A course taught at Western Washington University's Fairhaven College brings together all 13 faculty and a third of the student population in an interdisciplinary effort to address the theme of conflict. The course is administered by a student and a faculty member and exemplifies the difficulties of collaborative administration. (MSE)

Reviews criticism of elementary social studies textbooks, focusing on how the written text, the pictures, and graphics often seem unrelated. Asserts that the inclusion and use of literature selections in K-3 social studies textbooks is a newly emerging strategy. (CFR)

Contends that environmental issues are shaping contemporary scholarship across academic areas. Asserts that art educators are familiar with the relationships among art, art education, and the environment. Explores ideas of contemporary ecotheorists and proposes an expanded concept of the community in relation to place. (CFR)

A rationale for providing an integrative curriculum for gifted students is offered, and three curriculum designs are explained: (1) correlation (in which the sequence of presentation is altered to maximize learning of interrelationships); (2) fusion (in which content and skills of several subjects are blended); and (3) core curriculum (focusing on…

States that a national survey indicated that 82% of British citizens reported learning nothing about the United Nations in school. Discusses efforts to improve education about the United Nations through the National Curriculum in England and Wales. (CFR)

The development and structure of 6 interdisciplinary world civilization courses by 14 faculty at San Jose State University are described. The curriculum provides a framework for investigation of common problems facing all cultures, analysis and assessment of attempted solutions, successful and unsuccessful, and evaluation of contemporary attempts…

Urges the internationalization of the engineering curriculum to prepare students for the rigors of global competition in the international marketplace. Lists accreditation pressures and market incentives as barriers to needed diversity. Discusses engineering programs at several schools. Concludes that interdisciplinary inquiry is needed to provide…

Asserts that education cannot be limited to the confines of a textbook but must be a true window to the world. Argues that this can be achieved through curriculum and thematic teaching. Provides suggestions for designing and teaching integrated, thematic units. (CFR)

Describes the revised social studies curriculum at Wausau West High School (Wisconsin). Discusses interdisciplinary cooperation among teachers, team teaching, and emphasis on higher order thinking skills. Contends that flexible scheduling and varying class size contribute to the program's effectiveness. (CFR)

Reviews the 10-part video series, "Geography in U.S. History," designed to integrate geographic concepts into secondary U.S. history instruction. Contends that several of the programs are excellent whereas others have major limitations. Provides an overview and evaluation of each video. (CFR)

If colleges and universities wish to internationalize the curriculum, they must provide faculty with foreign study opportunities and assist them with the design of interdisciplinary collaborations. Two institutions and one consortium that have created promising and unique approaches to this kind of faculty development are profiled. (MSE)

An interdisciplinary faculty team from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (Missouri) and Albany College of Pharmacy (New York) collaborated in integrating a course on herbal products with a course on critical thinking. The collaboration was designed to improve students' professional critical thinking, communication, and ethical decision-making…

Suggests that issues-centered education has two implications for the social studies curriculum: (1) the application and eventually the integration of subject knowledge and modes of inquiry; and (2) the development of interdisciplinary patterns of curriculum organization, such as fused or the core curriculum, to accommodate the imperative for…

Explains the concept of a topic study, how it meets the needs of teachers seeking to integrate their teaching, and how it is especially well suited for environmental education. Outlines curriculum for a topic study on the greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion. (DDR)

The recent experience of the business school at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in overcoming structural obstacles to curriculum development is discussed. Drawing on an automobile industry model for organizational change, the school used an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum design and implementation. Characteristics of the…