Australia is an independent nation-state, federally constituted under a democratic parliamentary system. Being part of the Commonwealth of Nations, with feelings of loyalty to the Crown, Australia is also a democratic monarchy. Its political structure is discussed. (RM)

Financially, Japanese studies are relatively well-supported. But the quality of graduate students in the field is declining, and the quality of those who move on to government service is even worse. Additional employment opportunities for Japanese specialists in the private and not-for-profit sectors might be developed. (KH)

Describes student tours to the Soviet Union, discussing the benefits to be derived from such experiences by both students and leaders. In particular, discusses the organization of the tours, their types and costs, advertising strategies, suggested itineraries and guidebooks, student orientation and group composition, and problems encountered…

Discusses the scope and potential of an advanced course where the whole syllabus is built around the theme of French cooking. Shows how this central theme can be linked to French history, literature, geography, art and society. (MES)

On March 13, 1879, the "Salisbury Carolina Watchman" noted that the longest and most difficult tunnel in the struggle to lay a railroad line across the Blue Ridge Mountains has been opened. Convicts from North Carolina's new penitentiary built this transportation system and solved the state's need for a cheap labor force as well as the…

Diane Gilliam Fisher's 2004 award-winning book of poems, "Kettle Bottom," offers students a revealing vantage point for seeing Appalachian regional culture in a postcolonial context. An artful and accessible poetic sequence that was selected as the 2005 summer reading for entering students at Smith College, "Kettle Bottom"…

Australia is the world's driest continent. One-third of the country's area is unsuitable for any land use, while another third is suitable only for cattle and sheep grazing. Australia's physical geography, weather conditions, wildflowers, and wildlife are discussed. (RM)

African languages and cultures are undertaught in American universities. Some problems, such as the lack of language teaching materials, might be corrected. But universities place a low priority on area studies in general, and on African studies in particular, and methodologism tends to occur at the expense of genuinely international offerings.…

Latin American scholarship is flourishing in universities, but there are some conspicuous weak spots; the need for increased teaching of Portuguese and indigenous languages, the difficulties of maintaining up-to-date bibliographies, and a need for greater funding to enable Latin American area specialists to get into the field more frequently. (KH)

Reviews the state of South Asian studies in American universities. Focuses on language instruction, a trend toward specialization in particular countries or regions, and the decline of popular interest in South Asia. Reports on the need for new funding to replace the Federal Program, PL 480, whose excess currency fund of rupees is almost…

Describes six alternatives to the one-year chronological survey course on world history in secondary grades. The alternatives are topical or thematic courses, conceptual or generalization-centered courses, world regions or world cultures courses, problems approach courses, case study courses, and depth studies or patch-work courses. (RM)

Examines the type of materials available for area studies courses, finding that in general their contents, drawn from news media reports, are of low intellectual value. Proposes the utilization of data collected and analyzed by specialists and presents a sample unit on the levels of income and socioeconomic status in France. (MES)

Problems in area studies programs are linked to three deficiencies: weakness of all interdisciplinary programs, failure of the U.S. government to supply leadership and resources, and American inability to link essentially academic programs to those that have public policy goals. National and international support are encouraged. (MSE)

It is argued that proposed integration of cultural studies into French studies threatens French language enrollments because of its nonliterary focus and de-emphasis of traditional instruction in western civilization. A fundamental conflict of perspectives of the two fields persists despite some efforts to reconcile them. (5 references) (MSE)

Thirteen papers by graduate students who participated in a 1971 summer field program in Hidalgo, Mexico, are presented. Twelve of the papers are presented in the English language and one is presented in Spanish. Research for seven of the papers was undertaken in established Otomi Indian villages or hamlets. Research for the remaining six papers…