ABSTRACT
This chapter explores service academy criteria for selecting texts for study, preparations geared toward officer development, and approaches to make texts and coursework meaningful to cadets' recasting of their identity. A cadet's loss of identity upon arriving at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA), having his or her worldview drawn into question, and the ongoing shaping of a commitment to the Academy require faculty to assist cadets in restructuring that identity. Instead, a military academy instructor weighs the texts to be studied in class carefully, as the discussions that evolve, combined with direction, questions, and depth provided by the teacher, are the sources from which one develops assessments. Instructors conduct this advance work in groups for the core texts, something very new to me, as we always worked alone in France. As one might imagine, our group meetings are opportunities to talk about our common interests, language and literature, and to establish stronger bonds between colleagues, military and civilian.
