One of a series of resources for teaching sociology at the postsecondary level, this volume discusses the background, problems, and course format for an introductory course on war as a social problem. Material is divided into seven sections. Section 1 provides an introduction to the course. Section 2 contains the instructor's personal background…

In response to a low passing rate in a general psychology course taught at Howard Community College (MD), as well as to student and instructor dissatisfaction with the course, a systems model was developed and applied to improve course quality. The development of the model involved nine steps: (1) enumerating precise skill objectives which could…

Goals and objectives, student activities, and a detailed course evaluation are provided in this guide for an English unit in which a rock climb serves as the basis for learning about different forms of literature and improving written and oral communication skills. The unit, designed to give below-average students an opportunity for success in…

Competence in humanities may be considered in terms of knowledge (the mental processing of information), thinking skills (the organization of knowledge), communication skills, and personal integration (the effect of knowledge upon the individual). Specific competencies to be acquired in an interdisciplinary twentieth century humanities course…

This document examines the educational output of three alternative approaches to introductory macroeconomics at the University of Notre Dame. The framework for evaluation consists of the cognitive and affective tradeoffs entailed by using a new experimental course as opposed to two more traditional courses. The experimental course is a freshman…

Advanced Placement serves the interests of three groups: (1) high school students capable of pursuing college-level studies, (2) secondary schools that desire to offer these students the opportunity of working at an advanced level, and (3) colleges that wish to encourage and recognize such achievement. Professional consensus on the form that these…

The nine-week course for sixth graders concentrates on map skills and the cultural and historical geography of Egypt, Mexico, and Latin America. Having completed the course, the learner will be able to list several ways in which 1) power has led to conflict; 2) new inventions lead to changes in ways of living; 3) man influences his environment and…

Presents a syllabus for an introductory political science course. Includes a course outline, description, list of textbooks and readings, requirements, and grading policy. The course is structured in thematic units including the context of politics, acting in politics, the work of government, and alternative arenas of government. (MJP)

This paper reports on an evaluation of the effectiveness of a graduate seminar on "Women and Leadership" attended by 18 participants during the 1992 winter interim at Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois. The course was based on theoretical assumptions from the literature about leadership and about women's development. The three major…

Data on elementary social studies education in Rhode Island public schools in 1979 are analyzed. Of the 62 schools randomly selected for the study, 265 elementary teachers completed a 63-item social studies questionnaire. The questionnaire asked teachers to identify the curriculum design method they employed; indicate the types of curriculum…

Students' understandings of the concepts of price control, oligopoly, and power before, during, and after taking a social science foundation course (D101) at Great Britain's Open University were investigated. Students were asked 10 questions on key concepts taught in the course. Three of the questions are addressed: (1) Why doesn't the…

The purpose of this case study was to determine if one particular course is appropriate for online delivery. Two classes, one offered online and one offered traditionally, of a comparative education course were compared. Results of the study indicate that students' satisfaction with the online course was at least comparable to that of the…

A pilot-model for evaluating state-of-the-art short-courses for engineer practitioners was developed based on assessments of 10 Continuing Education in Engineering (CEE) courses offered by University Extension of the University of California, Berkeley. Instruments used in the study included student questionnaires, faculty interviews, follow-up…

Home Economics 134 was designed to teach the construction and design of clothing on a basic level for students interested in home economics teaching, professional clothes designing, or just self-enrichment. Budget restrictions over a three year period necessitated the reduction of faculty members available to teach the course from three…

A report on how individual students respond to a course in plant anatomy using self-instruction and group interaction is presented. Learning profiles are described. Assessment tests measured performance in four capacities: recall of knowledge, comprehension, application and short-chain problem solving. (Author/MLW)