As faculty director of an undergraduate leadership program that is part of the public policy studies department at Duke University, the author has been developing a pedagogy that introduces students to difficult social issues through community-based internships, and asks them to imagine what kind of leadership it would take to address those issues…

The Agenda Setting Model is a program component that can be used in courses to contribute to students' development as responsible, effective, and informed citizens. This model involves students in finding a unified voice to assert an agenda of issues that they find especially pressing. This is often the only time students experience such a…

This responsibility education activity book for grades 5-10 offers a set of materials that reflect students' interests and motivation for values education. The book is built around three moral principles: (1) "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Confucius, 513 B.C.); (2) "The end does not justify the means" (Immanuel Kant, "The…

Efforts to reform and improve the nation's schools have encountered serious roadblocks, often in the form of parental opposition. This document describes findings of a study that investigated parents' expectations of America's public schools. Data were derived from a national telephone survey with over 1,100 Americans, including 550 White,…

In response to the increasing emphasis on issues of diversity, this document addresses the need for bibliographic instruction in classes dealing with issues of gender and sexuality. The document consists of various bibliographies, guides to research, information headlines and services, library special collections and research institutes,…

In recent years European textbook research has begun to examine the topics of ethnic minorities, multiculturalism, hostility to foreigners, and racism. Its task is not only to ask whether textbooks should present such topics but also how they should be presented. In addressing the issues, an important question to answer is whether the textbooks…

This book presents articles from 25 concerned teachers and professors explaining why and how they integrate inquiry into troubling social issues with the study of language and literature and make it the subject of discussion and writing-to-learn activities. The titles and authors of the 19 contributions to the book are: (1) "Educating for the…

Written to emphasize the historical importance and continuing relevance of protest and reform in the United States, this teacher's guide offers new perspectives and approaches to the study and discussion of the populist, civil rights, and environmental movements in history and to protest in general. A timeline poster presents an overview of U.S.…

An overview of the curriculum of a college course entitled "Politics and Sex" and several strategies found to be effective in transforming students' attitudes about sexual violence are presented. The structure of the course rests on two fundamental principles, both associated with feminist theory. First, the personal is political.…

Designed to parallel five student seminars televised over the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN), this handbook provides an overview of current economic issues for high school students. Selections cover inflation, the crisis in American productivity, unemployment in the United States, global economic interdependence, and the role of…

Materials in this manual are designed to help educators raise the issue of nuclear war through a "day of dialog" on the subject. There are seven sections. Section 1 contains a project reationale; suggestions for implementation; methods for meeting resistance; tips for schoolwide, parent-teacher, and community discussion; uses of the media; and…

This annual publication seeks to inform interested readers about issues currently confronting the United States. The introductory section briefly discusses the 101st Congress, members of the Bush administration, and the Supreme Court. The federal budget process is also discussed in this section. The section on domestic policy issues contains the…

Controversial issues and their effect on students is the focus of this paper, which includes results of research on the influences of media and family. Discussions of controversial issues in an open classroom environment affects student attitudes by promoting: (1) less cynicism about government and politicians; (2) a belief that citizens have…

In these increasingly rootless and spiritually vacant times, high school students, living through the difficult years of adolescence, have much to gain from Catholic schools, including the opportunity to learn and identify with a venerable religious and moral tradition. This 10 chapter guide outlines the various aspects of teaching religion in…

The essence of a healthy democracy is open dialogue about issues of public concern. An integral part of the training of young citizens, therefore, includes the discussion of controversial social, political, and economic policies. The use of classroom discussions as a pedagogical technique to examine controversial issues is explored by considering:…