By viewing approximately two dozen Japanese television commercials, secondary students enrolled in an area studies course about Japan were able to generate tones and impressions reflecting many important experiences of the Japanese society that the course would later explore in more detail. The introductory lesson was very successful. (RM)

Lessons to help primary grade students learn about the Chinese culture are presented. Focus is on the following two generalizations: culture is learned, and humans in time and place exhibit a commonality of behaviors. (RM)

Describes the syllabi of parallel French- and English-language college courses in French civilization. (DB)

This bibliographic essay discusses how Australian children's books and adolescent literature reflect Australian society. For example, Australian society tends to be male dominated; problems of a boy growing up in a mainly macho world are dealt with in Southall's "Josh" and "Walk a Mile" and in Phipson's "A Tide…

Informed US citizens recognize the importance of neighboring South American countries. Few teachers, however, have the time to teach about each Latin American country. One approach to instruction is to focus on a few important countries. Suggestions to help middle school students learn about Argentina, Brazil, and Peru are presented. (RM)

These instructional materials for upper elementary and secondary school students provide information about Greek Americans, and focus upon the accomplishments, problems, and life styles of this group. Each of the eighteen topics addressed are organized into units which include a section for teachers and one for students. The teachers' section…

A trained eye can make almost any part of the landscape into a vehicle for historical awareness. Discussed is how one farm in Canada is the product of its historic circumstances. (RM)

This mini-unit seeks to fill the gap in textbooks that exists when teaching about modern France. Many textbooks end their coverage of France with the chapter on World War II. This unit offers high school students a unique introduction to France in the mid-1990s. The mini-unit includes a two-sided poster, teaching tips, and student pages. Student…

Describes the ethnic history and the economic development of Jamaica from its beginnings as a Spanish colony through British rule to post-World War II independence. Rastafarianism, an extremist Black nationalist movement, arose after independence. Its militancy is due to an overwhelmingly Black majority population, with few countervailing ethnic…

This collection of reports on French civilization represents the efforts of several teams of students participating in the 1964 NDEA summer institute at Rennes, France. As a partial requirement for the civilization course, the groups submitted field study reports of the cultural life at Rennes and Brittany including: (1) environment and…

The document presents a content outline of Mexican and Mexican American culture in seven units. It is adaptable for use at elementary, secondary, and college levels in bilingual and multicultural-oriented classes. Two charts introduce the units: (1) a reverse time line of Mexican culture from 1979 back to 1000 B.C.; and (2) a cause-effect chart…

Enjoyment of ethnic food can be the "point de depart" for tracing the heritage of the people being studied and for broadening students' horizons. This article outlines a study of food throughout the centuries, particularly in Europe. The "gastronomic route" begins historically with the Minoans around 2000 B.C., continues with…

This paper traces the development of modern secular Tibetan education from the time of exile in India in the 1960's when the Communist Chinese occupied the country. A brief overview of the monastic education is presented as a way to provide a context to the importance of integrating Tibetan culture in the school curriculum. The rationale for a…

Indigenous peoples number over 200 million and constitute four percent of the world's population. They live in every part of the world and share a tragic common history: invasion of their lands and alteration of their environment, abrogation of treaties, continuing violence against their peoples, discrimination and abuse, poor health care and…

Written to provide a view of the American landscape as it was before the European colonization, this book consists of 14 units which provide portraits of the American Indian tribes who occupied the land, on a bio-regional basis. The units are about the: basket makers of California, gatherers of desert and mountain, fishers of the streams, boat…