This book, issued in observance of the Columbus Quincentennial and on the occasion of the 27th International Geographical Congress, addresses a broad range of contemporary topics including environmental change, dynamics of the world economy, human needs, wants and rights, political order and change, and contemporary cultures. The format is one of…

This book was prepared to enable schools to incorporate material on the Caribbean into existing curricula. Four aims guided the editors in their selection and presentation of materials: (1) to show Caribbean history and contemporary realities through the eyes of ordinary people, both real and fictional; (2) to promote critical thinking rather than…

This mini-unit focuses on the lives and accomplishments of John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood and their contacts with the Maya. This project deals specifically with how Stephens' published accounts and Catherwood's drawings became the basis from which all further Mayan research developed. These two explorers were the first to describe…

This project shares the information that an elementary school media specialist gleaned from a summer seminar in Mexico. The document consists almost entirely of pictures of Macintosh video screens. The author used still frame video slide pictures and computerized notes to prepare a "hypercard stack" that readers could access using…

This curriculum project offers ways to teach students about Mexico to make the country come alive for them. The curriculum is designed to create avenues for third-year Spanish students to practice the following language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The lessons included can be adapted for other-level students. There are four…

The materials in this resource guide include a four-part video, a poster-size cultural map with additional exercises, and the five sections of this guide. The unit, presented in English and Spanish, intends to introduce students to the peoples and cultures of the U.S.-Mexico border, to explore the concept of borders in their own communities, to…

This unit provides relevant material for teaching Rudolfo Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima." This material gives the classroom teacher the opportunity to focus more deeply on the teaching of Anaya's work, especially in the areas of Mexican history and folklore on which the book is based. Objectives for "Bless Me, Ultima" include: (1)…

This volume is one of a series of handbooks designed to be useful to military and other personnel who need a convenient compilation of basic facts about the social, economic, political, and military institutions and practices of various countries. It is intended to be an objective description of the nation's present society, especially since the…

This volume on Mexico is one of a series of handbooks prepared by the Foreign Area Studies (FAS) of the American University. It is designed to be useful to military and other personnel who need a convenient compilation of basic facts about the social, economic, political, and military institutions and practices of Mexico. The emphasis is on…

Jamaica is known mainly as a tourist playground and the home of Reggae music. This Jamaican teaching unit dispels stereotypes and shows Jamaica for what it really is--an economically-troubled, developing nation. The unit illustrates the challenges this island nation is facing in its struggle toward economic development. Contents are: Teacher…

The text explores Mexico's history, geography, art, religion, and lifestyles in the context of its complex economy. The text focuses on Mexico's economy and reasons for its current situation. Part I of this teaching unit includes: Teacher Overview, Why Study Mexico, Mexico Fact Sheet, Map of Mexico, the Land and Climate, History, Government,…

The guide was designed to assist secondary school classroom teachers in developing and implementing units on cultural diversity. The activities stress the impact of diversity globally as well as in Latin America and can be used as models for examining diversity in other geographic areas. Diversity refers to the heterogeneity of cultures and social…