A new theory of geographical analysis--sociospatial knowledge networks--provides a framework for understanding the social and spatial locations of a community's health knowledge and beliefs. This theory is guiding an ethnographic study of health beliefs, knowledge, and knowledge networks in a diverse rural community at high risk for type-2…

Focuses on the industrialization and economic development section of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course, addressing four specific aspects: (1) the character of industrialization; (2) spatial aspects of the rise of industrial economies; (3) contemporary global patterns of industrialization and resource extraction; and (4) impacts of…

Describes Deep Ecology and criticizes its limitations. Discusses mysticism, the bomb, freedom, subjectivity and power as they are addressed by Deep Ecology. Stresses the need to teach ecological balance. (CW)

Proposes a world view or cosmology in the form of 67 laws or principles which are seen by some as governing the Cosmos and the cosmological process. Defines the Cosmos in terms of the ecosphere or Gaia. (CW)

Reports on a study based on the theory of constructive alternativism. Analyzed students' reactions to a photograph of an Indian village to learn what impact the students'"personal geographies" had on the reconstruction of the image. Suggests ways teachers can use these images to enhance students' understanding of world issues. (LS)

Presents a partial bibliography of ERIC database entries concerning Christopher Columbus and the effects of his discoveries upon the world. Includes works on historiography, the ecological impact of the meeting of the two worlds, and history lesson plans. (DK)

Describes the development of an introductory undergraduate geography course that applies human and physical geography to an environmental problem. Discusses reasons for the course and its content and structure. Identifies the focus on a single environmental problem, emphasis on both physical and social processes, and course design as the program's…

Describes the process of developing performance-based tests for elementary history and social sciences in California. Explores development of open-ended questions, examples of questions and student answers, and scoring. Discusses prompts such as categorizing, chronology, cause and effect, controversy, multiple perspectives, interpreting symbols,…

This study employed an ecological perspective to predict variations in the rate of child abuse and neglect among children aged 0 to 19 years in Alberta, Canada, in 1986. Positive correlates of the child maltreatment rate included population change, unemployment rate, percent Native, and North West region of Alberta. Implications for assessing…

Discusses effects of disease on the Atlantic basin after Christopher Columbus established contact between the hemispheres. Emphasizes the decimation of the native populations of the Americas when exposed to illnesses common in Eurasia and Africa. Relates the epidemics to the development of the slave trade and the rise of the middle class in…

Issues demographic experts face concerning voting rights litigation are considered, using examples from Garza v County of Los Angeles (California) (1990). Errors and the age of census figures when released mean that court decisions about appropriate population bases and thresholds will continue to vary from one location to another. (SLD)

Advocates of the use of ecological regression as an indicator of ethnic voting behavior have not demonstrated its validity. The neighborhood model, which assumes that within each precinct Hispanic Americans and non-Hispanic Americans vote alike, is supported as a better way to draw conclusions about voting behavior. (SLD)

Examines existing data on biological diversity among Americans of African descent within the contexts of their evolutionary backgrounds and political and economic realities. Explores the origins of the diversity, and provides an evolutionary and political economy synthesis for evaluating the biological distinctions apparent among African…

Presents a lesson plan on the slave-based rice plantation economy in South Carolina from the late eighteenth century until the Civil War. Includes objectives, teaching activities, maps, handouts of student readings, photographs, and plans for visiting the sites. Discusses plantation life and the culture of the rice economy. (DK)

Compiles excerpts from two 1964 lectures that examine the use of folk and fairy tales for the teaching of prehistory, geography, and grammar. Provides a starting point for thinking about the power of literature as an integrating medium in the Montessori elementary classroom. (HTH)