Reprinted from the OAH Magazine of History
7 (Fall 1992). ISSN 0882-228X

Educational Resources

History of U.S. Foreign Policy: An ERIC/ChESS Sample

Vickie J. Schlene

With the growth of global interdependence, the teaching of foreign policy becomes more significant at all levels of study. The study of foreign policy involves many facets, including economical, political, and ecological concerns.

This ERIC/ChESS sample highlights a few of the many citations dealing with foreign policy in the ERIC database. The descriptors most useful for an ERIC search on this topic are foreign policy and elementary secondary education.

EJ 433 684. “What Must Not be Taught,” by Benjamin Rigberg in Theory and Research in Social Education 19 (Winter 1991): 14-44.
This article reviews nine U.S. history textbooks, evaluating their analyses of the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Cold War. It documents their failure to link U.S. foreign policy to economic interests.

ED 341 603. The Role of the United States in a Changing World: A Curriculum Unit on Foreign Policy Choices. Providence, RI: Center for Foreign Policy Development, 1991, pp. 31. EDRS Price: MF-$0.01/PC-$0.02, plus postage.
This three- to five-day curriculum unit for secondary students center around four possible directions for U.S. foreign policy during the 1990s. It is designed as a culminating exercise at the end of the year or as an introductory activity to open the semester, this unit, and the possible futures it presents, should be thought of as a vehicle for guiding students through the process involved in developing a reasoned opinion for U.S. foreign policy.

ED 336 303. America’s Role in the Middle East: A Curriculum Unit on America’s Choices. Providence, RI: Center for Foreign Policy Development, 1991, 25 pp. EDRS Price: MF-$0.01/PC-$0.01, plus postage.
This curriculum unit uses the U.S. policy options in the Middle East following the Persian Gulf War as the focal point for discussing present and future policy goals. The range of views presented about postwar policy in the Middle East reflects differences in underlying beliefs about the proper role of the U.S. in the world and about the suitable conduct of U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf region. The materials are designed for high school social studies classes such as global studies or civics.

EJ 438 365. “Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes. A Comparative Analysis of Policy Options to Control the International Waste Trade,” by Christopher Hilz and John R. Ehrenfield in International Environmental Affairs 3 (Winter 1991): 26-63.
Several policy frameworks for managing hazardous waste import/export are examined with respect to economic issues, environmental sustainability, and administrative feasibility and effectiveness. Several recommendations for improving the present instrument and implementing process are offered.

EJ 427 755. “Reunification: Perspectives from Inside Germany,” by Toni Fuss Kirkwood in Social Studies 82 (January-February 1991): 7-10.
This article presents commentaries concerning German reunification made by prominent German intellectuals. It focuses on social and economic adjustments necessary for successful reunification. It also lists topics for classroom discussion and suggests how to examine the implications of reunification from a global perspective.

ED 344 820. New Directions in U.S. Foreign Assistance and New Roles for Anthropologists. Studies in Third World Societies, publication number 44, edited by John P. Mason and Mari H. Clark. Williamsburg, VA: College of William and Mary, Department of Anthropology, 1991, pp. 174. EDRS Price: MF-$0.01/PC-$0.07, plus postage.
Given recent developments throughout the world, the status of U.S. foreign assistance policies is uncertain. This document is a collection of papers whose authors critically examine new directions in development assistance in the 1990s.

ED 344 833. Political Tides in the Arab World, headline series no. 296, by Muhammad Musliah and Augustus Richard Norton. New York: Foreign Policy Association, 1992. EDRS Price: MF-$0.01, plus postage. PC not available from EDRS.
Annotation not available.

EJ 438 468. “A Realist Response to the Appeal for Pacifism,” by Kenneth W. Thompson in Perspectives on Political Science 20 (Spring 1991): 73-77.
This article defines war as symptom rather than cause. It identifies the root cause of the Middle East crisis as destruction of the regional balance of power through foreign augmentation of Iraqi power. It also criticizes the tendency to see world problems as a fight between good and evil and defines realism as the ability to see political realities as a balance of power.

ED 337 397. Access Guide to the Persian Gulf Crisis. Updated edition by Stephen E. Young. Washington, DC: ACCESS: A Security Information Service, 1991, pp. 61. Document not available from EDRS.
This guide for studying the events of the Persian Gulf War is designed to be non-partisan and to promote participation in public debate among concerned citizens, national organizations, educators, researchers, and academics.

The items preceded by “ED” are in the ERIC system and are available in many libraries around the country or copies may be ordered from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). For additional information concerning ordering copies, contact EDRS, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, Virginia 22153 or call (800) 443-3742. Entries preceded by “EJ” are annotated monthly in the Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE). They can be located in the journal sections of most libraries or ordered through Interlibrary Loan.

The ERIC/Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education (ERIC/ChESS) acquires, processes, and reports on the significant literature in social studies and the social sciences. Through the ERIC database, ERIC/ChESS provides ready access to that literature. Address any comments, inquiries, or search requests (there is a minimal fee for a search) to Vickie J. Schlene, User Services Coordinator, ERIC/ChESS, 2805 East Tenth Street, Suite 120, Bloomington, IN 47405 or call (812) 855-3838.

Vickie J. Schlene is User Services Co-ordiator for the ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education, Bloomington, Indiana.