(1993). Get It Right: Indigenous Demands for Control of Indigenous Higher Education. Despite the proliferation of indigenous higher education programs and institutions in Australia, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders are concerned about continuing forms of imposition and domination. The central challenge is to understand that continuing forms of colonialism are responsible for the insidious and embedded features of hegemonic systems that still constrain the struggles of indigenous people through the manipulation of consent and dissent. Aborigines receive an education that is not congruent with their cultural values, but is designed to assimilate them into the wider society. The question of who should define and control "appropriate outcomes" is central to the growing demands for indigenous control of indigenous higher education. Alternative, independent higher education models in South Africa, Palestine, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States demonstrate that cultural survival, empowerment, and self-determination can be promoted when indigenous… [PDF]
(1974). Population Policy and the Black Community. In this study, research was conducted over an 18-month period on the nature of population policy in America, its impact on black people, and how black people view its impact. Projections for the nonwhite population to the year 2000 were made by the National Urban League Research Department. Our projections, which are based on the Census Bureau's Series E projections, indicating that the nonwhite population wil remain, at least until the 1990's, a rather young population (below 19 yers). By the year 2000, we anticipate a change in the composition of the nonwhite population resulting in a shift of the majority age group to the 20-49 year age group. According to these projections, the nonwhite population will increase by 65-85 percent by the year 2000, and therefore its proportion of the total population will increase from 12.5 percent to 15.2 percent between 1970 and 2000. The study focuses on: (1) the demographic aspects of the black community; (2) critiques of major…
(2001). Literature and Lives: A Response-Based, Cultural Studies Approach to Teaching English. Telling stories from secondary and college English classrooms, this book explores the new possibilities for teaching and learning generated by bringing together reader-response and cultural-studies approaches. The book connects William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and other canonical figures to multicultural writers, popular culture, film, testimonial, politics, history, and issues relevant to contemporary youth. Each chapter contains brief explications of literary scholarship and theory, and each is followed by extensive annotated bibliographies of multicultural literature, approachable scholarship and theory, and relevant Internet sites. Each chapter also contains descriptions of classroom units and activities focusing on a particular theme, such as genocide, homelessness, race, gender, youth violence, (post)colonialism, class relations, and censorship; and discussion of ways in which students often respond to such "hot-button" topics. Chapters in the book… [PDF]
(1996). Accommodating Difference: Native American English Education–Reexamining Past Assumptions and Recognizing Socio-Political Influences. J.D.C. Atkins, Commissioner of Indian Affairs from 1885-88, asserted, "No unity or community of feeling can be established among different peoples unless they are brought to speak the same language, and thus become imbued with like ideas of duty." Educators at government-operated Native American boarding schools embraced this assumption and heralded English as the key to assimilating Indian children into an Anglo society. Therefore, language became the lens used to modify the student's vision, and rhetorical theory influenced which lens was prescribed. A need for nationwide conformance to Standard American English practices was implied with the claim that this would insure access by all to the stereotypical "American Dream." Educators in the 1880s seem to have been influenced by the work of rhetoricians George Campbell and Hugh Blair. Blair emphasized memorizing and translating in the practice of speaking and writing English. The Carlisle Indian School's General… [PDF]
(1993). Prejudice, Pedagogy, and the Play: A Study of "The Merchant of Venice.". There is little critical agreement on the meaning of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." One must confront the mindset of the play that systematically dehumanizes, stereotypes, excoriates, and seeks the extermination of one group on the grounds that their existence is repugnant to the controlling majority. Such a mindset is the philosophical and motivational basis for genocide. Most critics have taken little notice of either the prejudicial mindset or Shakespeare's dissent. Does ignoring the primary issue of the play suggests subtle support for the view that does not countenance the outsider? The challenge both for teachers and students of the play is to strive to come to a better understanding of who they are, insider and outsider. It has been suggested that "The Merchant of Venice" and its author are anti-Semitic. The challenge of the reader is to see all of the anti-Jewish epithets in the play from both Elizabethan and contemporary perspectives. In the… [PDF]
