A comparative overview is presented of the Latin American university, which is seen as an institution with a particular history and definite role. Chapters are as follows: "The Latin American University: An Introduction," by Joseph Maier and Richard W. Weatherhead; "Origin and Philosophy of the Spanish American University," by…

This bibliography, intended for use as a selection tool for social studies programs and libraries in order to supply secondary students and teachers with recent Latin American books, contains 171 annotated bibliographic citations prepared by the center for Inter-American Relations after examination of more than 1200 books for comprehensiveness,…

A significant number of Hispanic children's books and juvenile short stories and novels produced in the last two decades reveal the social and cultural elements that affect the lives, traditions, and beliefs of young adults from Spanish-speaking countries. These books contain sociocultural realism, yet with a touch of the innocence and freshness…

Highlights the value of field trips and oral history as a way of obtaining information and understanding about other cultures. Describes an oral history class project conducted by high school students at a bilingual multinational school in Mexico. Includes guidelines for such activities and excerpts from students' notes. (MJP)

For many poor children in Latin America, successful adjustment to primary school is impeded by child, family, and school characteristics. Early intervention efforts have been moderately effective, but their initial effects are often overwhelmed by structural features of primary schools. A coherent, carefully supervised educational program with…

Describes an annual forum of academic and public librarians from the United States and Mexico that discusses common interests such as resource sharing, collection development, and literacy programs and considers longer-range programs. Sidebar articles cover Spanish language publishing in the United States and an annual book fair held in Mexico for…

The general conversation today about the USA PATRIOT Act and its historical and legal significance must be contextualized with reference to a series of 1970s U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding the U.S. Border Patrol that directly undergird the PATRIOT Act. The Supreme Court long ago turned the U.S. borderlands adjoining Mexico into a permanent…

Over the past several decades, Latin American countries have supported processes of bringing public policy decisions on education closer to the people concerned. Participation at all levels of decision-making processes has generally been highly valued. Nonetheless, these decentralization efforts came about without governments taking the necessary…

These workbooks are part of a Mexican series of instructional materials designed for Spanish speaking adults who are in the process becoming literate or have recently become literate in their native language. They provide readings and exercises for developing literacy skills. Pictures and fill-in-the blank exercises appear frequently. Volume 1…

This resource guide, designed for elementary level students, presents activities focusing on the language and customs of Mexico. The material is organized in 12 chapters that correspond with the curriculum calendar. Whenever possible, the thematic topic presented in each chapter refers to calendar appropriate festivals or events. Following an…

This paper describes the results of a two-year program to train 25 students from countries in Central America and the Caribbean in the area of special education. The program was administered by Georgetown University's Center for Intercultural Development (Washington, D.C.) and funded by the United States Agency of International Development.…

Our failure to give students an adequate education in national and global concerns creates low political participation and general cynicism. International exchanges in education can illuminate the connections between world events and the day-to-day lives of students and teachers. Brookdale Community College (BCC) in New Jersey sponsors a program…

Papers from a workshop on folklore in second language teaching include: "Folklore in the Classroom: Lifting the Lid on the Magic Coffer" (Genelle Morain); "An American Folklore Quiz" (Genelle Morain); "Who's Afraid of Dr. Faust?" (Gerhard H. Weiss); "German Folklore Bibliography for Teachers" (Gerhard H.…

The purpose of this guide is to help teach secondary school students about democracy in Latin America. Lesson 1 covers "Definitions of Democracy," and instructs students to compare and create such definitions. Lesson 2," The Importance of a Democratic Tradition," uses flow charts to enable students to understand and describe…

The Instituto Caro y Cuervo of Bogota, Colombia, named after two outstanding Colombian intellectuals, was established in 1942 primarily to complete the lexicographic work of Rufino Jose Cuervo. It has continued its work through several reorganizations, and in 1947 was charged with the study of the present state of the Spanish language in various…