During the age of agriculturally based empires, various conquerors from the western Mediterranean to East Asia brought large population areas under their own centralized authority. Gradually many of these conquerors came to realize that, although military might was necessary to gain control over an area, sheer force of arms was not sufficient to…

Developed for a one-semester college credit course, this syllabus encourages a cross-cultural approach to the study of Indian society. The objective is to provide students with not only a balanced view of India but also with an idea of dynamics of change. Emphasis is upon paralleling social and political issues in the United States with those of…

Visiting the Temple of Kali in Calcutta, India, one understands the importance of an Afro-centric methodology in describing the complex nature of the Mother Goddess in ancient India. Discoveries of ancient female figurines indicate an early Indian concept of the female role in the creation of civilization and culture and of the notion of the…

The past and the present interweave in contemporary India. To understand India, one must know of the traditional stories. Two short pocket books make them accessible and acceptable to students: 1) The Dance of Shiva and Other Tales from India by Oroon Ghosh, published by the New American Library in New York; and, 2) Gods, Demons, and Others by R.…

The teaching and resource guide on India for ninth grade students is intended to supplement and enrich "Social Studies 9: Asian and African Culture." It is designed as a flexible set of suggestions for incorporating concepts, understandings, objectives, strategies, and available materials. Emphasis is upon inductive methods which…

This unit of study focuses on the historic period from 1920 to 1966 when China's Mao Zedong and India's Mohandas Gandhi constructed and applied their social and moral visions to their respective nationalist movements. These leaders developed contrasting methods to achieve social change and to establish the goals set for achieving the ideal…

This list of over 300 fiction and non-fiction books on Asian countries is designed as a tool for teachers who desire to select works which will foster in children an interest in Asian nations and a knowledge of customs, daily life and culture of the people. All facets of each country are considered -- the land, people, history, customs,…

The primary objective of the guide or introduction is to present approaches to providing a well balanced course or unit on China, India, and Japan. In the study of Asian cultures it is necessary to stress historic facts and the richness of the culture; an exclusive attention to economic growth, modernization, and the social and political problems…

The author outlines an introductory undergraduate course in Indian Studies constructed on the configuration of a social science cluster built around a central disciplinary core of political science. The objective of the course is to build an understanding of contemporary India. As a matter of convenience and organization the course is divided into…

This conference booklet seeks to assist high school teachers who teach about Asia. Emphasis is upon providing a bibliography, with course outlines and background materials also offered. Four hundred annotated citations focusing on book, periodical, and other resource materials, published within the last decade, are provided for teachers working…

As an introduction and explanation of the historical development, major concepts, beliefs, practices, and traditions of Hinduism, this teaching unit provides a course outline for class discussion and activities for reading the classic epic, "The Ramayana." The unit requires 10 class sessions and utilizes slides, historical readings,…

Three hundred and sixteen books dating from 1915 to 1966 with the majority published in the 1950s and 1960s are listed in this annotated bibliography. The purpose of the guide is to identify basic books on Asia which are especially useful for teachers, mature students, and adults who want to increase their knowledge and understanding of Asian…

This selective bibliography, compiled and annotated by Asian specialists, is intended for the general reader as a continuation of Asia: A Guide to Basic Books published in 1966. The purpose is to identify 156 books covering extensive subject areas about Asia. The supplement is a geographically arranged into four major sections: General Asia, South…

The purpose of this quarterly publication from the Asian Studies Project is to promote increased attention to Asian Studies in elementary and secondary education. This issue of the newsletter contains introductory comment on current affairs as well as two main articles: "On the Study of World Cultures" by Dr. Kishorkant Yajnik of India…