Presents a study of the effects of a number of socioeconomic features of Canadian cities, particularly unemployment rates, on the attitudes toward immigrant groups of native-born residents. Finds no evidence of a sizeable effect of local unemployment rate on attitudes toward immigrants, disputing public statements linking economic conditions with…

Examines Edward Bellamy's "Looking Backward" as the most popular U.S. utopian novel, and a major expander of the ideology of progress through technology. Provides an explanation for the book's popularity, and compares it to other utopian novels. Warns against using "Looking Backward" as a substitute for full-scale historical…

Notes the current attempt to replace social studies with U.S. history and geography. Delineates the two strands of thought in the social studies reform movement and argues that there is a strong tradition of the social studies as a unified, issue-centered field of study. (SLM)

Reviews the history of social studies as an integrated, issue-centered field of study from its inception within the progressive movement to the present. Summarizes major curricular development projects within the issues-centered orientation and speculates on the decline of the problems approach in social studies education. (SLM)

Reports on a study which was conducted to provide a sample of biology teachers an opportunity to describe their experiences and opinions regarding the controversial issue of evolution and creation as it relates to teaching about the origins of life. Provides the objectives, sample selection, an analysis, and a conclusion. (RT)

Discusses the need for critical review of expert scientific findings used in the development of social policy. Uses the case of dissent from the Institute of Medicine's report on health care for the homeless to illustrate the conflict between scientific and practical moral objectivity. (FMW)

Discusses the use of oral history to enliven, enhance, and supplement the standard social studies curriculum. Presents rationales for using oral histories, methods for classroom use, and suggestions for locating interviewees. Includes an annotated list of oral histories that address social issues. (GEA)

Reviews current knowledge of the most frequently asked questions about child sexual abuse, in areas such as its prevalence and trends, and what populations are at risk. Data presented from 19 adult retrospective surveys show that the incidence of reported child sexual abuse is rising, that less than one-third of the cases were committed by…

Illustrates, through text and graphs, that many striking variations are submerged beneath overall figures of poverty rates. The substantial differences in poverty rate according to race and ethnicity are, in large part, the consequences of major differences in family types and work situations. (SLD)

A Conservative member of the British Parliament addresses the critical need to develop the cultural resource of creative talent. The prime inhibitor of creative development is thought to be the walls of bureaucracy which pervade modern life. Implications for British schools choosing to opt out of local authority control are outlined. (DB)

Describes an undergraduate Psychology of Social Problems course. The course focuses on the psychological aspects of legal abortion for adolescents and women, the consequences of denied abortions on unwanted children, and psychological ramifications of alternatives to abortion. Summarizes student evaluations of the course. (CFR)

Examines the historical context of the current Latin American educational crisis from the colonial era to the 1980s, comparing it to the educational investment undertaken by the Republic of Korea in a similar crisis. Calls for reform in state institutions, including a commitment to education, change in the economic model, and recognition of global…

Although the society of Victorian England witnessed significant improvement in moral and social conditions, we today confront considerable deterioration in ours. Illegitimacy, crime, and deviant behavior are discussed in the context of restoring virtue to society. (SLD)

Response to "The Bell Curve." Argues that correlations between IQ and U.S. social problems are created by the IQ selection process; in addition, emphasis on testing and innate abilities has produced lowered expectations of what students can achieve through hard work and learning, resulting in lower mathematics achievement among North…

Expresses the belief that the worse social and cultural circumstances become, the more desperately and dangerously reactive formal education tends to become. The author argues that liberal arts teacher education can, in the case of true professionalism in education, be a stabilizing influence by offering sound judgment, judicious flexibility, and…