A profile of the humanities in American education and public life is presented, and means for strengthening them over the next decade are recommended. The humanities are examined in terms of education, cultural institutions, and public and private funding. Broad definitions of literacy, vocationalism, and the purposes of education at all levels…

Two papers are presented--a summary and a lengthier description of an interdisciplinary college-level liberal arts course. Both papers are intended for use by humanities and social science teachers as they develop and implement interdisciplinary and competency-based curricula. Five areas of academic competency serve as course objectives. These are…

In 2004 the Executive Council of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) created a task force to examine current standards and emerging trends in publication requirements for tenure and promotion in English and foreign language departments in the United States. To fulfill its charge, the task force reviewed numerous studies, reports, and…

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) recently commissioned a study to review the research that finds liberal bias run amok in academe. Believing that the AFT is not a dispassionate observer of this debate, this article provides "The Chronicle of Higher Education's" survey of the genre. The studies reviewed include: (1) "Political Bias in the…

In this article, the author reports the results of a national survey taken by state assessment directors on the impact of No Child Left Behind on nonassessed subjects between the years 2001-5. Results indicate that during this time, statewide assessment of science and writing increased whereas it decreased in the social studies, arts and…

In a most timely volume addressing many of the connections among current fiscal and employment crises to adult education, Learning for Economic Self-Sufficiency highlights the problems and challenges that low-literate adults encounter in various environments. Moreover, this book presents strategies for addressing the chronic illiteracy among…

Political correctness (PC) is often associated with attempts to place limits or boundaries on expressions of racist, sexist, or homophobic attitudes and feelings. PC is most often associated with such efforts on college and university campuses. Many critics of PC have attempted to suggest that these activities pose a great threat to American…

This curriculum bulletin was intended to explain the Oregon Action Plan and its implications for the music curriculum in Oregon schools. The bulletin contains two sections. Section 1, "Music and the Present Standards", includes the following: (1) "Implications for Changes to Standards"; (2) "The Oregon Action Plan with…

This report seeks to build a case for the potential value of arts-centered cross-disciplinary approaches as a possible way to integrate an often-fragmented high school curriculum. Stressing that there is no universal panacea for the complex and multi-layered issues of school reform and change, the report suggests a possible vision that could lead…

This set of lessons accompanies a series of 30-minute films for teaching about Germany. Available to educators throughout the United States upon request, the 17 films and accompanying instructional activities focus on culture, politics, economics, society, and sports and are appropriate for middle and high school students. Permission is granted to…

This guide to selecting a graduate school in the humanities and social science fields focuses on the individual disciplines; identifies "standard-bearing" institutions, as well as good but lesser known ones; and reviews specific intellectual issues within various disciplines as they relate to graduate school choice. After an introductory chapter,…

In 1995, doctoral degrees were granted to over 26,000 individuals in the sciences and humanities; however, many other individuals began graduate work with the same aspirations. There are no national estimates to indicate how many students make the decision each year to cease graduate work, but studies at a few selected academic institutions…

Ever since the publish-or-perish era began sometime ago, academics in the humanities have experienced a widening gap between their two primary obligations, teaching and research. Bad enough for tenure-track junior faculty, the tension between the demands of writing, delivering, and publishing papers is even worse for graduate students because of…

After reviewing the historical and potential place of the humanities in African education, the author advocates an educational model in which the humanities would be limited in the vertical plane (i.e. over-specialization discouraged) but expanded horizontally into other university departments. [Article is in both English and French.] (JT)

The experimental freshman English course described here weds the teaching of basic reading and writing skills to an introduction to the humanities. Although the semester course is divided into four discrete and sequential mini-courses (semantics, philosophy, history, and myth), the units together develop a common and unifying theme of freedom.…