For a long time, Advanced Placement and other advanced-level U.S. history courses at the high school level were modeled after the collegiate survey course. However, the last two decades or more have seen some significant changes in the teaching of U.S. history at undergraduate and high school levels. Many of these changes at the high school level…

A content analysis of ten United States history textbooks (2005-2008) was conducted by the researchers to determine the current depiction of Japanese Americans and internment during the World War II era. This study updates and expands upon the textbooks used in prior research by Romanowski (1995), Harada (2000), and Ogawa (2004) that had numerous…

For most of American history, businesses were run to provide livelihoods and "reasonable" profit. In the last few decades, though, business and society in general have moved toward emphasizing profit maximization and individual self-interest. The shift from "reasonable profit" to profit maximization has significant implications…

Fifteen major concepts form the basis of the New York State schools K-12 social studies program. They are: (1) change, (2) choice, (3) citizenship, (4) culture, (5) diversity, (6) empathy, (7) environment, (8) human rights, (9) identity, (10) interdependence, (11) justice, (12) political system, (13) power, (14) scarcity, and (15) technology. The…

This survey gathered information from around the state on New Jersey Studies offerings: grade levels at which New Jersey Studies are emphasized, major topics or units, methods of instruction, and materials used. (SJL)

Designed for use with fourth and fifth grade combination classes, this student worktext combines concepts and content from both California and U. S. history courses. Material is arranged into the following seven chapters: Discovery and Exploration; Colonizing a New Land; A New Nation and New Californians; Westward Expansion; Civil War,…

Summarizes the principal steps involved throughout the development of a CD-ROM on the history of Nebraska's media explaining the reasons for producing the software, its contents and features, selection of material, and the actual design process. Provides recommendations that may help other teachers considering a similar project. (CMK)

Presents abstracts of 10 documents, selected and reviewed from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) that deal with the debate over how to teach history. Includes information for accessing or ordering documents. (NL)

Reports findings indicating that high school U.S. history teachers spend more time teaching about the twentieth century than earlier eras. Indicates that the reverse is true of world history teachers. Suggests that both teacher groups rely heavily on textbooks, lectures, and discussion. Reveals that teachers desire greater home support for…

A desire to make historical source documents central to the exposition of basic themes in a two-semester class on European and U.S. history since 1500 led to the development of a pilot course at Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts. One of the three weekly class meetings was devoted to a discussion of the source materials. In order to…

This Fort Bend (Texas) social studies curriculum guide for fourth grade covers six six-week periods, and the 13 course outlines include the topics to be covered, the main goals and their supporting objectives, and a materials correlation key. The 13 topics include map skills, personal, social, and civic responsibility, forest, desert, plains and…

Describes an undergraduate history course based on the television miniseries, "Winds of War." Discusses problems faced by the instructors and additional requirements of the course that provided a firm historical foundation for the film. Recommends use of televised motion pictures as a superior means of generating student interest in…

In conjunction with the United States Constitution's Bicentennial, this issue is devoted to the contributions the Constitution has made in shaping the U.S. economic system. The main article, "The Economics of the Constitution," provides important insights on how the Constitution influences the economic system through answers to the…

The course content is organized around 15 major concepts and ideas identified as fundamental to the social studies program. The concepts are: (1) change, (2) choice, (3) citizenship, (4) culture, (5) diversity, (6) empathy, (7) environment, (8) human rights, (9) identity, (10) interdependence, (11) justice, (12) political system, (13) power, (14)…

Efforts to strengthen instruction in U.S. history and government resulted in the development of "Lessons on the Constitution," a book containing 62 lessons for use with high school students. The curriculum development process used in writing the book is described, and the objectives, format, and content of the lessons are discussed. (RM)