Guided Design has great potential as a teaching/learning method for Women's Studies courses. The Guided Design process is organized around the learner's efforts to come up with solutions to a series of carefully designed, open-ended problems. The problems are selected by the teacher according to the skills and subject matter to be learned. The…

This paper presents a conceptual overview of a sociohistorical method used to teach a course on ethnicity to college students. It also describes implementation and student assessment of the team-taught course. The first part of the paper describes the approach, which was directed toward an increased understanding of ethnic history through the use…

To determine how oral history techniques are used in secondary level ethnic studies courses, and to make suggestions for improvement, 40 questionnaires were mailed to selected schools listed in directories of cultural journalism. The return rate was 33%. Results showed that oral history is used as an instructional technique by experienced teachers…

The aim of introductory classes in Jewish Studies should be a systematic study of the Jewish people and their traditions as important elements in world culture. The introductory student of Jewish Studies should be exposed to an appreciation of the history, culture, and traditions of the Jews as an influential force in the history of man, and to…

The Jewish studies program at Los Angeles Valley College is discussed with an emphasis on the teaching of lower division Hebrew language. As the first two-year undergraduate program in the nation, it seeks to provide an appreciation of Jewish civilization. The program includes classes in Hebrew language, literature, civilization, Jewish…

This paper analyzes an instructional approach based on a student-designed and constructed model of a city and describes how this approach was used in a college-level sociology class on ethnic relations in the city. The approach is called 'City Building.' The major objective of this approach is to bring social life into the classroom. Students…

There are several widespread assumptions about ethnic studies which have adversely affected the development of ethnic studies programs in the schools. Five of these assumptions are that ethnic studies are (1) the study of ethnic minority groups, (2) designed for ethnic minorities, (3) supplementary to the curriculum, (4) the study of strange…

Teachers of culture must know and teach the rationale, the origins of the values and activities, or the problem-solving techniques of the culture being studied. Culture is the totality of the ways in which a group of people solve their basic problems at a given moment in time. As groups of people develop and come in contact with other groups, they…

A model suitable for use in a required social work course or a high-interest elective social work course on ethnic groups, racism, or cross cultural studies uses a five dimensional approach. An elective course entitled "Cultural Diversity and the Helping Process" provides a case study. This course has been taught since 1981 and has occasionally…

Although most educators agree that cross cultural education is a valuable component of the curriculum and that it offers students the opportunity to understand differences and commonalities among people, there is little agreement about how to teach such a subject. An anthroliterary approach to this discipline helps students understand and…

Students' experiences are important in shaping their subsequent practice of the teacher role, and teacher educators should look at the connections between life histories, beliefs about teaching, and classroom practice. Five undergraduate seniors and one graduate student (of various ethnic and racial groups) in preservice elementary education…