ERIC Resources for Teaching About the Seventies and Women

Abstract

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a nationwide information system containing more than six hundred thousand documents related to all levels of education. The ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/ Social Science Education, located in Bloomington, Indiana, collects docu ments related to history and social science research and classroom prac tice and enters these materials into the national ERIC collection. Educators can access ERIC materials through two monthly indexes, Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CUE), and through computer search services available at many university and school dis trict libraries. The documents listed in these indexes, and those highlighted in this column, can be ordered in either microfiche or paper from the ERIC Reproduction Serv ice (EDRS), 3900 Wheeler Avenue, Alexandria, VA, 22304-5110. When ordering materials from EDRS, be sure to list the identification number, specify microfiche (MF) or paper copy (PC), and enclose a check or money order. Documents labeled with an EJ code can be found by locating specific journals at nearby libraries or through inter library loan service. EJ docu ments are not available through EDRS or ERIC/CHESS. ERIC re sources are also available in micro fiche at many university and state libraries around the country. The following selected re sources for teaching and reflecting about the seventies--a fascinating, yet disillusioning decade--are ex amples of the types of materials available from the ERIC system. For further information, contact Cheryl Cohen, Assistant Director of User Services, ERIC/CHESS, 2505 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, (812) 855-3838. ED 121 634. Watergate: The Waterloo of a President. ETC Simulation Number 7, by Richard A. Hostrop. 1975. 34 pp. EDRS price: MF-S0.78 plus postage. PC avail able from ETC Publications, P.O. Drawer 1627-A, Palm Springs, CA 92262 ($4.95). This simulation involves secondary school students in a reen actment of the political period of 1971-1974 and the Watergate scan dal. By taking on the roles of the various persons and committees involved with Watergate and by representing their views, students: (1) learn about the pre-Watergate political atmosphere of divisiveness in the United States brought on by the Vietnam War; (2) examine the significance of the Watergate scan dal, discussing how the break-in affected U.S. election laws; and (3) become involved in the impeach ment process. Students are assigned roles several days prior to classroom enactment of the simulation so that they can research the personalities that they are to play. From nineteen to fifty students can complete the simulation in three hours. A class room discussion follows the simula tion. This publication lists the simulation objectives, provides step by-step instructions for the teacher to follow, contains questions for review, supplies summarization and reinforcement, and provides all the student materials necessary for imple mentation. A short bibliography of related books is also provided. ED 115 522. Demytholo gizing the Textbook President: Teaching About the President After Watergate, by Hal M. Barger. 1975. 25 pp. EDRS price: MF-$0.78 plus postage. (Not available in paper copy.) In the wake of Watergate, this paper purports the need for a new approach to teaching about the American presidency. Tradition ally, American government text books focus on institutional de scriptions and constitutional arrange ments of the presidency. This text book approach to the presidency describes and values a chief execu tive who is generally benevolent, omnipotent, omniscient, and highly moral. The formal aspect is empha sized to the exclusion of any discus sion about behavioral and policy aspects of the office. Recent re search in student attitudes toward the presidency after Watergate indi cates a significant loss of trust and affect in the president's honesty, trustworthiness, dedication to the job, and responsiveness to people. This paper suggests that teachers reconsider the president in four basic conceptual ways: (1) as an institution in the context of a more dynamic and conflict-ridden politi cal system than has been suggested thus far; (2) as a role of some his