This essay explores the various definitions of "civitas" and how those definitions have valuable lessons for people. "Civitas" means both a political community or government, especially as found in a republic, and the kind of citizenship a republic requires. Specifically the paper examines the role of government in education…

The relationship between the federal German state ("Bund" or Federation) to the 16 constituent states known as Laender is explored in this document. The first part explains the federal structure; it contains the following sections: (1) Unity in Diversity; (2) Distribution of Responsibility; (3) Legislative Powers; (4)…

This publication analyzes the reform movement in China before and after the Tiananmen Square demonstrations of 1989. In the aftermath of the cold war and because of recent mutual hostility, U.S.-Chinese relations are at a critical juncture. The events leading up to and encompassing the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square and the brutal manner in…

This bulletin, produced by Research Committee on Political Education (RCPE), contains three articles, two conference reports, book reviews, and membership information. "Fantasy and Vengeance: Observations on the Origins of Right-Wing Violence in Italy and in the United States" (L. Weinberg) examines the rise of neo-fascism in Italy and…

This essay chronicles the move toward national standards in the content areas and examines the civics lessons to be learned from the debates. The paper notes the contradiction found in historically advocating local control and support of schools, moving toward the setting of national education goals and standards with little attention paid to…

This booklet is one of a series on world issues that investigates East-West relations in Europe by addressing important questions and dilemmas. These include: (1) What are the goals of the European countries in their relations with one another? (2) How do they view the division of Europe, its origins and its consequences? (3) To what extent are…

Designed as a forum for the exchange of ideas among humanities community college faculty, this journal addresses substantive disciplinary and curriculum issues in the humanities. This issue of the journal contains the following articles and reports (1) "Reanimating Tradition," by Robert N. Bellah, which looks at the instructor's role in…

This issue of a quarterly publication on world affairs explores the historical significance of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the implication for U.S. foreign policy. With the breakup of the USSR in 1990-91, Russia for the first time this century does not have control over the non-Russian nations of its former empire in Central Asia,…

The intention of this guide is to serve as a forum for college faculty members to share ideas and articles about using C-SPAN programming in college classrooms and in academic research. The first article, "C-SPAN as a 'Lecture Launcher'" (Stephen Frantzich) illustrates how well-chosen segments of C-SPAN programming can be used to…

One of a series of booklets on world issues, this five-part document presents information about Mexico. Part one examines Mexican history from Cortez to Madero. Emphasis is placed on the revolution era (1910-1920) and the creation of two political parties: the Partido de la Revolucion Mexicana (Mexican Revolutionary Party or PRM) and the Partido…

These newsletter volumes deal with topics in U.S. history, world history, and U.S. government relating to the Bill of Rights. The newsletters present background information for classroom reading, in some instances provide a list of topical issues, and offer activities for discussion and writing. Some of the topics considered in the newsletters…

This document includes an introduction to the role of government in the production of public goods and services and 3 brief teaching units. The introduction describes the nature of a mixed economy and points out why most people identify the production of goods and services with private enterprise rather than government. It develops a rationale for…

The fall 1990 issue includes essays that recapture some of the presentations and thinking of the 1990 American Bar Association annual conference on higher education, entitled "American Citizenship and the Constitution." The idea of community was a recurring theme of the conference, and is the focus of three essays included in the Fall…

Four articles and two review papers are presented on themes relating to educational leadership within institutions, organizations, and networks and to the development and promulgation of ideas within academic disciplines. Three of the articles explore the opportunity structures that promoted the rise of two college presidents and one powerful…

This issue explains the concept of externalities (benefits or burdens which accrue to society when there is a difference between the private cost or benefit of an action and the social cost or benefit of that action). These external or social costs of individual actions are often referred to as spillover costs. Three brief teaching units follow…