These essays were written to assist teachers in the task of making Russian history intelligible to young U.S. students. In "An Approach to Russian History," Edward Keenan proposes that students need to gain a better understanding of how Russians perceive themselves and their history. In "Pre-Petrine Russia," Andrzej S. Kaminski…

Since the end of the Cold War, and more recently since September 11, 2001, relations between the United States and Russia have reached new levels of cooperation and accommodation. At the same time, many important developments in Russia remain cloaked by government intrigue or obscured by the complexity of Russia's political and cultural past. This…

Discusses ways of eliminating cultural, geographical, historical, and ideological misconceptions about the Soviet Union in secondary social studies classes. The author outlines four topics of study about the U.S.S.R. which he has found of interest to his students. (AM)

Urges educators to establish liaisons with professionals in the Soviet Union. Provides background information on the country, its size, populations, languages, and major ethnic groups. Describes the structure of the education system, the critical problems of housing, and the position of women in a consistently male-dominated society. (NL)

A study of the nuclear arms race usually involves curiosity about the Soviet Union. Students want to know about all aspects of the USSR. How teachers can help students see the human side of the Soviets and understand the Soviet point of view is discussed. (RM)

To enhance the use of the Globe Watch IV public television series, produced jointly by Hampden-Sydney College (Virginia) and the University of North Carolina Center for Public Television, each lesson in this guide provides: (1) a statement of the objective of the program; (2) a synopsis of the issue discussed; (3) background information; (4) brief…

This guide was produced to provide K-12 teachers with basic materials on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, because U.S. textbooks frequently ignore this part of the world. These units about the Soviet Union include information on geography, education, lifestyles, government, the Communist Party, economics, and religion. Suggestions for…

Intended for use with grades six through nine, "Global Geography" is a series of ten 15-minute video programs that help students think their way through important issues and increase their understanding of world geography. The programs fit easily into normal classroom schedules and support the content of most existing course sequences.…

The United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) is the largest country in area in the world and ranks third in world population. The geography and the people of the USSR are documented in a series of reproducible black and white maps and graphs designed for use as classroom instructional materials. Maps, graphs, charts, and tables with information…

Basic material on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe is presented in this teachers' guide in such a way that teachers can incorporate it into the daily curriculum or utilize it through special units or projects. The guide is divided into two sections, one covering the Soviet Union, the other Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union section discusses…

Like no other region on the globe, the Caribbean Basin has served as a testing ground for U.S. foreign policy. Of all the countries in the region, Cuba has been the scene of many of the United States' most riveting foreign policy dramas. The teacher resource book and student text probe the complex, often troubled, relationship between the United…

An overview of the histories and cultures of the Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe is provided for K-12 teachers in this guide. The guide is not intended to serve as a comprehensive history, nor as an in-depth analysis of the political and economic systems of these countries. It is hoped that teachers will share the information with…

Given the global significance of Soviet-U.S. relations, elementary and secondary school students should learn about the Soviet Union, but most students graduate from high school with little knowledge and many misconceptions about this country. It is important to teach about the Soviet Union because of: (1) its emphasis in the U.S. media; (2) its…

In the United States, educators have had difficulty teaching about the Soviet Union. Students are often ignorant of the historical circumstances that have affected the U.S./Soviet relationship, and they are often miseducated by stereotypes they encounter in popular culture. This curriculum explores the government and economy of the Soviet Union,…

Discussing the language policy of the Soviet government with social studies students studying the USSR increases students' awareness of the multicultural nature of Soviet society and forces them to think about how such a society operates. Questions that teachers can use to lead a discussion concerning language issues are presented. (RM)