously fallacious reasoning appears in hosts' arguments). Finally, the authors critically discuss the concept of American Exceptionalism and how it underlies the premises of many of the hosts.