Geography is firmly established as a separate discipline within British higher education, a position founded on its strength in the country's school system throughout the twentieth century. This position has enabled the discipline to prosper and it has been at the core of many intellectual developments. With changes in the nature of universities,…

Discusses the educational purpose of historical atlases and what teachers and students can expect to find in them. Describes two categories of atlas: (1) those containing text and pictures and (2) those with maps, titles, and brief introductory comments. Argues that the geographic circumstances of historical processes are important. Suggests that…

So that geographers may recognize their achievements and comprehend the present as evolution from the past, there is a need for a history of geography. Study of the past provides a sense of accomplishment. Examples of how geographers are attempting to record their past are provided. (RM)

Outlines an innovative way of teaching "World History Since 1500" at Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama) called the "great roads" approach, centered upon important roads in a country's history. Presents the "Veracruz to Mexico City corridor" case study used to teach a Latin American modern history course. (CMK)

Based on an interview with U.S. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, this article surveys several of the projects launched by the Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution. These projects include: the National Historical Pictorial Map Contest; the Bicentennial School Recognition Program; the Bicentennial Educational Grant Program; and the…

Reviews three works that each examine a specific area of metahistory: (1) "World Historians and their Goals" by Paul Costello; (2) "The Structure of Big History" by Fred Spier; and (3) "The Myth of Continents" by Martin Lewis and Karen Wigen. (CMK)

Discusses the development of a world history curriculum for the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) School District. Describes a program rooted in chronology and geography with interpretive frameworks for comparative study of change in diverse civilizations. Lists reawakening teachers' interest, updating training, and extending resource availability as…

Explores the issues involved in teaching a regional U.S. political science course, specifically referring to a course taught on midwestern politics. Covers topics such as defining the region to be studied, course organization, and assignments. Considers using the regional approach in an interdisciplinary course and other options. (CMK)

This collection of cartographic projects grew out of a professional development summer institute for teachers conducted in 1995 in the History Department of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Curriculum materials developed during the institute were used in various classrooms during the following school year. The collection contains selected…

Provides an annotated bibliography of 12 journal articles and documents in the ERIC database about computer technology and social studies. (CFR)

Maintains that the challenges of multicultural education include providing reliable information about civilizations for which reliable information is difficult to find. Offers an overview of the history, culture, and significance of the ancient African civilization of Kush. Provides a list of student and teacher references. (CFR)

Discusses the impact of Marxist geography on course content and textbooks in college geography. Reviews three textbooks. Identifies four persistent problems in the representation of Marxist geography. Suggests a template through which teachers can offer students a more discriminating account of that model. (CFR)

Argues that the definition of social studies approved by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) may do more harm than good to the Organization. Contends that history and geography groups now control the educational reform effort in social studies and that NCSS will have a difficult time regaining the initiative. (CFR)

This book of essays provides a set of reference sources on the field of social studies. The introduction places the discipline in context, connecting it with the society and the world that it helps to explain. The 15 chapters include: (1) "Persistent Issues in the Social Studies" (Stanley P. Wronski); (2) "Reform Revisited: The Story of Elementary…

Reports on efforts to develop "Crossroads," a K-16 articulated, content-based, spiral curriculum in United States history. Discusses the historical framework underlying the curriculum. Presents the curriculum's 12-era chronology and 8 substantive themes. (CFR)