A videotape/bulletin package to promote rational alertness regarding pesticides and food was tested with 146 people. Although 68 percent judged the presentation balanced, developers found that programing about risk/benefit issues requires special attention to the way information is communicated. (SK)

Describes a classroom skit intended to depict negative and positive discussions of issues raised by the O.J. Simpson trial as a way of heightening racial awareness. Adaptations of the skit for other current events related to race relations are suggested. (SK)

A religion professor reflects on her approach and experiences in teaching an upper-level course on religion and sexual diversity, looking at conditions in the classroom that create the tolerance needed for discussion, the nature of subsequent classroom discussions of the relationship between body and spirit and about celibacy, and student…

Employs the concepts of taboos and noas to investigate the perceptions of science teachers of controversial topics and curriculum infusion. Describes and analyzes teachers' (n=5) Science-Technology-Society (STS) classroom practices after an STS inservice experience. Teachers' coverage of controversial STS topics appears related to perceptions of…

Reviews 100 years of history and focuses on the relationship between socially controversial biological issues and the decision-making procedures in the construction of the national curriculum. Contains 39 references. (DDR)

Offers readers a personal view of "Junk," a controversial novel about the young homeless, by Melvyn Burgess. Analyzes and critiques the book, concluding that the book has a mission to show how misconceived an "initial drug high" is without "wagging its finger" at the reader. (SC)

Calls attention to the difficulties of broaching issues of "race" and "sex" in the classroom context of nationwide calls for multiculturalism. Discusses the current politics surrounding the importance of student course evaluations, and presents strategies for making evaluations more useful in the context of courses that include controversial…

Describes and interprets personal experiences as an "out" gay male academic who addresses issues of sexualization in his work. Discusses events that have impacted on curricula, on student and collegial relations, and on practices and cultures of university settings. Concludes that sexualization in academia is a contradictory process. (DSK)

Responds to John E. Petrovic's article entitled "Moral Democratic Education and Homosexuality: Censoring Morality." Argues against Petrovic's notion that teachers must portray homosexuality positively and ignore their beliefs against homosexuality. Believes instead that when teachers educate their students about sexual orientations they must…

Concentrates specifically on the experience of using "Maus" (a narrative in comic strip form) with one class which met in spring 1996, after the accidental killing of a Black child by a Hasidic Jew in Crown Heights, New York. Uses the text at Medgar Evers College in a freshman composition course which also functions as an introduction to…

Outlines a simple values clarification technique which can be used to assess students' attitudes towards a controversial issue in order to facilitate group selection. Presents a case study that illustrates the use of the technique for group differentiation, summative evaluation, and research. Examines theoretical questions about how role play…

Argues that science teachers need to have training in and input into citizenship teaching to ensure that controversial issues in science are handled accurately and appropriately. Makes the case that such input should be of mutual benefit to science and citizenship teaching. (Author/MM)

Describes the process by which Cherry Hill, New Jersey teachers, in cooperation with parents, administrators, and other professionals, developed a curriculum for teaching "Huckleberry Finn" that successfully explores the controversial issues by embedding traditional teaching in a rich, historical, and cultural framework. Provides the…

This paper explores whether the notion of "global citizenship" is too abstract to be valuable in driving curriculum policy and active citizenship for students. The paper looks firstly at three of the key aspects of an active role: a concern for social justice; rights; and culture and cultural conflict. It then examines actual curricula and…

This study explored teacher perspectives on the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) and on dealing with ethics in the context of science instruction. Twenty-two middle and high school science teachers from three US states participated in semi-structured interviews, and researchers employed inductive analyses to explore emergent patterns relative…