Navigating Charged Topics in the Classroom: A Panel of WashU Instructors

Event Description

Higher education has been said to have three core missions: research, teaching, and a social-political mission. But is this social-political mission really just a “third mission” on the periphery of the other two? Or should those of us who teach at universities see it as central to providing rigorous, relevant, engaging, and thought-provoking education?

The 2024/25 academic year presents ample opportunities to address this question in practical terms, not merely philosophical ones. As St. Louis and the nation commemorate ten years since Michael Brown’s death amid a heated election season and with global conflicts spilling onto our campuses, faculty are compelled to rethink the social-political mission of higher education and consider ways of integrating this mission into course policies and classroom practices, while facilitating conversations that arise from the charged current context.

This panel offers a unique space for a courageous conversation among faculty members who teach socially and politically charged topics. Together, we will explore different approaches to facilitating conversations about politics and share successful policies and practices for doing so.

Panelists:
Dewitt Campbell, Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
Ayala Hendin, Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
Caitlin McMurtry, Brown School
Froggi VanRiper, Environmental Studies

For questions about this panel discussion, contact Elina Salminen.

Registration