The secularization of religion is discussed. It is now conventional wisdom that the industrialized world is a secular world that sees scientific methodology as the sole reliable approach to solving problems. Religion is seen as making no greater contribution to society than any other social or economic group. (RM)

How fiction is used in a college-level political science seminar to teach about democratic decision making and U.S. politics is described. The fiction used is clustered around the following topics: community-level decisions, limits to consensus, group values and politics, acquiring elected offices and trying to keep them, and public bureaucracies.…

Government and ethics teachers should educate students in the "wholesale sanity" of American democracy. In particular they should (1) identify and defend the principles of the American constitutional order, (2) criticize government actions departing from these principles, and (3) seek means by which to correct for these departures. (RM)

Maintains that a course in U.S. political thought is necessary to increase students' knowledge of democracy, liberty, and human rights. Provides course goals, structure, and useful texts. Suggests a topical format rather than a chronological approach. Focuses on judicial opinions as an important indicator of traditional values. (RW)