Results of a textbook study to determine what U.S. secondary school students are learning about contemporary Europe are presented, and highlights of the "Conference on Improving the Teaching of Contemporary Europe" at which the study was presented are summarized. A sampling of secondary school geography, world history, and U.S. history textbooks…

This 1-year elective seminar for high school students is to be taught in five units--Introduction, the Ancient World, the Medieval World, the Renaissance, and the Modern World--with emphasis on four basic themes expressed creatively throughout western history: (1) the common man, (2) the individual, (3) religion, and (4) conflict. Instruction on a…

An essay, study guide, and model instructional unit focus on the experiences of the Nazi holocaust in an endeavor to remind all men that they are survivors of the Nazi attempted extermination of the Jews and must deal with the knowledge that such an event could occur. Examined in the essay are both fictional treatments of the event and the…

Maintains that learning about the Holocaust (and other historical incidents) from the literature of survivors provides students with empathy and understanding not found in traditional historical texts. Recommends using this material prior to objective historical study and includes suggestions for teaching. Discusses the use of other Holocaust…

Maintains the contemporary political Soviet scene poses a major intellectual challenge to Western Sovietology. Analyzes reforms of the Gorbachev era and traces the development of change and the concepts of glasnost and perestroika. Discusses recent policies, problems, and strategies. Views revolution as a prolonged process. (NL)

Presents a synthesis of the views of participants and counterviews of scholars concerning the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. Reviews historical and analytical accounts of the crisis. Describes critical areas of conflicting interpretations by historians and participants. Includes an annotated bibliography of teaching resources. (NL)

This book explores the early years of the Cultural Revolution in China's schools, from the mobilization stage through the development of factionalism and the takeover of education by workers and peasants. An analysis of the relations between educational organizations and the larger society that made these developments possible is explored.…

This resource represents a virtual library of still and moving images, documents, maps, sound clips and text which make up the history of Western Civilization from prehistoric times to the early 1990s. The interdisciplinary range of materials included is compatible with standard textbooks in middle and high school social science, social studies,…

This historical review describes the expansion of elementary and secondary education in the Soviet Union during the decade of the 1930's under the Stalinist regime. This study explores how teachers participated in shaping the relationship between education and Stalinist political culture by examining how teachers made sense of their position in…

This document describes what reading should be in a Holocaust library for children. Considering the graphic and violent events of the Holocaust, this list of books for children presents the Holocaust in a way that satisfies the need for some gentleness of treatment, while still engaging interest and presenting facts accurately, to provide a list…

Ten lessons on the evolution of the nuclear arms race, the nature and consequences of using nuclear weapons, and new ways that conflicts among nations might be resolved are presented for the junior high school level. The unit contains age-appropriate materials to equip students with skills and knowledge to understand what choices can be made to…

To see whether the subject matter of magazines of general circulation and the subject matter of public concern coincide, a study examined the volume of coverage of United States-Soviet relations, communism, and issues of nuclear warfare between the two nations in twentieth century popular magazines. The "Reader's Guide to Periodical…

This annotated bibliography lists approximately 300 American books representative of current, popular, and readily available publications. Because the intent is to give people in the Soviet Union an idea of America's current amusements, arts, and concerns, the books have been considered on their basis of being accessible to those unfamiliar with…

Evolutionary processes are described for Native (American Indian) voluntary associations in the U.S. and Canada in aboriginal times, in the twentieth century generally, and in cities specifically. These processes at different times and in different social settings are shown to be related to each other through specific historic continuities and…

This unit focuses on the classic problem of the place of military power in a democratic society. Early sections examine the relationship between civil and military authority as developed in colonial America and written into the Constitution. The second half of the unit invites consideration of the relevance and workability of the earlier tradition…