(1993). The Struggle for Peace in Bosnia: Considering U.S. Options. Choices for the 21st Century. Alternatives for Public Debate and Policy Development. The conflict in Bosnia (Yugoslavia) has confronted U.S. leaders with fundamental questions about the use and capability of U.S. power abroad. This document brings the decision facing the United States into the classroom. The unit features a set of four divergent options for U.S. policy toward the Bosnian conflict, and a brief account of Yugoslavia's turbulent history. This unit was developed in response to the immediate crisis in Bosnia. It is meant to serve as the basis for a 1 to 2 day activity. Background reading offers a concise introduction to the events of the 20th century that have contributed to the current crisis in what was once Yugoslavia. The opening section of a report by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on ethnic cleansing in Bosnia is included as a resource for students to draw upon. Four options for U.S. policy are suggested with variations on each and supporting and opposing arguments for each. The opinions are: (1) use force to stop the genocide; (2)…
(1989). Civic Education and Human Rights. In order to understand the context of the role that human rights should play in civic education in the United States, the era in which those rights were first debated (1789-1790's) must be examined, as well as contemporary political and education trends in the United States and the world. Human rights were at the heart of the democratic revolutions in the late 18th century. For a contemporary understanding of human rights education in the United States, the role that the United States has played in world affairs since the end of World War II must be examined. The organization of the United Nations and the formulation of its charter brought considerable enthusiasm for human rights to the United States. The rise of international studies as a basic component of civic education in the schools was always beset in the United States by Cold War ideology and McCarthyism. The Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and the Carter administration's focus on human rights brought concern for human rights…
(1988). Breaking the Sacred Circle. Intended as a basis for student discussions on American Indian issues, this article provides background on American Indian and Alaskan Native spiritual values and the white man's disruption of the Sacred Circle of Life. The foundation of the philosophies of North American indigenous peoples was the idea of cyclical reaffirmation and the goal of maintaining a harmonious balance with nature. Traditional Indian activities were conducted with the circle in mind, reflecting the belief that the power of the world and nature worked in circles. Native societies were cooperative and depended on each facet of the environment for sustenance. Plants and animals were accorded equal value with humans, a view that made large scale exploitation impossible. The whiteman broke the Sacred Circle and placed the Indians in "boxes" with restrictions that prevented the traditional life and caused a loss of spiritual power. In this regard, the most serious of the white man's actions was the… [PDF]
(1980). Securing the Human: The Journey Toward World Law and Justice. The Whole Earth Papers, No. 14. The document contains a variety of papers that examine the linkages between local concerns and global concerns and explore alternative world futures. An introductory article, \Securing the Human,\ discusses how the world community needs to develop adequate means to deal with crimes against humans. These means include sound analysis, spiritual awareness, moral sanctions, early-warning systems, and strengthened legal and juridical systems. In another article entitled \The Human Image\ the author points out that fundamentally important as justice may be, it is secondary to an absolute respect for the human person as an inviolate mystery. Further, a society is anti-human if it denies to a single human being the basic means to bare subsistence, plus the freedom which enables her or him to attain both the completion and goal of her or his life cycle. In the paper \Latin America and the National Security State,\ the author describes one form the National Security State can take. It is a…
(1975). The Race and Racism of the I.Q. Argument. A brief historical resume outlining the relationship between economics, racism, and intellectual justification for racism begins this paper, which notes that the I.Q. argument is a racist ideology in exactly the same way that Christianity, Darwinism, and Equality have been systems of justifications for America's racism. It fits the definition of racism – the formulation of criteria with an impact upon color so that the detrimental outcome is assured in spite of what the person who is being judged might do. A black cannot win under the I.Q. argument for he is not endowed with that innate genetic ability called \intelligence\. The genetic interpretation is racist in other ways, in that the subject matter selected for investigation is racist. Furthermore, a racist under pinning of the approach is found not only in the view but also within the responses to what is being purported as scientific research. The I.Q. argument is also racist because the black is held accountable for failure….
