Historical empathy is a critical aspect of history and social science education that has its roots in the inquiry-based education movements of the twentieth century. Although the term "historical empathy" is not specifically mentioned in most history curriculum documents in the United States, dozens of "new social studies"…

Suggests organizations, bibliographies, reference books, journals, and monographs which may be helpful to social studies classroom teachers as they develop and implement educational programs on the Soviet Union. (DB)

The purpose of this guide is to encourage a rational understanding of the problems associated with nuclear armaments and to present a constructive approach to finding a solution. Each unit is introduced with a review of new terms, after which the topic is summarized and then is concluded with a vocabulary review and unit examination. Unit 1…

These essays were written to assist teachers in the task of making Russian history intelligible to young U.S. students. In "An Approach to Russian History," Edward Keenan proposes that students need to gain a better understanding of how Russians perceive themselves and their history. In "Pre-Petrine Russia," Andrzej S. Kaminski…

This series of lesson plans and activities deals with the economic demise of the now-defunct Soviet Union. Each of the five lessons and six activities addresses identified standards and benchmarks from the Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics. The lesson plans also address the National History Content Standards, in terms of both the…

Analyzes information in social studies textbooks in the United States regarding the history of the USSR. Identifies major problems, including failure to take the work of Soviet scholars into account, political bias, oversimplification, distortion of the truth and failure to highlight achievements of Russian culture, science, and sociopolitical…

Reports the impressions of an 11th-grade world cultures teacher who visited European Russia and Uzbekistan in August, 1985. Ten major impressions are detailed, among them are (1) the poverty, (2) the sloppiness, (3) the pervasive presence of Lenin, and (4) the cultural importance of the Babushka, the Russian word for grandmother. (JDH)

This instructional unit combines a study of the Soviet leader V. I. Lenin with a study of libraries. Lenin was selected as the focus because of his support of books and libraries and because he oversaw a revolution that altered the political and social structure of Russia and the balance of power throughout the world. Included are lesson plan…

Detailed listings of character traits that are to be instilled in Russian youth at each grade level and the activities through which those traits may be realized are examined in this article. (RM)

The East Asian Curriculum Project (EACP) of Columbia University is a national effort whose goal is to support education about Asia at the secondary and elementary levels. The project has developed a variety of curriculum resources and collaborated with state and local educators in designing teaching units about various countries. Each of these…

Focuses on a variety of materials on US/USSR relations available from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service. Includes documents relating to Soviet viewpoints, a scholarly discussion of the future of superpower relations, a booklet on arms control, a course outline on human rights, and a secondary unit on US/USSR ideologies, world views, and…

Since the end of the Cold War, and more recently since September 11, 2001, relations between the United States and Russia have reached new levels of cooperation and accommodation. At the same time, many important developments in Russia remain cloaked by government intrigue or obscured by the complexity of Russia's political and cultural past. This…

Discusses ways of eliminating cultural, geographical, historical, and ideological misconceptions about the Soviet Union in secondary social studies classes. The author outlines four topics of study about the U.S.S.R. which he has found of interest to his students. (AM)

Identifies and describes audio-visual materials (films, filmstrips, and audio cassette tapes) about the Soviet Union which have been produced since 1977. For each entry, information is presented on title, time required, date of release, cost (purchase and rental), and an abstract. (DB)

The role of the Communist Party in mobilizing the Soviet people during World War II is outlined. Emphasis is placed upon teaching the role of the Party in history and social studies classes. (DE)