This handbook is primarily designed for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), Instructional Assistants (IAs) and Teacher Trainees (TTs) in the Department of Near Eastern Studies (NES), Formerly Department of Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, at the University of Michigan. The contents of the Handbook, however, can be of service to all teacher…

In this study of the treatment of Egypt in elementary and secondary school literature, the content of 109 textbooks and 180 supplementary works is analyzed and evaluated and recommendations for specific corrections and additions are presented. The purpose is to alert the authors of educational materials and teachers about the imperfections in…

This unit of study seeks to supplement the information presented in world history textbooks about the Crusades. The Crusades were instigated by the call for "holy war" against Muslims by Pope Urban II in 1095 and spanned several centuries. The unit notes that usually the depth and breadth of coverage varies substantially, and the…

This teacher's resource book and student text are part of a continuing series on current and historical international issues, placing special emphasis on the importance of educating students in their participatory role as citizens. For the U.S. population, the oil resources of the Persian Gulf, attachment to Israel, and fears about terrorism and…

Examines the Arab-Israeli issue using a humanistic approach. Uses case studies of a 16-year-old Palestinian boy and a 17-year-old Israeli boy in a role-playing activity intended to help secondary students better understand concepts underlying the long-standing controversy in the Middle East. (LS)

This unit is designed to introduce students to the Islamic culture and civilization of the Middle Ages. The historical period which these materials cover begins with 711 (the date of Muslim entrance into Spain) and ends with 1492 (the date of the end of Muslim rule in Spain). The activities of the unit culminate with the recreation of a banquet…

This document is part of a series that seeks to help people think constructively about foreign policy issues, to improve citizen involvement, and to encourage debate on public issues. "The Arab-Israeli Conflict from 1920 to 1985"; "A Crossroads in the Middle East"; and "U.S. Thinking and the Politics of Peace" are the…

The purpose of this syllabus is to help government personnel assigned to South Asia, or to positions dealing with South Asian affairs, to acquire a basic knowledge of the area and some understanding of the motivational dynamics of the people. It is not intended to serve as an operational briefing nor to take its place. The goal is the facilitation…

This resource unit, used either at the end of the 8th grade course or as an alternate course during non-election years in grade nine, provides an area study on the Middle East. Since emphasis in each of the five previous units designed for grade nine is on the American economic system and problems, this particular unit offers a contrasting study…

In this unit, high-school students identify and evaluate their own images of the Arabs and begin to develop more accurate perceptions of the Arabs through data analysis. Activities emphasize social studies skills, such as mapmaking and reading, use of time lines and the concept of chronology, and data collection and analysis. Students compare…

Education was so much a part of Jewish thought and way of life that it was often taken for granted, e.g., the early sages never wrote an articulated plan for education principles and practices. The introduction to this overview of traditional Jewish education discusses the basic concepts of belief in the efficacy of education, the integration of…

This monograph explores the interrelationships, or linkages, between Arabs in the United States and Arabs in the Arab world. It is intended to help teachers understand the complexities of ethnic identity among Arabs as a minority group in the United States. It is presented in five sections. Section one examines why social scientists in the United…

This study syllabus on the Near East and North Africa is divided into twelve units. Designed to familiarize government personnel assigned to the area with the region and people, each unit consists of a statement of the main objectives to be studied, questions for consideration, and a list of suggested readings from books and periodicals. Units…

This documents consists of 12 issues of a journal that seeks to provide information and reviews concerning social studies textbooks; each issue consists of 16 pages. Contents in the 12 issues include: (1) California control over textbook content; (2) "skills" teaching in elementary-level social studies texts; (3) readability formulas;…

This annotated bibliography is intended for teachers, students, school librarians, and others as an aid in selecting materials to support teaching about the Middle East. Eleven chapters cover: (1) "Reference and General Works"; (2) "Physical Geography"; (3) "Folktales, Literature, Fiction"; (4) "Religion";…