This article enters into contemporary debates regarding methodology and training in comparative and international education by addressing epistemological questions about "what" can be known of the world and how it can be known through comparative research. We contend that debates over qualitative versus quantitative methods or area studies versus…

A number of ways to integrate foreign language education and social studies are given from the perspective of a social studies teacher. An area studies course might include the foreign language component as well as social studies, art, music, and historical perspectives. Such a course would also include special evening and weekend activities.…

A comparative evaluation program of the national cultural policies of European countries was proposed by the Council of Europe in 1985 with a view toward enhanced cooperative action in European cultural policies. These national reviews are comprised of four stages: (1) the preparation of a report by each country with regards to creation,…

The successful educational and industrial systems in Japan are related to the social and historical condition of the country. A society that receives ideas and technology of education from other societies must go through the process of adoption, assimilation, and self-transformation. Students of society do not fully recognize the strengths and…

Describes a global education project that provides students and teachers with the opportunity to carry out a common environmental curriculum and to communicate via satellite with students and teachers in other countries. (DDR)

Reported is a study to provide quidelines to member institutions of the consortium as to the composition of viable Latin American studies programs at different levels of institutional size and aspiration. Surveyed are 212 institutions that were members of the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs. Surveyed are: (1) characteristics of the…

Activities that an intermediate grade teacher used to make geography relevant to her students are described. The students researched their own family heritage. To learn about another culture, they adopted a country and did library research concerning the country's economy and culture. (RM)

This curriculum project compares Mexican society with the U.S. society. The project takes 4 weeks for classroom implementation, and different concepts are covered each week. A detailed step-by-step procedure is provided for the teacher to follow with 13 suggestions for projects about Mexico. Web sites are identified that offer specific information…

Thais and U.S. citizens have a number of striking cultural similarities. Both prize the freedoms they enjoy, both are quite pragmatic and individualistic, and both disdain pomposity and arrogance. These traits form a kind of common core that helps Thais and U.S. citizens connect in cross-cultural interactions. Nevertheless, there are also…

By focusing on social and cultural backgrounds of the five U.S.-affiliated Micronesian states, this document highlight issues that pertain to education in this region. The first sections deal with the political history of the region, emphasizing the period of U.S. administration from the 1940's to the 1970's. The history of instititonalized…

The principal essay, by James E. Harf, describes the state of the art and prescriptions for the future in undergraduate international studies. It points out that undergraduates at some prestigious research-oriented universities and at small, prestigious liberal arts colleges have exposure to international education, but that at the overwhelming…

Content and boundaries of business-oriented regional studies are considered, focusing on Germany. Issues discussed include the distinction between explicit business studies and implicit, non-business materials and content in the study of business; relationship between regional studies and cross-cultural management; role of German language training…

The story of the conquest of Mexico, Mezo-America, and South America is widely known, and most of the known traditions are referred to as historical events and in the past tense. "El Dia de los Muertos," however, is a perfect example of the blending of two cultures or transculturation. To ignore what California's large Hispanic…

Examines the dichotomy between area studies and the more traditional discipline of political science. Discusses those areas of political science that relate to area studies and suggests several reasons for an intransigence to change within the more traditional discipline. Recommends a cooperative and interdisciplinary effort between both camps.…

Describes historical development of peasant studies. Contends that the impact of these studies has been uneven to this point. Suggests studies in developed countries have been too academically oriented, while in developing countries they have been relegated to the political realm. Calls for world-wide information exchange networks. (KO)