Describes a college course dealing with the origins and goals of Soviet foreign policy. The course examines the events surrounding the development of Soviet policy since the 1917 revolution, the domestic factors which influence foreign policymaking, and current problems and policies. (RM)

Discusses the problems of teaching current events to primary grade students and suggests methods of instruction. Problems include determining areas of interest, levels of knowledge, extent of misconceptions, and ability to understand a given issue. Methods suggested are daily newspaper clippings, small group discussions, and opinion polls. (AM)

Reports that interpersonal diffusion of news events appears to be a selective, purposive, frequently altruistic communication phenomenon composed of a variety of underlying motivations. (Author/GT)

The author describes how he has adapted the television quiz show format of "College Bowl" to current events study for junior high school students. An insert explains use of the same technique with fourth graders. (SJL)

Reviews history of "recombinant DNA" research, including early experiments and origins of bioethical debates between concerned scientists. Discusses National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines and accompanying Environmental Impact statement regarding recombinant DNA research and possibilities of human error covered by neither…

Includes questions and answers by the president of the National Academy of Sciences, regarding current science issues such as the major concerns in the field of medicine, major ethical issues facing scientists, science and technology, scientific manpower needs, international cooperation, the role of the Academy in the decision-making processes of…

Explored how adolescents use their knowledge of history when interpreting current affairs. Found that students expressed their thoughts contrasting "then and now;" used different events and ideas to conceptualize; and represented the same story differently, depending on their backgrounds. Derived cultural resources students exploited,…

To win new readers, many newspapers are now wooing students and teachers. They offer youth-oriented pages and sections that simplify adult news or examine topics of special interest to teens. Teachers tend to consider newspapers worthwhile educational tools. The article describes how various newspapers deal with students. (SM)

Describes a new six-volume reference set, "The Twentieth Century," and suggests a cooperative social studies-library media activity built on the subject divisions found in the set. Library media skills objectives, curriculum objectives, resources, instructional roles, activities and procedures for completion, evaluation, and follow-up are…

All arguments about the 10 minutes of Channel One programming are side issues, including concerns about the bias or superficiality of new coverage, "infotainment" methods, and learning effectiveness. The main issue is the presence of television advertising (commercial persuasion)--aimed at a captive audience of schoolchildren and…

Many teachers shy away from teaching their students ethics. Yet American educators are concerned that students are coming into their classes with unacceptable ethical standards. Teaching ethics is important to the intellectual growth of high school seniors, as their departure from home to college or career is imminent. Social studies is a…

This document presents three papers by scholars who participated in a lecture series on current controversies regarding politics and the arts. Judith H. Balfe argues in her paper, "Affinities of Art and Politics: Gilt by Association," that despite a history of institutional separateness, art and politics are linked with one another because they…

A detailed chronology of events from July 1989 to December 1990 that led to the unification of East and West Germany is presented. Teachers of social studies courses, including global studies and world history, as well as students researching this topic, may find this summary useful. (DB)

To determine how to articulate a concrete definition of the substance of the journalist's occupation, this paper offers a propositional framework of news value based on Kurt Lewin's gatekeeper model. First, the paper follows the established suggestion that news decisions are best studied from a gatekeeping perspective or that "news is…