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…

Describes an introductory undergraduate survey course on European history that incorporates three interrelated sections: constitutional government in Europe, the American revolution, and the French Revolution. The instruction emphasizes the interconnectedness among the events and includes repetition of key ideas and information. Discusses the…

Describes an interdisciplinary unit that brought the Civil War to life for 11th-grade students in a team-taught unit that highlighted student-driven response to reading. Describes use of a 19th-century essay supporting slavery, Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle,""Huckleberry Finn," Civil War poetry and other writings, and student projects based on the…

Describes the development of an instructional technology course at Fairmont State College (West Virginia) for education majors that included a teaching module combining steps of the writing process to provide for the interdisciplinary focus of writing across the curriculum. Discusses desktop publishing, the National Writing Project, and student…

Presents an annotated bibliography of 22 trade books that deal with violence and its consequences. The books have been chosen for their power in dealing with tough subjects forthrightly and without compromise. Includes fiction and non-fiction suitable for intermediate (grades 3-5), middle (grades 6-8), and advanced (grades 9-12) levels. (MJP)

Describes a final assignment in an introductory sociology course that helps students apply their sociological knowledge. Students choose a book or movie, provide a plot summary, analyze it using a minimum number of sociological terms gathered from different chapters or topic areas, and provide a brief conclusion. (MJP)

Use of problem-based learning in a large upper-division general education class at McMaster University (Canada) provides opportunities for students to identify and practice skills for inquiry into societal problems and solutions. Classroom techniques and processes preserve the essence of problem-based learning despite the fact that the class is…

Asserts that cultural and social realities are historically constructed and underlie modern works on childhood. Touches upon child abuse research, cultural aspects of educational expansion, and interdisciplinary applications. Highlights homogenizing and heterogenizing factors, children's rights, standard of living and distribution, life-course…

This paper argues that major curriculum revisions are needed in all dental schools, particularly to train dentists as oral physicians who can treat oral health in the context of overall physical health, as in other medical specialties. An Institute of Medicine report, "Dental Education at the Crossroads," is criticized as supporting a…

Discusses library historians, publishing, and tenure requirements for library educators. Topics include problems in conducting research; the need for library history; the publishing industry; disciplinary insularity versus interdisciplinary study; and 10 guidelines for untenured research novices. (LRW)

Presents information about Illinois' Father Sweeney School for the Academically Gifted Child. Discusses the school's curriculum, which includes math, French, science, language arts, social studies, and religious education. Indicates that students are taught to become responsible for their own learning. Describes other school activities, including…

Examines the use of the garden as a metaphor for cultural diversity and respect for individual differences in children's literature. Identifies and discusses major concepts concerning culture and community in such books as "The Secret Garden"; "Miss Rumphius"; and others. Includes suggested extension activities. (MJP)

Fairleigh Dickinson University (New Jersey) students take four core general education courses from the second half of the freshman year through the first half of the junior year. All sections have the same syllabus, and faculty teaching them on separate campuses review and refine the courses together. Core course faculty participated actively in a…

Discovers that Carson McCullers and August Strindberg both made extensive use of musical structure in their literature. Specifically discusses the use of the coda, a last section of music that creates a sense of finality by reiterating the principal theme. Briefly discusses literary uses of the ballad and sonata. (MJP)

Attempts to demonstrate the linkage between opinions, attitudes, and ideologies and to look for ways of explaining variation in opinions as well as in shared social dimensions of evaluative beliefs. The article argues that theories of discourse and ideologies, as well as the cognitive aspects of ideologies, should not be reduced to any partial…