Focusing on the rationales and materials for teaching social issues in the English classroom, this thematic issue contains the following articles: "Introduction: Reflections of Society in Literature" (M. B. Fleming); "Addressing Social and/or Controversial Issues in the English Classroom" (S. Totten); "The Growing Threat to Quality Education: How the Censors are Restricting School Curriculum" (A. T. Podesta and C. Macy); "What Price Academic Freedom?" (R. Ehrlich); "Reflections on Controversial Topics and Their Place in the Public Classroom" (O. McGraw); "From the Other Side of the Desk: A Student's View--'Social Issues in the English Classroom--Here Today, Here to Stay'" (D. G. Hunt); "Teaching Controversial Social Issues: Personal and Professional Tasks for Teachers of English" (A. Molnar and D. R. Walling); "Facing Controversy: An Organization's Role in Addressing the Nuclear World" (S. Alexander); "Controversy Doesn't Have to Find the Teacher" (J. D. Black); "Three Tactics for Teaching Critical Thinking through Social Issues" (J. Beck); "Writing Arguments: Opinion or Informed Position" (P. Luther); "Winning Their Hearts and Minds: An Approach to Teaching the Persuasive Paper" (S. Sulkes); "Using Oral Histories to Address Social Issues in the English Classroom (S. Totten); "Incorporating Science and Technology Issues into the English Curriculum" (R. Yager); "Holocaust Education: Reaching Students and Students Reaching Out" (L. B. Rabinsky); "Three Explorations in Teaching about Peace" (S. Berman); "Student Developed Units on the Nuclear Arms Race" (S. Totten);"Prejudice: Literature in a Conceptual Approach" (M. Kleg); "Making the Most of Cultural Diversity: A Teaching Unit on the Role of Women in Society" (K. Mangelsdorf); "Censorship: A Controversial Study" (S. Totten); "Human Rights and the Study of Literature: Social Controversy in George Orwell's '1984'" (W. R. Ferenkes); "Confronting Controversy in the Classroom with 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'" (L. Bulman); "John Hersey's 'Hiroshima': A Literary Classic for the Classroom" (J. A. Scott); "Controversial Issues in Popular Lyrics, 1960-1985: Teaching Resources for the English Classroom" (B. L. Cooper). A selected annotated bibliography of literature that addresses certain key social issues is also included. (JD)