Presents a four-day lesson plan for secondary U.S. literature or Bible-and-literature classes, using the Garden of Eden story and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter." Identifies objectives, materials, procedure, and evaluation measures. Develops students' ability to discover analogies and irony in literary texts. Lists teacher…

Presents statistics on students' belief in God and their lack of knowledge about various religions to justify the inclusion of religion studies in school systems. Gives a variety of Web sites for teachers planning to include religion studies in their classrooms. Covers topics such as curriculum, listservs, and indices of religions. (CMK)

Beyond no-establishment and free-exercise principles, widespread agreement now exists on many thorny church-state questions: school prayer, teaching about religion, Bible clubs, equal access, excusals, distribution of religious literature, religious holidays, creationism, released time, and character education. One issue, speaker versus audience…

Examines strategies used by non-Native scholars who write or teach about American-Indian religious traditions. The current trend--an apologetic stance emphasizing contrasting "representative" Native and European voices--unwittingly reinforces stereotypes and appropriation of idealized Native images. In contrast, approaching the subject…

The question posed by the "Canadian Journal of Environmental Education" volume 11, "where is the place for religion in environmental education?" is rephrased in this essay to become, "where is the place for a religious view of the order of nature in environmental education?" Relying on the writings of Seyyed Hossein…

Sacred women have been portrayed throughout the history of India and Southeast Asia. Some were depicted as consorts to the Hindu gods and regarded as the necessary force that activates male energy. Other images arose out of local fertility cults and represented uncontrolled feminine energy that could be terrifying in aspect. The calmer Buddhist…

This literature review examines the "God concept," defined as the "cognitive or affective internal psychological representation of God." Most religions have a conception of God. In this review relevant literature focused on: (1) conceptual representations of God; (2) factors related to or predictive of these representations;…

This project introduces a syllabus for studying comparative politics among Canada, Pakistan, and Japan. Students learn that comparative politics provides an understanding of how different political systems operate and the importance of culture in understanding politics. Three functions are addressed in the course: system functions, process…

This study of Pakistan provides students and teachers an opportunity to understand the political, religious, and literary accomplishments of the Pakistanis. This project is uses slides to show the beauty of Pakistan and its people. A map indicating the distance between Miami, Florida and Pakistan is provided along with a 5-item reference list of…

This annotated bibliography is intended for all who want to learn more about the Middle East--the land, the people, and the communities of ancient and modern times. The document is specifically designed to enrich religion and social studies programs in elementary and middle schools. The types of resources listed are: resource directories,…

The growing movement for teaching about religion in the public schools, as distinguished from religious instruction or devotional exercises, reflects widespread concern regarding the phenomenon of religious illiteracy and the lack of knowledge or understanding of the significant role played by religion in U.S. life, past and present, and in world…

Designed as a forum for the exchange of ideas on significant issues in the humanities, this annual journal presents articles written by two-year college faculty in the humanities disciplines. The 1991 issue includes the following: (1) "Why I Write and How I Teach," by Linda Ching Sledge; (2) "The Australian Character," by Carol L. Nelson-Burns;…

This book examines the cultural universal of religion and spirituality from a multicultural perspective and a time dimension. The text is written for juveniles and includes many color photographs. Chapters include: (1) "The Need to Believe"; (2) "The Americas"; (3) "Africa"; (4) "Europe and the Middle East"; (5) "Asia"; and (6) "Australia and the…

This teaching packet serves as a unit by itself or as part of preparation unit for a visit to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to see the exhibition "Puja: Expressions of Hindu Devotion." Focusing on Hindu religious objects found in an art museum, the packet suggests connections between art and world studies themes. In addition, these…

Discusses the writings of Homer W. Smith, a physiologist who wrote novels, histories of religion, textbooks, and a book on the kidney for the general reader. Smith's writing skills remind students that biologists are as multidimensional as the rest of the population. Smith shows that all parts of life are interrelated as they enrich and shed light…