(1995). Linguistic Human Rights: Overcoming Linguistic Discrimination. A collection of essays on linguistic human rights includes: "Combining Immigrant and Autochthonous Language Rights: A Territorial Approach to Multilingualism" (Francois Grin); "On the Limits of Ethnolinguistic Democracy" (Joshua A. Fishman); "Linguistic Human Rights and Educational Policy in Russia" (Alexei A. Leontiev); "Linguistic Human Rights, Past and Present" (Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Robert Phillipson); "Typology of Language Legislation" (Joseph-G. Turi); "Personal Names and Human Rights" (Bjorn H. Jernudd); "Language Policy in the United States: A History of Cultural Genocide" (Eduardo Hernandez-Chavez); "The Discourse of Disinformation: The Debate on Bilingual Education and Language Rights in the United States" (Jim Cummins); "Beyond Linguistic Policy: The Soviet Union versus Estonia" (Mart Rannut); "Maori Language Rights in New Zealand" (Timoti S. Karetu); "The Sami…
(1993). The American Indian Digest. This guide provides a basic source of historical and contemporary Indian information from an American Indian perspective and includes study questions at the end of each section. The primary function of this guide is to be a quick-study reference handbook. Basic questions essential to understanding current problems and issues of American Indians are addressed including: (1) How many Indians are there in the country?; (2) How many tribes exist?; (3) How many reservations are there?; and (4) What are the size and location of the population, tribes and reservations? The first chapter presents an overview of American Indian history beginning with the arrival of Columbus, and discusses myths and misconceptions concerning American Indians, antagonism between White settlers and American Indians including genocide and slavery of American Indians, and violation of government treaties. The second chapter provides demographic data on American Indians, including information on tribes and… [PDF]
(2000). The European Home: Representations of 20th Century Europe in History Textbooks. Using a cross-section of European secondary school history textbooks, a study examined general developments in the presentation of history over the last decades. Three to 5 textbooks from 13 European countries were examined. Until the mid-1960s textbooks were primarily concerned with the history of the particular state or nation, but over the last 20 years, textbooks have dwelt more on general issues. Findings present an overview of how certain aspects of European history are covered. Some of the topics are taken from the darker side of Europe's past and include occupation policy, the Holocaust, genocide, and war. Other topics deal with textbook market structures, the space allotted to regional, national, European, and world history. The importance of textbook layouts is examined. Tasks assigned to students are reviewed to see whether they develop key skills of critical investigation or encourage students to digest pre-structured knowledge. Relevant to European integration is the…
(2006). Coming out of the Darkness of the Past. Online Submission Technology is helping to reduce the education gap between developed countries and those that are still developing. The following article gives one example of an innovative teacher training project where a western university, in Rome, Italy, is selflessly showing their African counterparts, in rural Rwanda, how to become fully autonomous in training their future generations. Schrum and Hong (2002) state that "learners throughout the world are demanding educational opportunities in an 'anytime and anywhere' format and institutions are responding by devoting substantial resources to develop online distance learning." This assertion is fast becoming the reality in every corner of the globe where the teaching profession is using technology to bring education to people and places that might never have imagined receiving its benefits little more than a decade ago. Such examples include teachers working with blind children in Chile on "a project called Hyperstories which… [PDF]
(2007). An Index of Horror: To Catalog an Extensive Video Archive of Holocaust Testimony, the U. of Southern California Turned to the Human Touch and a System that Could be Used for Other Large Archives. Chronicle of Higher Education, v53 n41 pA32 Jun. On video, a woman describes how her life was shattered. She speaks about her family splitting up, about her loved ones being killed, about one of the most systematic genocides in history. Indexers at the University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education have watched 120,000 hours of these testimonies since 1998, paying attention to every detail and indexing each and every minute. The Southern Cal collection is one of the most comprehensively indexed video collections of its size. The indexing allows researchers to search for various topics through keywords and gain access to the testimonies at the very moments that those topics begin to be discussed. Video is a powerful medium, but as a research tool it is not much use unless it is indexed. Some people at Southern Cal see the institute's labor-intensive, manual method as a model for other video archives. The method of indexing the tapes in one-minute segments and using keywords has been… [Direct]