Many middle school teachers are not prepared to develop units and lesson plans on controversial topics. In addition, many are not prepared to respond effectively when controversial topics arise unexpectedly during routine lessons. This is a significant problem because controversial topics are arising with increasing frequency in middle school…

This paper explores difficulties in talking about "race" and difference in a post-apartheid university classroom. The data come from classroom-based research conducted in a first-year undergraduate English Studies course at a historically "white" and Afrikaans university in South Africa. Drawing on poststructuralist ideas on…

Many nations, including the United States, have had to make difficult decisions that often affect educational equity. This article addresses three controversial issues--parental contributions to public schools, student tracking, and testing practices--by comparing policies in South Africa, England, and China with those in the United States.

No one can doubt nowadays that ethics in business is an important issue. Recent corporate scandals involving corporations such as Enron, WorldCom, and Freddie Mac, to name just a few, have exposed highly questionable business practices and criminal behavior. In this paper, the author would like to distinguish between illegal practices and legal,…

Human sexuality is taught in a number of public middle and high schools within the United States. Teachers report less professional preparation and training in this area and difficulties associated with teaching what is considered to be a sensitive subject. In the current paper, we review the nature by which sexuality education is positioned…

This article focuses on issues related to boys, literacies, and schooling as played out in the Australian context. It reflects on the swathe of populist discourse centring on boys, and on literacy, that drives a potentially divisive education agenda. In providing more nuanced analyses of the debates surrounding the disputed territory of boys,…

In this article, the authors ask: What is the difference between an assumed image of empowerment and a "real" image of empowerment? How can feminist educators help students to tell the difference? What do the discourses of current third-wave feminism and postfeminism teach women about representation, empowerment, and their place in the realm of…

In this essay, Clayton Pierce examines the epistemological standpoints of Intelligent Design (ID) and evolutionary science education, focusing specifically on the pedagogical question of how ID and modern science-based education fail to promote democratic relations in how students learn, think, and associate with science and technology in society.…

Affirmative action, a controversial topic about which students have many misconceptions, lends itself especially well to a sociological analysis. This paper describes an approach to teaching that: (1) informs students of different affirmative action programs; (2) gives them the opportunity to apply and integrate a variety of concepts and research…

In this article, the author examines the controversial issue whether to teach sex education or sexual abstinence. Sex education has always been fraught with controversy. The discord in Westbrook, Maine, school district is noteworthy because of the vocal support for an abstinence-only curriculum approach to sex education that has reshaped the…

Using Frederic Jameson, we outline concentric circles of the political unconscious structuring debates about academic freedom at the national and state levels. By drawing parallels between the World War I university and the contemporary university, we suggest that such circles function historically, always bearing traces of an earlier time. To…

In contrast to "Just Say No" lectures on drug use common in K to 12 drug education programs (e.g., Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E.), this activity used peer teaching in an Introductory Psychology course to promote active learning and open discussion of controversial issues about drug use. Working in small groups, students researched…

In this monograph, certain viewpoints, strategies, and policy tips have been separated from the main text. These "notebooks" of information, taken together, comprise a useful handbook for school officials who want to recognize censorship, put it in perspective, and prepare for consequent controversy. The purpose is to provide workable strategies…

A direct and definitive response to the creationist Noah's ark arguments is presented in this publication. Although the Bible is used as a constant reference point, the author does not engage in biblical criticism. The critique is rather directed at the leading creationist books and experimental studies that seek to scientifically prove that the…

Intended to provide social work educators, practitioners, and students with a resource for identifying films which depict varying aspects of homosexuality and society's responses to it, this annotated filmography lists over 100 films, most of which were produced between 1967 and 1983. Divided into three sections, films listed in Part I are…