In this collection, scholars from the United States, Canada, and Australia examine the concepts of villainification and anti-villainification in social studies curriculum and popular culture, as well as within broader sociocultural contexts. Villainification is the process of identifying an individual or a small group of individuals as the sole…

This book answers: (1) how do socially constructed concepts of race dominate and limit understandings and practices of multicultural education; and (2) since race is socially constructed, how do we deconstruct it? The author argues that multicultural education needs to move beyond racial categories defined and sustained by the ideological, social,…

Adolescence is a time of growth, change, and confusion for young women. During this transition from childhood to adulthood, sex and gender roles become more important. Meanwhile, depictions of females--from the hyper-sexualized girls of music videos to the chaste repression of Purity Balls--send mixed messages to young women about their bodies…

The book aims to change the conversation about sexuality education for adolescents, making it consistent with a democratic cultural politics that is attuned to changes in youth and popular culture. Traditional sex education is nearly obsolete; sexuality curriculum is now primarily learned through popular culture and youth culture, which teach…

In a departure from previous statistical studies, this book focuses on the social responses to homosexuality rather than on homosexual behavior itself. The essays in the book maintain that communication--how gay men and lesbians relate to one another as well as to heterosexuals--is the major factor that determines public opinion about…

This book explores how women have been portrayed in various forms of American popular culture over the years. In an introductory section, it is suggested that popular culture has generally used women to represent a social mythology that is built around women's subordinate status, a position that current feminists reject. Chapter 1 reviews books…

This book of essays addresses changes in the U.S. social scene by examining the roots of change in history. The present is pregnant with many futures and citizens cannot afford to live from an intellectually simple, ahistorical stance. The book contains 12 chapters, including: (1) "Introduction: The Past in the Present"; (2) "The Coalescing of…

A theory of altruism is presented which can be used to assess the effects of monetary reward incentives upon degree of altruistic giving. In this paper, the motive for altruism is hypothesized to be desire for self-esteem and the esteem of other people. However, one receives esteem only if the intent of the act is to help another person and not to…

The study of nonformal education is recast into a broader contextual framework so as to better understand its potential, limitations, and significance. Emphasis is on considering commonalities in nonformal education, as well as its differences from schooling, in relation to processes of social change. The paper considers nonformal education from…

This textbook for the college student emphasizes human sexuality as a part of the whole human life experience and contains a balance of biological, psychological, and sociological material. In 16 chapters the following topics are covered: (1) sex and society; (2) historical and cultural perspectives; (3) glandular control of sexual physiology; (4)…

Written to discuss questions often raised about common (public) schooling in the United States, this book examines issues surrounding the founding of the Department of Education, encompassing a period from the 1830s to the present and focusing on the 1860s. At that time, the common school movement promised that education would be a means for…

This monograph is based on an international survey of approximately 60 individuals/organizations concerning the nature of disability and disability awareness. The survey was part of a project of the International Exchange of Experts and Information on Rehabilitation which is attempting to make information about disability issues from other…

This book presents the ideas of several authors who share the viewpoint that social values play an important role in determining financial policies in public schools. The first section reviews the historic and social context of school financing, summarizing U.S. school finance policy from 1955 to 1980 and describing the political environment of…

Five studies focus on the cultural components of population issues in Thailand, Jamaica, Korea, Kenya, and Indonesia. The reports explore the influence of cultural factors on contraceptive practice, family planning, abortion, and education. Recommendations are made for policymakers in areas that impinge on population growth. "Birth Control…