The "philosophes" of the Enlightenment Period were a group of free (different) thinkers who offered commentary on societal issues. Often, they were like one of today's social commentators suggesting reforms for the political system. Since the United States during the era of the Revolutionary War was seeking reform of what they considered…

The Nevada Science Standards represent a common core for curriculum throughout Nevada's schools. The Nevada Science Standards are intended to provide Nevada students with a rich, thorough, and varied science education to prepare them for the challenges, discoveries, and demands of life in the 21st century. The two main sections of the document…

The paper presents literature related to the problems and promises of interdisciplinary work. Important characteristics of effective work groups are described, and origins of difficulty in groups are discussed. Most work on groups has been based on research on groups that come together only in the laboratory. These groups are different from…

A research project involved a program for increasing student transfer of knowledge and skills across content areas. The problem of knowledge and skill transfer across content areas was determined through anecdotal records, researcher observation, and a survey of teachers in interdisciplinary programs. Analysis of probable cause data revealed that…

This paper provides a rationale for including an interdisciplinary course in the university undergraduate or graduate curriculum that explores the interconnection between communication and gender. It also provides the framework for a semester-long course by which gender as a communicative accomplishment can be revealed. The course described in the…

Integrated art history and language arts activities are presented in this curriculum guide. The art history content is chronologically organized by units: (1) "Art of the Ancient World"; (2) "Arts of the East and Africa"; (3) "Art of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance"; (4) "Five European Masters"; (5) "Impressionism and Post-Impressionism"; (6)…

This paper begins by describing the type of newspaper stories about global warming, AIDS vaccines, and frozen embryos that are neither pure science nor pure politics. The paper states that the French sociologist and commentator on cultural trends, Bruno Latour, calls such stories "hybrid articles." It suggests that the purity of the…

This teaching guide consists of two short lessons: (1)"Centuries and Millennia"; and (2) "Days, Weeks, Months and Years." The first lesson shows major religious and secular concerns that, in various ages, combined to produce the calendar that now indicates the beginning of "a new millennium." It is specifically…

This document is intended to help teachers prepare students for the "exit exam of essential skills" required by the Student Accountability Standards enacted by the North Carolina State Board of Education. The strategies in this guide are based on two essential premises: following the North Carolina "Standard Course of Study"…

In spring 1998, the Writing across the Curriculum (WAC) committee at Abilene Christian University (Texas) began an 18-month review of the school's Writing-Intensive (WI) courses. From the initial review, it was noted that two problems needed to be addressed: in spite of regular workshops and group meetings, the teachers worked in isolation…

Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes encountered the Aztecs in 1519 and conquered them in 1521, claiming their empire for Spain. He then destroyed the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan and rebuilt a Spanish city in its ruins. In this lesson plan, it is the year 1527 and an Independent Counsel has been chosen by the College of Cardinals of the Catholic…

In this lesson, student teams research one of the species of early humans. Teams will create presentations that include information on physical traits, habitat, era, means of survival, culture, and relationship to modern humans. Students are provided with background information, detailed instructions, on-line resources, and reflection questions.…

The California city of Rancho Cucamonga has been given the task of developing a 4-square-mile area into a productive venture. There is already freeway access and a cargo railroad line, but sewer lines and various other services must be added. This lesson plan stipulates that student teams, each representing a specific interest in the business…

This journal issue introduces key points in education from a humanistic and interdisciplinary perspective. Articles are in Spanish (one article is in English) and each one contains a brief abstract in English. Research studies included are: "Globalizacion, Desarrollo y Pobreza (Reflexiones desde la Libertad)" (Juan Jose Toribio);…

This digest defines interdisciplinary courses, presents the benefits and challenges of offering them in the community college, and describes six existing interdisciplinary courses at community colleges around the country. Interdisciplinary courses are characterized by the following: they tend to be highly innovative; they incorporate concepts and…