By the mid-eighteenth century, when the first university appeared in Russia, many European nations could boast of long and glorious university traditions. But Russia, with its poorly developed system of elementary and secondary education, lagged behind other European countries and seemed destined for a long spell of second-tier performance. Yet by…

In the middle of the 20th century, trustees, elected officials, and others in the southern United States required black and white institutions to forfeit academic freedom protections when faculty research and teaching threatened to undermine white supremacy. In the early 21st century, faculty who critique white supremacy are facing similar attacks…

The purpose of this learning activity was to teach undergraduate students about recreation and leisure experiences of the older members of the Lumbee Tribe who attended the local university. This activity utilized ethnographic interviews to teach students about the local community and college life for those from older generations. Ethnography is a…

In the fall 2005 semester, the author designed a course in the history of America's modern wars hoping to encourage students to criticize and oppose the country's current aggressions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Surveys of student attitude change suggest that the course did promote criticism but did far less to facilitate student activism. The author…

"Introduction to Education Studies" is established as the key text for undergraduate students of education studies as well as for practitioners embarking on a higher degree. The book provides a thorough grounding for students new to the subject without assuming a substantial prior knowledge of the area. It also takes a multidisciplinary approach…

The history and decline of an undergraduate interdisciplinary course on contemporary Britain at the University of Sussex are described. It is suggested that interdisciplinary courses require higher investment of resources and commitment to survive, and structural constraints and features are of continuing concern to their proponents. (MSE)

Describes the University of South Carolina's (Columbia) Contemporary European Studies program, which drew on current course offerings and existing financial resources to provide study about post-French Revolution European languages, cultures, politics, history, geography, and economics. Options exist at many other institutions to create broadly…

Writers and artists near or in retirement need some device for keeping the creative forces alive. A project proposed by William Plater at the University of Illinois calls for a series of contemporary, or living, history courses by emeriti professors whose own contributions may have shaped their fields. (MLW)

Outlines an innovative way of teaching "World History Since 1500" at Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama) called the "great roads" approach, centered upon important roads in a country's history. Presents the "Veracruz to Mexico City corridor" case study used to teach a Latin American modern history course. (CMK)

Describes a successful approach to college-level modern history teaching using three case studies to examine the technical, social, and political conditions shaping government policy. A discussion of problems inherent in this teaching method is included. (AM)

Sees the United Nations Decade for Women (1975-85) as a series of events with revolutionary significance. States conferences held during this period produced significant documents giving legal recognition and force of international law to reforms. Describes the struggles at the Nairobi (Kenya) conference of 1985. Includes a five page list of…

Asserts that the study of elites should be included when teaching modern world history, since elites significantly shaped the modern world. Explores sources of misinformation resulting from the failure to teach students about landed elites. Discusses how not everyone was happy to see the old elites disappear. (CMK)

Discusses the study of U.S. history in east German universities. Describes obstacles such as a lack of recent U.S. historical publications and limited opportunities to study in the West. Includes as areas of study: the American Revolution, the Civil War, twentieth-century foreign policy, historiography, German emigration, and U.S. Presidents. (DK)

Addresses the reasons why students resist learning about modern art within humanities courses. Provides strategies for encouraging students to appreciate and critique modern art, such as using comic strips to illuminate beliefs about modern art, studying the theory and practice of a particular artist, or utilizing group critiques of an artwork.…

This paper begins with a comparative regional survey of the current status of democracy and development in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. Each region shares a legacy of colonial domination by European powers. The comparative study uses criteria from the basic needs approach. Critical social thought and future visions about democracy and…