Reviews and analyzes the social science methodologies used for "disparity studies," studies commissioned by various jurisdictions to prove contracting discrimination in order to establish minority set-asides. Evaluates the historical, anecdotal, and statistical approaches used. Argues that the studies are often skewed to achieve the…

Examines reasons given for affirmative action quotas for minorities and asserts that such justifications as reparation and mitigation of poverty do not apply to women as a group. Thus argues that women should be treated fairly as individuals but that quotas make no sense. (GC)

Examines the positions of different interest groups and corporations regarding the use of standardized test scores for determining educational achievement and advancement. (GC)

The Voting Rights Act was a noble response to the callousness of those who permitted and perpetrated the disenfranchisement of Southern Blacks. However, the political polarization of the society along racial and ethnic lines may be its main accomplishment. (Author)

Argues that, as a matter of social ethics, the government should undertake policies to mitigate the economic marginality of those languishing in the ghettos of America and that affirmative-action policies are necessary and justified. Presents a new model for affirmative action and explores various moral and political considerations. (GR)

Discusses negative aspects of multiculturalism in university curricula. The focus on women and minorities sometimes displaces the study of vital material. A greater danger to sound learning, however, is the dogmatic liberalism of today's campuses. (DM)

Examines the debate over immigration in the United States and its influence on national racial and ethnic demographics as well as the economic and social impact. Questions of environmentalism and multiculturalism coupled with American racism and the need for immigration restriction are addressed. (GR)

Uses the book, "The Bell Curve," to illustrate the problem of "dangerous knowledge" and its power to harm. The article examines what the book is saying about intelligence, its meaning to society, and the book's possible effect on radicalizing political thought. (GR)

Explains the roots and meaning of Kwanzaa and discusses this holiday in terms of its multicultural efforts, claims regarding the importance of ethnic identity, and its commercialization. It explores Kwanzaa as a middle-class phenomenon, its effects on multiculturalism in the public schools, and whether it is a positive step for blacks or is simply…

Considers multiculturalism within the college environment and the collaborating factors that help shape the mood on campus. The author examines what multiculturalism is, discusses its politics, and explores what it demands of the university in terms of equal recognition and how it encroaches on academic freedom. Final comments highlight…

Discusses the problems of public policy responses to the AIDS epidemic in relation to a number of recent research reports and analyses. Suggests that effective policy will be increasingly difficult to formulate as AIDS becomes focused in the Black and Hispanic ghettos. (FMW)

Examines assimilation as it exists in the United States, including the ethnic concentrations in specific socioeconomic groups; educational attainment by ethnic ancestry; the decline of the mother tongue; and intermarrying and the marriage patterns of major ancestral groups. Overall, evidence shows that ethnic distinctiveness is eroding among…

Discusses the recent controversy emerging over California's first serious attempt at rewriting traditional history texts from a more multicultural perspective. Analyzes the opposition to the idea of a common U.S. history and the solutions offered in its place. (CJS)

The expectation that acculturation is the path to social mobility for immigrants is contradicted by a number of empirical studies. A closer look, however, shows that the process has not changed entirely but has become segmented. The sector to which an immigrant group assimilates has become the central issue. (SLD)

Examines causes of and proposed solutions for urban education's current problems in part through a critique of "Savage Inequalities: Children in American Schools" (J. Kozol, 1991). More money will not solve all problems. Unions, bureaucracy, curriculum, and changes in and disintegration of the social order are also to blame. (JB)