The recent financial crisis brought about dramatic changes in the way that the Federal Reserve, the nation's central bank, conducts monetary policy. One challenge for high school educators going forward will be to strike a balance between the teaching of traditional monetary policy and the teaching of the monetary policy used during these…

September 11, 2001, is a day most American high school students remember. They may not fully grasp the events that took place, the reasons behind the terrorist attacks on the United States, or their implications, but they remember. They were children when this national trauma occurred--and they saw those unforgettable television images of the…

This September, Oxford University Press is publishing "Out of Range: Why the Constitution Can't End the Battle Over Guns." Written by Mark Tushnet, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, "Out of Range" explores competing interpretations of the Second Amendment and discusses how the entanglement of…

Describes a five-day instructional unit designed for seventh and eighth graders about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Points out that the individual rights in the First Amendment often conflict with the rights of the majority. Provides student questions and suggestions for resources and activities. (CFR)

Defines public choice theory as the application of economic analysis to the study of government, focusing on individual behavior. Contends that the teaching of public choice theory helps students to think critically and analyze political problems. Suggests how to introduce the theory in the classroom and provides three case study handouts. (GG)

Traces the systematic murder of 250,000-500,000 Gypsies by the Nazis in the 1930s. Concludes little scholarship has been completed on this incident. States that files documenting the systematic extermination of these people on the grounds of Nazi claims to national security, genetic health, racial purity, and crime prevention are now available at…

Describes the German health insurance system which is mandatory for nearly all German citizens. Explains that, along with pension, accident, and unemployment insurance, health insurance is one of four pillars of the German national social security system. Asserts that controlling costs while maintaining high health care standards is a national…

Traces the Armenian experience between 1915 and 1918 when the Muslim Turks carried out a policy to eliminate the Christian-Armenian minority. Focuses on the distinction between massacres and genocide; the use of technology in facilitating mass murder; and the legacy of genocide. Includes maps and photographs. (NL)

Presents a workbook extract from the teaching resource kit entitled "Land and Landscapes: Views of America's History and Culture" that examines landscape paintings and photographs from the 19th century to the present. Explains that the main focus of this extract is to question how European American views about landownership affected…

Argues that the Reagan Era's New Federalism hamstrings government by precluding the possibility of a balance of power and responsibilities between state and federal government. Compares this development to the states' rights dilemma freed by John C. Calhoun. Contends that history shows federal inaction produces sectionalism, social cleavage, and…

Reports on an interview with a former East German English teacher. Describes her view that the ideologically determined curriculum, particularly in social studies education, was a major barrier to effective education. Discusses her contention that a loss of moral and ethical values among youth was a result of reunification and the demise of the…

Suggests teaching about the Chinese government's 1989 suppression of student protesters at Tiananmen Square. Argues that the lesson can aid students understanding of the role of student protest in shaping China's history and interactions with the rest of the world. Offers strategies and questions for student research including reasons for the…

Provides an overview of the decimation of the Aborigines in Australia since 1806. Describes extent of the acts of persecution, discrimination, and victimization of these people. Says governmental policy and practice spread throughout all colonies and states and was premeditated and deliberate. Maintains Aborigines are still denied needed services.…

Provides an overview and background information on the debate over gun control, as well as several teaching ideas. Handouts include a list of related topics drawn from various disciplines (economics, U.S. history), seven arguments for and against gun control, and a set of policy evaluation guidelines. (MJP)

Claims denial of genocide has become a routine defense as a result of the United Nations definition of international crimes. Describes grounds for denial by various governments and list arguments they have made to justify genocidal policies. Argues some academics assist in the process of denial by using revisionist strategies. (NL)