Discusses the Hessian General Guidelines for Social Education and the Guidelines for Political Education of North Rhine-Westphalia which have led to curricular innovations since the mid-1970s. Also discusses advantages and limitations of integration of history, politics, and geography or history, politics, and social sciences. (KC)

Describes a series of exercises which were developed to teach the basic methodologies involved in analyzing and evaluating the effects of alternative public policies. The exercises, intended for use on the college level, deal with determining causation in policy analysis, finding optimum choices with different probabilities, and finding an optimum…

Examines Canada as a neglected area of political study. Suggests the inclusion of Canada in the comparative politics curriculum because it offers rich comparative opportunities with its cultural pluralism, parliamentary system, and authentic federalism. Lists associations and funding sources for Canadian studies and recommends several textbooks.…

Suggests that political science teachers on the college level use their free summer months constructively by leading workshops for government officials and interested citizens on political science theory, research techniques, and practical political knowledge. (Author/DB)

Argues that social studies educational reforms fail because their goals of promoting active citizenship education through the social studies curriculum are inconsistent with citizenship educational functions of the school. Identifies conditions which encourage and inhibit change and recommends change strategies. (Author/KC)

Advocates a conceptual approach, rather than a country-by-country format, for teaching about industrial democracies because this approach is conducive to generalizations. Notes the neglect of studying small democracies such as Belgium and the Netherlands, which may serve as exceptions to the conventional wisdom about effective democracies. (LS)

Discusses instruction on communist systems and questions whether they should be taught as isolated groupings, given the resulting tendency to distortion. Suggests alternative integrative categories for these systems. Explores the difficulty of teaching these systems in a hostile and polemical environment and offers suggestions to compensate for…

Since the end of the Vietnam War there has been a flood of new historical information vastly revising much of what anyone--left, right, or center--knew. Teachers must take this into account when teaching about Vietnam. All major competing perceptions of the Vietnam war should be analyzed objectively. (RM)

Change is a subject of ever-growing importance for public administration. Discussed are six major perspectives recommended as categories to be combined in various ways to construct graduate courses on change. Also presented are sample exercises for use with doctoral and master's students undertaking the study of change. (RM)

The theory and practice of political science and social studies instruction should be reformulated and reassessed in the light of political socialization studies, particularly with respect to designing curricula and selecting textbooks, planning instructional strategies, and structuring school climates and political systems. (RM)

Discusses three major problems within the field of political science in Mexico: the dearth of classes offered, lack of consensus on the content of courses, and the very limited role of political theory. Provides charts and statistics on the state of political science in the country. (RW)

Describes the objectives and strategies used by the Clark University Department of Political Science to change their introductory course. Notes the results achieved and some basic problems that arose. (Author/CK)

Notes the need for political development courses, but points out the lack of agreement about scope and methodologies. Explores the theoretical and substantive problems in construction of such courses for the 1990s. Discusses attempts to identify a core subject matter, stating that the broader range of theory and subject has freshened discourse on…

Peculiar problems and opportunities that arise in teaching about the Vietnam War to a generation that has little historical memory of the events and virtually no emotional investment in the issues are discussed. (RM)

Maintains that a course in U.S. political thought is necessary to increase students' knowledge of democracy, liberty, and human rights. Provides course goals, structure, and useful texts. Suggests a topical format rather than a chronological approach. Focuses on judicial opinions as an important indicator of traditional values. (RW)