Jewish history and the dynamics of anti-Semitism should be incorporated into social work curricula, and students should explore their own ethnic identities and religious backgrounds. This self-exploration enables them to be open to new information and aware of misinformation. Role playing can help students practice responses to incidents of bias.…

Argues that statistical literacy is a necessary component of a complete college education and important in combating growing innumeracy in American society, and describes a general education course at the University of Louisville (Kentucky) that includes it. Instruction focuses on societal issues, sometimes controversial, for which an…

Observes that slavery remains an uncomfortable subject and is generally perceived as strictly part of "black history." Argues that slavery must be seen as an American story that has strongly impacted the country's development. Reviews four books that provide insight into aspects of slavery and debates around it. (DSK)

Recommends that teachers combine multicultural education with an inquiry-based approach to social studies to help students critically examine society. Addresses the different obstacles when adopting this approach and offers an example of the inquiry method at work. Identifies 12 essential questions and controversial issues to use in classroom…

Explains that sentencing circles are a form of traditional Canada Native justice in which the entire community is involved to combat offenders. Provides a unit plan on sentencing circles for social studies in order to teach students about the need for sentencing circles in Native communities. Provides sample lesson plans and an example worksheet.…

Asks to what degree should social studies preservice teachers be prepared to deal with academic freedom issues? Argues that preparing students for citizenship can involve teachers in controversial issues and challenges to curriculum content. Reports that methods professors agreed that preservice teachers should be required to investigate academic…

Describes a program for educating middle school students about the AIDS epidemic and disease prevention while keeping with the values expressed by a conservative community. Considers the use of science, social studies, math, and language arts in the education process, and the cooperation of parents and the community. (JPB)

Regarding Catholic parents' suit against a suburban New York district for promoting occult activities, a federal court ruled in May 1999 that parents had failed to prove existence of the so- called Bedford program. This Solomon-like ruling also rejected First Amendment religious claims and 14th Amendment privacy claims. (MLH)

Describes an activity called "Critical Analysis of Literature." Students read, think, debate, and write about controversial books, examining whether each novel should be included in the school curriculum. This teaches students to critically analyze information, develop an appreciation for literature, and develop a respect for thinking on their…

A year ago, an upstate New York college withdrew a speaking invitation to Wade Churchill, a University of Colorado professor who had characterized 9/11 victims as "little Eichmanns." Churchill's portrayal of 9/11 victims as a mixture of conscious and unwitting participants in a systemic evil of Holocaust proportions indeed was…

The racially tinged Confederate flag debate in South Carolina is viewed as a signifier of more popular struggles over the representation of "southern heritage" and under girds the social studies unit described in this paper. The unit was designed to teach the curriculum from a popular cultural, issues-oriented perspective using critical…

This article begins by tracing the conjunction between the birth of radical ecological politics and the New Left, then moves to a reconsideration of whether a Marcusean politics and culture of intolerance and resistance are legitimate under contemporary circumstances. The article then outlines a call for the reconstruction of a Marcusean…

As the education for citizenship agenda continues to impact on schools, there is a need to begin the discussion to examine the kind of initiatives that can push it forward. In Scotland the proposals should, it is argued, permeate the curriculum throughout the school. Yet there is the fear that the responsibility of all can become the…

After many years of intense debate, the idea that the Iroquois helped shape democracy has passed into the realm of general knowledge the length and breadth of "Turtle Island," and beyond. Although a few brushfires of criticism remain in academia, many people and organizations have been applying Iroquois political principles in their daily lives.…

Quality education in the United States has been compromised via public discourses that reinstitute racism on a daily basis. In its current manifestation, racism survives through the guise of neoliberalism, a kind of repartee that imagines human agency as simply a matter of individualized choices, the only obstacle to effective citizenship and…