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 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…

This packet is designed to reinforce the approach to literary art themes introduced at the "Arts of Asia" workshop, sponsored by the Asian Art Museum. The packet contains: (1) selected reading passages from the Chinese composition, "The Peach Blossom Spring," the Japanese novel, "The Tale of Genji," and the Indian…

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…

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 is a guide to a series of 8mm loop films on the Indian cities of Kanchipuram, Jaisalmer (two films), Fatehpur Sikri, Chandigarh, Gwalior, Bombay, Simla, Goa, Jamshedpur, and Ahmedabad. Each four to five minute film is a source of material for self-study and for group discussion by students in introductory civilizations courses, comparative…

In this grade 6 interdisciplinary language arts and social studies unit, students are required to assume the role of a team and describe their country's participation in trade along the Silk Road. Countries represented in the unit include Egypt, Italy, Iraq, India, Israel, and China. The team is asked to create a display showing artifacts, journal…

This activity unit tells the story of Prince Rama from the Hindu legend, "Ramayana." The story is retold in language appropriate to grades 5-7. Accompanying activities include: (1) "Reviewing Familiar Myths"; (2) "Developing Skills Through Literature", which includes activities on character and symbolism, values and…

The curriculum guide for non-western civilization area studies incorporates these major considerations: 1) the teaching of concepts rather than the accumulation of data, focusing on the development of critical thinking; 2) the development of values, skills, and knowledge needed to cope with the pressing social problems of today including:…

Historical and cultural world understandings are presented to secondary students in this social studies teaching supplement to guidelines described in documents SO 003 186 and SO 003 188. The objective of the activity units is to encourage the students to become inquirers into the values of the non-western and western world. Emphasis is upon…