There is a need for innovative approaches in the classroom to increase student preparedness to address and solve some of today's complex social problems. Interdisciplinary courses can be one way to accomplish this. This is an exploratory study to examine if an interdisciplinary web-based video series is associated with improvements in…

As stated in APA Learning Outcomes 2 and 3, two central goals of higher education instruction are promoting students' critical thinking skills and connecting student learning to real-life applications. To meet these goals, a community-based service-learning experience was designed using task value, interpersonal accountability, cognitive…

The objective of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge on social innovation for education and resource development. The study combined two related constructs: social innovation and the administration of refugees in a camp environment. Existing research has studied social innovation. However, there is limited research on social innovation in…

The study aimed to identify the role of the Islamic University in Gaza governorate in achieving social peace for its students and ways of enhancing it. The researchers used the descriptive approach, the analytical method. The study population consisted of all 15792 students. The sample of the study was 392 students. A questionnaire of 25 items was…

Although youth have long been at the forefront of social change, the last two decades have seen an upsurge in the number of organizations, agencies, and governmental bodies dedicated to supporting the idea of youth voice in public policy. Drawing on in-depth individual interviews with 32 youth in one major urban center, this study compares how…

This case study presents a detailed description of how community-based environmental education can be used to increase environment awareness and knowledge among migrant children and youth. Data was collected primarily from interviews and learning activities with 454 participants aged 11 to 19 years. The results show that children and youth are…

Designing solutions to social problems requires some degree of interpretive accountability to the sociocultural systems in which design solutions must live. Our case studies show how ethnography of communication research generates distinctive resources for design. (Contains 5 notes.)

The most pressing social problems facing humanity in the 21st century are what systems theorist Russell Ackoff referred to as "messes"--complex dynamic systems of problems that interact and reinforce each other over time. In this article, the authors argue that the lack of progress in managing messes is in part due to the predominance of…

The three problems approaches outlined for an introductory, interdisciplinary course provide opportunities to apply the methodological tools and perspectives of the social studies. Organization of each course, advantages and disadvantages, unique objectives, approaches, and methodology for a social problem approach, case study approach, and a…

The case study analysis system was designed to increase student analytical skills while focusing on social conflict situations. The analysis system is a systematic means of identifying, classifying, and clarifying factors found in social conflict situations. Students are also expected to gain insights into forces that change social structures.…

This paper describes how a small group of people representing one community both identified and set in motion a strategy to deal with the perceived drug problem in their community. The emphasis of the paper is on the process by which this group moved rather than on the specific details of their efforts. The paper is actually a case study of one of…

Developed to help teachers and students deal with some of the current issues in science and technology, this book outlines a system for studying socioscientific problems that can be developed in class and then be applied in a life setting. Issues related to the biological sciences, physical sciences, and science as a social institution are…

Third-party intervention is increasingly recognized as an effective means of settling social, institutional, community, and interpersonal disputes. Traditionally, mediation efforts have been directed toward conflicts involving labor/management relations. Since the 1960s, however, mediation efforts have also been applied to situations involving…

Ecological problems are explored in this book of sixteen student readings and exercises aimed at developing and applying critical thinking skills. The readings, mostly extracts from books and periodicals, are introduced by the editor and accompanied by questions. Chapter I, The Population Controversy, includes selections from Paul Ehrlich's The…

Four modules of classroom strategies provide suggestions for examining U.S. history in light of contemporary issues. "The Right to Life" uses the Karen Anne Quinlan case as a model for exploring moral, legal, and medical issues related to euthanasia. Students discuss the reasoning and viewpoints of various groups associated with the…