Discusses the need for an interdisciplinary approach to environmental problems as well as the realization of the necessity for action - oriented proposals in a politically bound society. Suggests that conservative and vested-interest university departments are barriers to concerted action. (BR)

In contemporary life and education, the local is marginalized in favor of large-scale economies of consumption that are indifferent to ecological concerns. The consequences of neglecting local human and natural communities include a degraded habitat, loss of wilderness, alienation, rootlessness, and lack of connection to communities. Place-based…

Discusses how art can be used to help teach students about the social factors that accompany the getting and spending of energy. Reviews the social issues that have been reflected in American painting during various historical periods. Reveals a portrait of ever-increasing energy use and its shaping of social institutions. (DMM)

Intended to help teachers make the move from traditional textbooks to a more issue-centered, interdisciplinary social studies curriculum, this collection of essays comes from teachers who describe how to focus on teaching for and toward justice, with critical pedagogy as an underlying theme. The teachers' stories in this collection show the…

Science is a social issue. The examination of scientific issues offers an excellent opportunity for helping students develop a synthesized perspective on science related issues--a synthesis of the technical data coupled with social, political, economic, ethical, and philosophical information. (RM)

A social studies educator responds to a paper by Glen Aikenhead titled "Science in Social Studies." To remind science people that social issues are ultimately human as opposed to ultimately scientific, the author begins the paper with a discussion about the ways humans come to gain knowledge through science, religion, philosophy, and art. If…

Livingston College of Rutgers University, N.J., has established an Urban Communications Teaching and Research Center. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it offers an innovative approach to the study of communications systems in urban society, consolidating course offerings, independent study, internships, community service and research. Its…

Discusses the convergence method of analyzing social problems. (RK)

The role of social studies and social studies supervisors is examined in light of current social problems. The author suggests 11 major areas in which educational improvement is needed. Social studies supervisors must help establish cooperative relationships among the various disciplines and within the area of social studies, set goals, and…

Solutions to many of the great problems facing society will be found through interdisciplinary research, and environmental problems are a prime target for such an approach. In tackling these problems, it would be a great mistake, however, to weaken the classical disciplinary departments. More than 60 new chemistry departments were created since…

Presents the methodology and evaluation of a course prepared by an interdisciplinary team of faculty members and aimed at developing an awareness, in engineering students, of the need for an interdisciplinary approach to societal problems. (MLH)