Students Creating Canons: Rethinking What (and Who) Constitutes the Canon

Rather than considering (or dismissing) classroom anthologies according to their author/text selection alone, this article underscores the anthology editorial apparatus as a key, tactical part of anthologies and their pedagogical use. The author outlines a pedagogical approach that asks students to analyze anthology apparatus texts and ultimately create their own, challenging students to consider the implications of constructing an American canon as well as the rhetorical challenge of defining and justifying it. The final part of the article includes example assignments, as well as student responses that show critical engagement with canon re/construction.