Kevin Costner, America's Teacher

This thoughtful book is a courageous provocation for fans, spectators, and critics to consider the learning experiences and opportunities that inhabit the television and film work of Kevin Costner. Through careful critical analysis of his complexly appreciated work, this book reveals the ways in which curricula—educational experience—manifest in unlikely places. The draw of Costner is the bait; focused explorations of his work are the switch, as they reveal educational ideas and lessons assumed more appropriately embedded in other contexts. Kevin Costner, America’s Teacher is a diamond in the haystack of popular visual culture. -- B. Stephen Carpenter II, dean, College of Arts and Architecture & professor of art education and African American studies, The Pennsylvania State University
When an actor has enduring popularity over several decades, it is imperative to take a close look at their body of work to see what it can teach us about the culture that produced and consumed such performances. Kevin Costner has persistently been a top draw at the box office in iconic roles since the mid 1980s. The authors of this volume take a serious yet entertaining look at how Costner's quintessentially American characters have, for better and worse, represented life in the United States across a variety of genres. It is a lively read about an actor whose work allows the authors to engage in a variety of academic debates about film, American culture, masculinity, race, and education. -- Robert C. Bulman, professor of sociology, Saint Mary's College of California