Argues that a carefully designed and skillfully moderated asynchronous Internet classroom environment can help minimize problems related to gender in traditional classrooms. Discusses class “climate” and class discussion in the traditional classroom and in the online classroom. Notes research related to gender and the online classroom. Outlines course design and teaching strategies. Offers a policy for online class conduct.

Describes how the author came to develop an elective community–college course called “AIDS: A Literary Response.” Discusses the course curriculum and course materials, literature and films, class assignments, formal paper assignments, notebooks of materials, and the impact of the life stories shared with the class by visitors.

Focuses on images of teachers (particularly English teachers) in films. Argues that understanding how society views teachers through the prism of cultural imagination can productively challenge the profession to create its own pedagogical images. Suggests that, although these films depict the teacher’s sexuality to define its proper limits, the drama of eroticized teaching obscures larger concerns over classroom politics.

The use of audiovisual materials, graphics, acoustics, special effects, and the like, to enhance, supplement, or even supplant the lecture, paper, or standard written/oral forms of communication has become increasingly important in today's technologically oriented business world. Available products and new developments offer both a challenge and a satisfaction that can be highly advantageous to the classroom situation. Students profit with increased learning and often a more avid interest in communication studies; teachers profit by having interested, involved students and the satisfaction that comes with employing up-to-the-minute resources and materials. (Examples of films for use in teaching communications classes are cited.)