One of the more common misconceptions in the teaching profession is that professors who use popular culture and fantasy in the classroom have abandoned the classics. However, in a variety of contexts--from high school to college, freshman composition to senior seminars, English language and literature to computer science, philosophy and politics--fantasy materials can expand and enrich an established curriculum. These essays combine close analyses of popular television shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer; such films as The Matrix, The Dark Knight and Twilight; Watchmen and other graphic novels; and video games; with explanations of how best to use these and similar works in the classroom. With experience-based anecdotes and helpful suggestions for course curricula, this collection provides a valuable pedagogy of pop culture.

Seemingly the most fantastical of television series, ""Buffy the Vampire Slayer"" proves on close examination to be firmly rooted in real-world concerns. In this collection of critical essays, fifteen authors from several disciplines, including literature, the visual arts, theatre, philosophy, and political science, study ways in which Buffy reflects, illuminates, and clarifies its audience's real-life experiences.The topics include the series' complicated portrayals of the relationship between soul, morality, and identity; whether Buffy can truly be described as a feminist icon; the ways in which Buffy attempted, somewhat unsuccessfully, to undermine stereotypes of Native Americans in Western culture with the season four episode ""Pangs""; the role of signs in the interaction between Buffy's aesthetics and audience; and the problem of power and underhanded politics in the Buffy universe, where characters frequently manipulate others for self-serving reasons or give in altogether to the dark pleasures of raw power.

"A thought-provoking collection of essays on life and living"

"Voices from the Heartland" is a celebration of women's contributions to Oklahoma's recent past. It records defining moments in women's lives--whether surviving the Oklahoma City bombing or surviving abuse--and represents a wide range of professions, lifestyles, and backgrounds to show how extraordinary lives have grown from the seeds of ordinary girlhoods.

From former Cherokee principal chief Wilma Mankiller, First Lady Kim Henry, novelist Billie Letts, and prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, to OU basketball coach Sherri Coale, the authors share their personal reflections on finding balance as they look back on defining moments in their lives, mull over what they wish they had learned sooner, and convey the wisdom they've unearthed on their journeys thus far.

Touching on topics from adultery to left-handedness, from losing children to losing perspective, these essays speak from the heart to reveal what it means to be an American woman today. Readers will meet activists and writers, advocates and artists--some of whom are household names, while others work outside the public eye.

"Voices from the Heartland" speaks to readers all across America and demonstrates that women in Oklahoma represent the heart of us all.