The authors advocate for a constructionist interpretation of disability, grounded in a social justice perspective, by discussing disability paradigms, factors that influence attitudes and attitude change regarding disability, and disability ally development and behaviors.

The booklet is part of a grade 10-12 social studies series produced for bilingual education. The series consists of six major thematic modules, with four to five booklets in each. The interdisciplinary modules are based on major ideas and designed to help students understand some major human problems and make sound, responsive decisions to improve…

Directed toward the question of how parents and 15-year-old adolescents cope with the demands of social change occurring during unification in Germany, the comparative investigation of 40 families each in East and West Germany examines macro-social conditions of family relationships and rightist attitudes among German adolescents and adults. The…

Recent studies suggest that in times of growing liberalism in public opinion, social and political attitudes in all age cohorts become more tolerant. Such studies have challenged the long standing assumptions that social and political attitudes become more conservative as people age. To extend the research on this subject, a study was conducted to…

In pre-revolutionary Cuba, social relations between the sexes evolved from the perception that the Spanish patrifocal family was the ideal to be pursued. Rules of social conduct were founded on fundamental sexual inequality. By the early 1960's the sexually egalitarian ideals of Marxism were politically, socially, and economically imposed upon…

Describes research suggesting diverse trends in the behavior and attitudes of Chinese students, which often conflict with Chinese tradition and customs, and official Chinese government ideology. Addresses the decline of personal sacrifice for the social cause, and changes in courtship and sexual attitudes. Relates most of these changes to China's…

Most students who engage in name-calling or tell demeaning jokes don't have deeply thought-out and deep-seated bias towards particular groups. Often, they're just picking up on the messages they hear repeated again and again in the schools. When peers challenge the language, it not only cuts down on the degrading messages themselves, but it also…

This article recalls the painful lessons of a 1920 lynching of three of six African-American circus workers accused of robbery and rape. For African-American families in Duluth, the black-and-white photo taken in 1920 was a shocking reminder of the incident which this small city had tried for decades to forget. African-Americans believe that the…

Concerned with the means by which distance education programs can be used to further social justice in various parts of the world, this paper considers both the generally recognized strengths of and some potential problems in three aspects of such programs--access, curriculum, and a monopolistic tendency. It draws on the experience of the…

Examining the one-child-per-family movement (OCFM) in China using Lloyd Bitzer's "Functional Communication: A Situational Perspective," this essay provides insight into how rhetoric has functioned and is functioning in this difficult situation. A brief geographic review provides a basis for understanding the complex set of problems…

Although education, as an activity mandated, sponsored, and supervised by the capitalist state, is as much an apparatus of the state as any other state agency, it is far more democratic, open to change and innovation, and subject to potential community control than any other state apparatus. To understand education's function in a capitalist…

The major theme of American childhood in the 20th century has been the rise and then the beginning decline of modern childhood. The term "modern childhood" refers to a particular constellation of adult attitudes and institutional arrangements, the heart of which is the belief that children should occupy a world of their own, separate from the…

A course is described which was designed to investigate the changing literary images and social roles of women from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present. The structure and content of the course is outlined for the following periods: 1795-1848, 1880-1910, and 1945-present. (SW)

Three factors central to the development of modern attitudes toward childhood are awareness that children and adults differ, the definition of women's primary role as maternal, and the increasingly complex demands made on adults. The combined pressures of feminism and the accessibility of broadcast media are changing these factors significantly.…

Support by the larger business community can help minority businesses succeed. Minority businesses need adequate capital, management and technical experience, and experience with large capital. These can be gained in partnership with large corporations committed to promoting minority enterprise. One such program is discussed. (IS)