Skip to the main content

Original scientific paper

The American Eighties Literacy

Željko Bujas


Full text: english pdf 663 Kb

page 139-150

downloads: 370

cite


Abstract

Starting from the fairly recent expansion of the concept of literacy to include "knowing the basics of; being knowledgeable about”, the paper illustrates the possibility and desirability of being knowledge-
able about a single decade. Specifícally, about the 19805 as a chronological section of the description of American Society as a complex sociocultural phenomenon. The paper illustrates techniques that make possible the compilation of lists of items descriptive and significant of the American 805, from the briefest (7 items) to long lists-inventories not unlike Hirsch's 5,000-item Cultural Literacy List
(1987). As possible sources of listable Sos-specific (literacy) items the paper discusses at some length the reviews of the decade in weekly newsmagazines, information almanacs, encyclopedias and
dictionaries of new words". The usefulness of such lists for students of American Civilization is pointed out; also, some crosscultural implications involved in the compilation of such literacy inventories.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

121472

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/121472

Publication date:

24.9.1990.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 1.049 *