Describes an engineering course for graduate study in random media. Summarizes random media as bulk properties of ordered and disordered two-phase materials. Gives course outline for one semester. Topics include: disordered systems, microstructure determination, survey of models, connectivity, and effective properties. (MVL)

Reviews the changes in the Japanese social studies curriculum during the past 40 years. Summarizes the goals for a new curriculum as set forth by the Council for School Curriculum (Japan). Reports reaction to this proposal and points out inadequacies in the suggested scope and implementation of materials. (KO)

Presents classroom activities that have been effectively used by teachers to sensitize students toward the complexities of life in rich and poor countries. Lists several guidelines for helping students learn about development. Sees development as a topic which can fit into a variety of curricula. (KO)

The informal curriculum centering on holidays in elementary education often ignores cultural and individual differences among students. School holiday celebrations may have serious consequences for the following dimensions of schooling: (1) aesthetic; (2) curricular; and (3) socio-emotional. Teachers can provide options for all students by making…

Summarized are some aspects of knowledge about the potential health consequences of a nuclear war. Discussed are fires, radioactive fallout, and synergistic effects. (CW)

This article describes efforts to help prospective teachers take a reflective approach to the translation of theory into practice through a practicum experience in a social studies methods course. Also described are the knowledge base and procedures for the course. An assessment of the outcomes is related. (IAH)

Contrasts the communicative approach to foreign language teaching with a proposed cognitive-anthropological approach. The primacy of comprehension over action is argued, and topics are listed for foreign language/culture study that correspond to universals of human experience proposed by anthropologists. (Author/LMO)

Maintains that helping to see the personal relevance of course material is an important instructional goal. Discusses student characteristics, instructor characteristics, and the use of discussion groups. Describes four strategies to personalize information presented in large lecture sessions. (CFR)

Discusses the inclusion of rules regarding classroom etiquette in an introductory college sociology course. Reports on rules regarding tardiness, leaving early, absenteeism, paying attention, and/or sleeping in class. Concludes that students and colleagues are generally positive about the approach. (CFR)

Two lessons from comparable undergraduate courses in physics and engineering are analyzed to identify content, issues emphasized, and concepts used. Differences reflecting the pure nature of one field (physics) in contrast to the applied nature of the other are identified. Implications for classroom instruction and for research on college teaching…

The new Ursuline College (Ohio) core curriculum is based on controversial theories about unique ways in which women learn. In freshman seminars, students are encouraged to discover personal truths by drawing connections between the liberal arts and their own lives. (MSE)

This article reviews the 25-year history of undergraduate medical ethics education. Alternatives to the traditional model that focus more directly on students' personal values, attitudes, and behavior, are discussed. Three incipient trends are identified: everyday ethics, student ethics, and macro-ethics. Specific course and curricula are used as…

Discussion of the use of online learning activities in higher education focuses on experiences with a master's degree program in educational technology leadership at George Washington University (Washington, DC) that involves online learning as an essential element. Plans to create an online doctoral program in distance education leadership are…

The trend toward a "politically correct" college curriculum and instructional materials is criticized as contradicting the principle of academic freedom, an essential principle of higher education. It is argued that appropriate exposure to controversial ideas is a crucial element in the student's intellectual development and the creation…

A white male professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks taught an experimental section of a composition course with a reading list composed almost entirely of American Indian and Alaska Native authors. Vocal controversies about the readings were attributed to fundamentalist views, lack of experience in reading literature, sensitivity about…