The paper provides guidelines to help secondary school social studies classroom teachers develop and implement a unit on the Manding ethnic group in Africa. The objective is to illustrate how the cultural approach to Manding and to area studies in general can help students understand economic and social structures in other nations. Manding is the…

Thirty-two American teachers, most with experience in teaching in Africa, have developed units and lessons to foster cross-cultural understanding about Africa. The units stress students' appreciation and understanding of themselves as individuals while developing an acceptance of the reality of cultures alien to their own. The units are not…

Reports on a case study of the perceptions of principles of traditional South African schools on social change. The principal's essential conservatism suggests that meaningful curriculum change will not be easily achieved. Reveals a deep dichotomy between progressive educational rhetoric and actual school practices. (MJP)

Describes how young women in two different Kenyan schools look at their "science futures"--futures in science courses and careers as they perceive them. Argues that European educational system in Kenya has exploited traditional Kenyan gender roles and has widened rift between opportunities afforded men and women. Concludes that the…

Presents a brief history of music education in Nigerian educational institutions along with the goals and objectives. States music educators are traditional master musicians or Western educated professionals. Claims the focus of music education is on Western music. Makes recommendations for a radical revision of the curriculum and changes in…

Describes a project within a postgraduate course for inservice South African teachers. Small student groups create collaborative dramatic performances based on their literacy histories and utilizing their diverse cultural and representational resources. The project involves teachers at multiple levels. It creates comparative perspectives that…

Discusses the "Epic of Sundiata" which chronicles the rise of the Empire of Mali in the grasslands of northwestern Africa in the 13th century. This work is a compelling drama that bears comparison to such other hero tales as "The Iliad" and the Arthurian legend. Includes suggested teaching activities. (MJP)

This case study examines solutions to infant malnutrition in Africa from an interdisciplinary perspective, identifying factors that directly or indirectly influence practices involved in feeding infants from birth to age 3 in Maradi, Niger. The study begins by providing a conceptual framework and description of the approach used in the analysis,…

This unit was designed by a certified Media and Social Studies teacher to help middle school students in Prince George's County, Maryland, plan a trip to East Africa and specifically to Kenya and Tanzania. Each school has a 90 percent African American student population in grades seven and eight, and both are magnet schools. The teacher has had a…

Although most educators agree that cross cultural education is a valuable component of the curriculum and that it offers students the opportunity to understand differences and commonalities among people, there is little agreement about how to teach such a subject. An anthroliterary approach to this discipline helps students understand and…

Concerned that many important innovations in undergraduate education are apparently having little impact on the international dimensions of American education, the Council for Intercultural Studies and Programs, with support from the Institute of International Studies, sought to define more precisely the nature of the problem and to develop some…

Demonstrates why terms like "tribe" cannot be transferred from ethnographic descriptions to political history. Critiques her work with Central African tribes, comparing African and American Indian societies to show that what looks like a tribal entity is usually a political polity with its own history of growth and decline. (LFL)

Describes one teacher's attempt to enlarge the scope of her teaching to include the music of Africa. Uses this experience to examine the practical problems of introducing multicultural education into the elementary curriculum. Primary problems concerned finding and adapting appropriate and authentic instructional materials. (MJP)

Charts the changes in Namibian curriculum policy reflecting the recent independence from South Africa and the dismantling of apartheid. Although originally conceived as a radical socialist state, political realities quickly created policies of reconciliation within Namibia. Educational policy has focused on the establishment of a post-colonial…

Recognizing the diversity in Kenya, examines education's goal to promote national unity. Analyzes three government policy initiatives, derived from the Mackay, Ominde, and Gacathi reports, based on psychological, cultural, and economic definitions of what constitutes a nation. Resolves the confusion in educational policy intended to promote and…