One of the most significant challenges confronting college instructors who teach international politics survey courses is the coverage of current events issues and how to stimulate student interest about the issues. This paper describes two techniques, a current events sweepstakes and a Great Decisions roundtable, designed to infuse current events…

To determine where U.S. citizens receive their political and current events knowledge, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) interviewed people at a Boston shopping mall. This preliminary report, the first in a series to examine the political knowledge gap between the affluent and the economically disadvantaged, examined…

Telephone interviews with 389 people were conducted by undergraduate students to test the hypothesis that attention to economic news in the media would result in more beliefs about the economy, and that both news media attention and beliefs would lead to the holding of stronger attitudes toward the current administration's economic policy.…

This general guide presents an overview and explains the rationale of the teaching approach of the "Public Issues Series," units produced by the Harvard Social Studies Project to help students in grades 9-19 analyze and discuss human dilemmas related to public issues. (A detailed report on the nature, development, and evaluation of the Harvard…

Announced on a one time basis, this issue of Skeptic and its accompanying educator's handbook focus on crime. They are part of a series of debates-in-print in which a central question is defined and enlarged through expression of several conflicting views. The student magazine is organized into sections on the war on crime, its causes and…

A course in macro economics, designed to teach economic concepts and to improve student attitudes toward the discipline, is described. It is divided into 10 weeks of core study, using a self-instructional package, and 4 weeks for student options. Objectives of the core study are application of economic concepts to current events, feedback through…

Selected newspaper and journal comments from thirteen countries reflect the biases of national interest. Multi-national views range from hostility to muted approval of Nixon's attempt to remold the diplomatic systems with arranged American-Chinese and American-Russian visits. Since sovereign states invariably interpret foreign affairs in terms of…

THIS DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY HAD AS ITS BASIC OBJECTIVES TO GATHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE "GREAT DECISIONS" PROGRAM WITHIN AND ACROSS COMMUNITIES AND TO DEVELOP INSTRUMENTS FOR FURTHER STUDY OF THE PROGRAM. "GREAT DECISIONS," SPONSORED BY THE FOREIGN POLICY ASSOCIATION (FPA), IS AN 8-WEEK,…

Provides support for the generalization that media use indirectly affects voting confidence. Also indicates that newspaper reading increases the probability of viewing television news, but that TV news viewing has little or no effect on probability of reading newspapers. (NKA)

Presents a study of the use of serious subject matter in plays for youth by (1) tracing the trends of increasing advocacy and acceptance of such subject matter and (2) outlining patterns in the ways in which such subject matter is presented, focusing on original, contemporary plays, written by American playwrights. (JC)

Rather than just becoming a source of intense frustration and a symbol of America's supposed weakness of will, the Iranian hostage crisis could have led to greater interest in a culture different than students' own, American foreign policy and how it is achieved, world religions, and media coverage of crises. (Author/RM)

A study on the political consciousness of family groups in Warsaw confirms that current political events may be an important agent of political socialization. The rise of Solidarity and other events of 1980-81 influenced, in different ways, the perception of social differentiations among teenagers and their parents. (Author/CS)

Scores of slow learners on measures of closemindedness, critical thinking, self-esteem, and reading were found to be significantly related to their IQ scores. No relationships were found between self-esteem and reading, civil liberties and critical thinking, and self-esteem and interest in contemporary problems. (RM)

These classroom guides, designed to accompany the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of January, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Topics include: the first mission to the moon in 25 years, Kenya reelects Daniel Arap Moi to…

These classroom guides, designed to accompany the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of March, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Topics include: United Nations (UN) and Iraq interpret their recent deal in different ways,…