The history of the eugenics movement is reviewed. The authors conclude that, despite changed terminology and a shifting emphasis, advocacy of eugenics and its discrimination against poor and mentally retarded persons still persists today. (MC)

A study of the mythological elements attendant upon professional baseball reveals the complex social and cultural beliefs contributing to the current American world view. (LH)

The history of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA) is examined. ACA is the parent organization of the American Association of University Women and the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors. ACA played a crucial bridging role in the history of higher education for women by simultaneously supporting conventional and radical…

Despite recent research by regional historians, Appalachian museums continue to collect and exhibit artifacts that conform to a century-old "canon" romanticizing pioneer life. Within this framework, Appalachian craft objects are considered low-status compared to the material culture of colonial elites exhibited in major urban museums.…

The history of left-handedness can provide teachers and parents a better understanding of left-handed children and give those children more pride in their difference. No child should be made to feel that he or she is abnormal because of using the left hand, although some specific instruction for these students is necessary in handwriting. Many…

This paper on special education in the early 20th century examines: the status of special education before World War I; changes in social philosophy that arose as a result of the war and their impact on education; the care and treatment of individuals traumatized by World War I; and the results of the war in improved theory and expanded knowledge…

The Victorian concept that women would sacrifice their femininity by participating in vigorous sports has to some extent been ameliorated, but vestiges of the bias remain today. This attitude was not based on hostility toward women but on overprotectiveness and concern for imagined dangers for the health of women, whose prime function in society…

Argues that science, like any other human activity, is limited by the culture and the age to which it belongs. Examines the Iowa Child Welfare Research Station's conclusion that the IQs of young children were affected by specified environmental conditions in light of shifting perceptions of reality in the 1930s and 1940s. (Author/BE)

Teachers can approach U.S. history since 1945 in two time periods. The first is "Postwar America" (1945-1973), the playing out of the economic, cultural, social, cultural/intellectual, and foreign policy thrusts and attitudes that grew out of the Great Depression and World War II. The second era, "Recent America"…

Focuses on librarians' search for their place in American popular culture, 1876-1950. Discussion covers preposterous caricatures, citations to male and female librarians in "Library Literature," fictional librarians, battle of sexes, and a glamorous image as portrayed in films and theater. Annotated list of 18 fictional works is…

Discussion of problems in library reference services focuses on the influence of gender roles. A historical overview of gender roles in the development of American librarianship is presented that highlights stereotyped views of and attitudes toward women, which the author suggests still have influences on librarianship today. (17 references) (LRW)

The author traces the powerful interaction between art and the people which has developed since the eighteenth century, despite admonitions from the critics that popularization of art forms leads to their decline. In particular, he considers the development of film and the public's response to it. (SJL)

Examines early years of vocational guidance (1910-1930), noting that movement was not successful in advancing societal reform in area of women's occupational choice. Discusses social and occupational structure of the time, societal attitudes, and vocational guidance approaches used as conditions which contributed to early vocational counselors'…

Examines three fantasy classics written at the time of the Industrial Revolution to illustrate the effects of drastic social change on fantasy writing; suggests the possible impact of these fantasies on their readers. (GT)

The current faculty role is seen as influenced by two philosophical themes in higher education--pragmatism and idealism. The idealist school has the broad objective of character formation, while the pragmatist school favors teaching the acquisition of useful skills to attain success in life. (Author/MLW)