In social studies classes, there is a longstanding interest in how societies evolve and change over time. However, as stories of the past unfold, it is often difficult to identify a direct link between causes and effects, so students are forced to accept at face value the interpretations of economists, political scientists, historians,…

Describes a writing assignment designed to educate students about an ethnic group different than their own. Students first wrote a factual account of how their family arrived at the local region. They then wrote an account from the perspective of a fictional student from a different ethnic group. (MJP)

Demographic data based on the U.S. census of 1980 are presented and compared to data from the 1970 census. A series of charts, maps, graphs, and tables provide detailed statistical data on such things as population growth trends, population by race and age, educational achievement, number of people living alone, male and female occupations,…

The 12 articles in this book cover most of the significant issues about which judges, policymakers, educators, and parents are concerned when they evaluate and debate the desirability of school desegregation. Part I addresses the legal context of desegregation policy with (1) "Brown in Perspective," by William L. Taylor. The effects of…

Reviews suburbanization of United States, created by assembly line construction, wartime housing shortages, and federal mortgage subsidies. States earlier scholars viewed suburban migration as a solution to urban overcrowding, whereas later scholars examined suburbs as symbolic of U.S. values and conformity, insulated from problems of U.S. cities.…

Discusses the economic factors and the emerging black leadership involved in African Americans' migration northward in the early 1900s. This lesson plan includes background material, learning activities, and tips for teaching. Handsomely illustrated, any part could be photocopied for a handout. (MJP)

This document contains teacher's materials for a six-unit secondary education vocational home economics course on housing, design, and furnishings. The units cover: (1) the societal aspects of housing (including the relationship between housing and the economy, population trends, and culture-related housing characteristics); (2) family housing…

Presented from a geographical perspective, this book examines major themes of human geography by drawing from the literature on feminism. The book is arranged into four parts. Part 1 examines sex ratios throughout the world, geographical distribution of female rights and status, spatial patterns of the Equal Rights Amendment ratification, the…