This pamphlet summarizes a conference in Boston on May 6, 1986. Its goal was to assess and plan strategies for the dropout problem in the Boston Public Schools. The Boston Compact, the draft plan contained in this document and prepared before the conference, served as the focus for discussion. Educators and administrators from across the country…

Blacks, Native Americans, Mexicans, Asians, Hispanics, and other minority groups have managed to survive many consequences of racial/ethnic bias and discrimination in the United States. However, certain theoretical models that social scientists apply to studies of social problems reflect majority group biases that tend to perpetuate discrimination…

The history, problems, arguments, and controversy concerning power created by nuclear fission are outlined. The purpose of the booklet is to present unbiased information for the layman in understandable language in order to improve the quality of national debate over nuclear power. Information for the booklet was gathered from journals, government…

The elimination of adult functional illiteracy has been declared a national priority. More than the ability to decipher a given text, functional literacy means the practical application of literacy skills to life in a particular society or group. But this in turn demands that the individual have enough prior knowledge of the surrounding culture…

To recount the development of the propaganda analysis movement before and since World War I, this paper reviews the precursors of the movement, traces the propaganda conciousness produced by wartime campaigns and subsequent domestic campaigns, and looks at major obstacles to propaganda analysis produced by social and academic conditions after…

The new possibilities for self-fulfillment while communicating in new and more immediate ways with a growing and changing world that have been opened up by computers should be offered to all young people, and most states have launched campaigns to teach computer literacy. As we implement state-mandated computer literacy curricula, however, we need…

As sociological approach to the study of contemporary American cities is presented in this book. Present day urban institutions are examined both independently and as they interrelate. The urban polity is described as a normative derivative of the national (or societal) polity. Urban government and politics are discussed. Similarly, urban economy…

This paper describes some of the many problems now facing the juvenile justice system, which was for years a legal "stepchild." A historical review reveals that although the first juvenile court was founded in 1899, the first U.S. Supreme Court review did not occur until almost 70 years later. Then, in a landmark decision, juveniles were given…

This paper describes a methodology for studying the ideologies of social movements from a rhetorical perspective and tests the methodology by studying the ideology of the feminist movement. The methodology is a three-step approach: first, a descriptive analysis provides an operational definition of the group's ideology--its self-image, central…

This document describes a university-related program to teach social problem solving skills to sixth graders at a predominantely black middle school, which evolved to become a systems linkage intervention. The development of the Social Problem Solving program (SPS) is discussed. The following stages are included: entry into the school system,…

Although some teachers doubt that sports literature should be taught in the college English class, the study of sports literature is enjoyable for studeents to read, think, and write. In a course entitled "The Rhetoric of Sport: Society, Media, Literature," students study the role of sport in society through reading articles and books that show…

Papers of the Tenth Annual College Self-Study Institute, held in 1968, are presented. They include: "Colleges and Universities as Agents of Social Change: An Introduction," by T.R. McConnell; "Agent of Whom?" by Harris L. Wofford, Jr.; "The University as an Instrument of Social Action," by Roger W. Heyns; "The…

Discusses the case study method of teaching high school chemistry as a supplement to traditional methods. The case study, provided by the instructor, generally focuses on a socially important issue related to chemistry; the student investigates the problem for one or two weeks and provides a solution. (MLH)