Mickan (applied linguistics, U. of Adelaide) applies social theory to language education, treating language as enmeshed in human activity rather than as a system independent of non-linguistic phenomena. The curriculum he advocates is constructed around the discourses or texts of social practices. He covers texts in the fabric of life; change and renewal in curriculum design; learning the language of social practices; curriculum design and planning; teaching practices; curriculum applications; curriculum design in higher education; and language planning, curriculum renewal, and the teacher as researcher. Distributed in the US by UTP Distribution. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)