Provides brief arguments for and against the use of animals in research and education. A survey was conducted of 200 students to seek answers to the following questions: How do students feel about the dissection of animals in life science classes?; and Do students feel they would learn as much biology without laboratory animal investigations?…

The Board of Governors of the University of Colorado at Boulder has turned down the promotion of an associate professor of English who specializes in study of erotic literature and obscenity. Critics call the ruling a breech of both academic freedom and faculty governance. (MSE)

Many assert that the use of animals for dissections in the secondary and undergraduate class is unnecessary. This article describes a study conducted to compare the attitudes and achievement of students who use interactive methods instead of conventional dissection. (ZWH)

The debate over political correctness and cultural diversity in U.S. higher education is examined, and three basic questions are raised: who is to be taught?, what is to be taught?, and who will teach it?. Higher education's contribution to social change is seen to be its ability to discuss issues with openness, candor, and reason. (DB)

Describes an upper-level undergraduate psychology course in which students applied psychological research to contemporary social issues. Students presented two reports on a controversial issue: one based on media reports and the other based on their own research. Reports that the experience gave students a better understanding of the strengths and…

Examination of controversial scientific issues provide an accurate picture of science. Examples, drawn from the physical and life sciences, show how complex and subtle scientific issues may be; how difficult it may be to perform and interpret experiments; and how science constitutes a vigorous, self-correcting mode of inquiry. (Contains 45…

Explores the Columbia River Basin, its ecosystems, and challenges faced by natural resource managers. By studying the basin's complexity, students can learn about common scientific concepts such as the power of water and effects of rain shadows. Students can also explore social-scientific issues such as conflicts between protecting salmon runs and…

Examines how individual differences in epistemological beliefs, strength of beliefs, and need for cognition affected the written conclusions that 11th graders constructed after reading a passage presenting arguments opposing and supporting gun control. (SR)

Endorses the television series entitled "Culture Shock" that views controversial art as an artifact suggesting that the arts, and controversies surrounding them, can help viewers think critically about the issues of past and present societies. Focuses on "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," the painting "Olympia,"…

Discusses how moral values should be addressed in schools. Focuses on procedural neutrality that is a method of values education that refers to a way of dealing with the discussion of controversial issues in schools. Suggests using another approach, critical affirmation, because the disadvantages of the procedural neutrality approach are serious.…

Survey responses from 42 teachers in 24 Scottish elementary schools and 8 structured interviews suggest that study of the Holocaust is generally considered appropriate for elementary students, parents have few objections, and Holocaust history is set firmly within the context of World War II. Significant barriers to its teaching exist, yet most…

Argues that for a true moral democratic education teachers must learn to address homosexuality in elementary and secondary education using methods that focus on moral democratic stands (MDS) as opposed to moralistic positions. Explains that MDS is essential because it includes recognition of homosexuality and non-oppression simultaneously. (CMK)

Examines objections to sex education practices and calls by British Muslim leaders to withdraw Muslim children from sex education classes. Discusses policy makers' dilemmas as they try to reconcile the public interest with diverse beliefs. Considers whether an approach to sex education that is acceptable to all groups is possible. (DSK)

The University of Wisconsin Madison has a speech code that punishes faculty who make offensive remarks in the classroom. The code, declared unconstitutional in 1991 by a federal judge, has now been revised by a panel of professors, administrators, and students to allow faculty to teach controversial subjects, even if some students are offended in…

Suggests the ultimate competition for writers of contemporary adolescent fiction is life--the world that children inhabit is getting stranger and stranger. Discusses parents' and adolescents' different reactions to the novel "Boys Lie," which addresses the issues of rape and sexual harassment. Presents reactions to the speech and the responses of…