Chapters four, five, and six in "On Critically Conscious Research" are comprised of examples of different types of research projects from the past that are considered within the realm of critically conscious research. While reading a continuous thread of different examples of these types of research feels tedious at times, research that lies within the realm of the critically conscious is not easily defined and necessitates the use of multiple examples to show the wide range of theoretically critical lenses a researcher can use to analyze a problem within a group of people. Perhaps part of what makes critical theories so diverse and therefore difficult to define is that a scenario that calls for critical study involves examining a group of people where a variety of social constructs intersect (race, gender, social class, etc) to create dynamic relationships the can be analyzed and used to define what it means to exist within that culture. This makes critical theory applicable to virtually any study involving diverse peoples.

One thing that struck me as odd is mention only briefly on page 70: critical theory as applied to religion. The book barely mentions the use of critical theory to analyze religion, and only mentions a couple of examples: the image of Muslims in the post 9/11 world and the adaptation of Catholic education programs for Spanish speakers. The book states that "Although a part of CT, religion has remained distant from critical theories. Worldwide religious oppression is fraught with over-tones of mass murders and genocide that occur as powerful nations or groups seek to eradicate the religious beliefs of others." (70) When I read this I wondered why religion is not researched more thoroughly and frequently by critical theorists.Why is religion treated as sacred within this community when nothing else is? Critical theorists examine cultural, racial, and gender issues, and all of these facets of humanity are closely related to religion. Religion is generally culturally based and often has different roles for men and women as well as opinions regarding race (some explicit and some implicit), so it stands to reason that it would be necessary to critically examine the role of religion within a group of people. Of course religion is different from race and gender in a very big way: religion is a personal choice, race and gender are not.

After reading these chapters I also wonder about an idea that seemed to come up often regarding the teaching of English to students who are ESL and EL. While I can understand that teaching Americanized English to minorities can be problematic because of cultural differences and the idea that it makes the minorities language seem subordinate to English, I also see the importance of teach a lingua franca to all people within a globalized society. Perhaps it is easier for me to take this stance since my native tongue is English, but the issue of how to teach literacy in both English and the native language of a group seems like a complicated issue that I certainly do not have the answer to, I just know that the answer is not to stop teaching them English. And I say this not because of cultural reasons, but simply because in 2012 speaking and understanding English is essential to success in a globalized world. I do feel that all students in the United States would benefit from multilingual education.

Finally, Glazier and Seo addressed an issue I have wondered about throughout this book and during discussions on critical theories and race relations: what about White culture, or more specifically what appears to be a lack of White cultural awareness. In their study of European White student populations they find that "Whiteness studies are a missing link in teacher education that leaves many White educators feeling cultureless" (100). Maybe part of feeling "cultureless" (for myself anyway) comes from the knowledge that much of what European White Americans are taught as our history (and therefore our culture) are based on lies and half-truths and that many of the atrocities committed by White European ancestors are glossed over or ignored entirely. What I am certain of is the need for critical theory to examine the ways that race, gender, and social constraints interact to construct our global, multicultural society.