Teaching the (Uni)Verse: An Essay for Teachers of Languages, Texts, and Cultures

This article explores the “expanding universe of texts,” arguing for new conceptions of literacies emblematic of new media, new cultures, new languages, and the absolution of new selves. The author maintains that teaching English language arts in the 21st century is tantamount to exploring a new frontier, an organic space that opposes the restrictions placed upon it by most standards documents. The author concludes that while new literacies are emerging, old literacies are being justified in ways that threaten the progressive course of civilization and that reflect prior systems of wrongs.