Universities must become more involved in helping society address vital urban issues, and the faculty reward system should be restructured to encourage faculty involvement in urban service. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has made such a commitment, involving faculty in urban outreach, and university officers in clarifying institutional…

The negative impacts of immigration are felt most strongly by nonwhite Americans. The significant problems with today's immigration policies can only be solved by reducing immigration levels, something many minority groups support. Immigration is not the root of social problems, but in its present form, it exacerbates them. (SLD)

Selfishness has spawned a new breed of racism, driven by fear, fed by scarcity, and manifested through economic imperatives. California's Proposition 187 and Herrnstein and Murray's book "The Bell Curve" are built on racist foundations. Our current obsession with race is driven by an economy and an elitist social system that is…

Discusses the view of education in Russia and college students' attitudes about their futures. Addresses how well prepared high school graduates are to enroll in a higher education institution, the social composition of college students, and the practice of bribes in relation to assessing student preparedness for college. Explores nonstate…

Presents a strategy for a study of social problems that involves selecting brief excerpts from various literary genres that focus on a key social issue or problem. Explains that middle-level students are presented with a problem to identify, explore, and attempt to solve. Presents an appendix using this excerpt format. (CMK)

Presents an activity where students examine the perspectives of the indigenous poor of Mexico as well as of the Mexican government in a time of political change. Explains that the students read the background information in the accompanying handouts in order to simulate the negotiations between the government and Zapatista National Liberation…

Maintains that when students learn about social problems they often feel depressed and apathetic about their ability to change these problems in society. Describes the Community Exploration Project that addresses the despair expressed by students and utilizes a student-centered approach where students discover and understand community efforts to…

Offers an interview with Ivan Ivanovich Mel'nikov, who is the chair of the newly created Russian legal base called the State Duma's Committee for Science and Education. Explains that this legal base will assist in the further development of general and higher education institutions and will help improve the teaching conditions in Russia. (CMK)

Proposes rethinking citizenship so as to include children, maintaining that such thinking can prompt consideration of the similarity of concerns confronting children and adults. Argues that we need to rethink the value of the language of rights and its social significance. Concludes with examination of the requirements of such a vision of…

Explains that performance art incorporates different artistic forms, emphasizes the process of art over the product, and blurs the line between life and art. Discusses the history of performance art, highlights the Performance Art, Culture, and Pedagogy Symposium, and provides examples of how to use performance art in the classroom. (CMK)

Suggests that, due to escalating violence in contemporary society, community colleges should offer certificate or degree programs in conflict resolution. Describes a conflict resolution communication program, which teaches communication skills, mediation processes, and coping strategies to prospective mediators. (NB)

Employees (76 women, 15 men; mean age = 44.61 years old; SD = 10.84) of a nonprofit eldercare program completed measures of public service motives, community self-efficacy, sense of community with coworkers, and caregiver satisfaction and stress. Participants also identified whether they had a mentor in their life, someone with more experience who…

The topic of civic engagement has come to the forefront of many recent discussions about the positive and healthy development of youth. Researchers and practitioners writing about youth civic engagement agree that civic engagement has short- and long-term benefits for youth and for society. These benefits have been discussed in terms of youth…

Although Yankton Sioux writer Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin, 1876-1938) was, as P. Jane Hafen notes, "virtually unknown for many decades," much critical work has appeared since Dexter Fisher's 1979 article,"Zitkala-Sa: Evolution of a Writer." Some critics desiring to bring Zitkala-Sa into the conversation about turn-of-the-century American women…

The overall issue of assessment during early childhood, and its relation to school readiness and other decisions, is currently widely debated. Expanding early childhood education and child care enrollments, better scientific knowledge about early childhood development, and decisions about public spending, necessitate careful consideration of which…