Politically divisive topics can cause tension and anxiety for both the instructor and students. The following resources might be helpful as you consider engaging with students about current events or accounting for the tensions surrounding the learning environment. The resources include guidance on how to (a) handle classroom discussions about controversial topics, (b) integrate relevant issues into your course curriculum, and (c) take care of yourself.
Articles
- Why It’s So Hard to Change Minds about DEI, Redstone, Ilana, Chronicle of Higher Education, May 10, 2024
Why is the DEI ban such a controversial issue? What are the assumptions that lead to the political turmoil surrounding DEI? This article provides context to help understand the DEI ban and various assumptions surrounding it, challenging the reader to think deeper about the topic rather than jumping to conclusions and taking sides. - The Conversation article “6 Ways to Encourage Political Discussion on College Campuses,” published on May 24, 2024, provides steps to set up open and safe conversations in the classroom for all learners. The authors cite their 2019 article on students’ experiences with participating in the deliberative learning/dialogue process with their peers and faculty.
- Facilitating Positive Peer-to-Peer and Peer-to-Instructor Relationships through Emotional Intelligence, Butulis, Meredith, Faculty Focus, May 12, 2023
At times of political volatility, students may want to talk about current events, expecting the professors to at least touch upon topics. Depending on the class, it may be appropriate to bring political topics up for discussion with the students, but it is often daunting to bring up sensitive—political—topics, regardless of how relevant they are. This article gives an example of specific classroom applications of strategies from Emotional Intelligence 2.0 that can be helpful. - To learn more about the context and reactions in the higher ed community, read this Chronicle article describing the anti-DEI legislations, their impact, and how public colleges inTexas and Florida have responded to them.
- Boys, S., Walsh, J. S., & Khaja, K. (2018). Teaching Trump: Student Recommendations to Ensure Safe Discussions in a Time of Polarized Political Divide. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 38(4), 347-362. – Written by IU Indianapolis Social Work faculty, Boys, Walsh, and Khaja provide recommendations gathered from student surveys on how to navigate difficult politically charged conversations in the social work classroom. While the implications are discussed for social work, these recommendations could work for other disciplines too.
Podcast and Video Resource
- Episode 44: Your Stress and Burnout Are Real: Extending Mindful Self-Compassion to Yourself , King, Tierney et al., Faculty Focus Podcast, September 2022 (Transcript)
The stress that comes out of teaching in politically volatile teaching environment is real. Take this 17-minute podcast as a reminder that your feelings are justified, and learn specific strategies to help deal with the stress and promote well-being through resilient and growth mindset. - Watch this panel discussion conducted on October 29, 2018, as a part of University of California Berkley’s Teaching in Troubled Times Series, where three faculty members from the institution share strategies that they have used on how to have productive and inclusive conversations in the classroom around politically charged topics.
Resource Guides
- National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Resource Page
This guide is for student affairs professionals on how to respond to DEI bans and continue the work. This resource page includes events, articles, webinars, statements, DEI legislation tracker, and response strategies including deliberative dialogue guides on various types of DEI issues. - Resource Guide on Difficult Conversations, James Madison Center for Civic Engagement, James Madison University
This guide was created as a tool to help faculty, staff, advisors, and students engage in constructive conversations about politically divisive topics such as the election. The guide includes discussion questions and activities that can be used in class. - MIT’s Teaching+ Learning Lab's Resource Guide on Navigating Politics
This guide unpacks the situational factors to consider in these contexts, and provides concrete steps, language that faculty can use in the classroom/email, and discussion prompts that can encourage inclusive participation. - Handling Controversial Topics in Discussion, CRLT, University of Michigan
Many instructors consciously avoid controversial issues in the classroom because of the difficulty involved in managing heated discussions. However, controversy can be a useful, powerful, and memorable tool to promote learning. The links in this resource offer guidance for how instructors can successfully manage discussions on controversial topics. - Research Guide for Understanding Authority of Research and Information, University Libraries, University of Buffalo
This guide will help you better understand authority in the context of research and information and provide you with methods of evaluating an information source to determine its authority. - Resource guide on Strategies to Support Challenging Conversations in the Classroom, Center for Educational Innovation, University of Minnesota
The guide reminds us that "to live in community is to live in conflict" and that higher education classrooms should be the space where students learn about how to voice their opinions and hold constructive conversations. It provides guidelines for instructors to ensure a safe space for conversations, rather than avoiding difficult topics altogether.
Additional Resources
- National Issues Forums (NIF) is a nonpartisan, nationwide network of locally sponsored public forums for the consideration of public policy issues. It is rooted in the simple notion that people need to come together to reason and talk—to deliberate about common problems. Issue guides that provide an overview of an issue and possible approaches to problems are available to accompany forums. NIF’s Free Speech and Inclusive Campus Guide can be especially adaptable in helping moderate discussions of politically divisive topics.
- 4Quads Political Diagnostic, Keene State College
This is a tool out of Keene State College that allows faculty to administer a short survey to students so they can see where they, and others, fall on political ideology. The tool was developed to move participants beyond left-right thinking and helping facilitate a richer discussion in class based on a deeper student understanding of their view of the world, of the many nuances of ideologies and is the basis for dialogue. You can request to use the tool from the 4 quads website.
IU Indianapolis Resources
- IU Indianapolis Political Engagement: Prepare to Do Your Part for Our Democracy and Voting Guide
When you take the time to become knowledgeable about and active in the political process, you are serving your community—and your country. Promoting and engaging one’s political beliefs can and should be encouraged as students become members of a democratic community. With the upcoming presidential elections, learn about the variety of ways at IU Indianapolis to get engaged as well as ways to incorporate civic learning in your curriculum. - Taking Care of Your Emotional Health, IU Indianapolis Counseling and Psychological Services
For help in taking care of your emotional and mental health that may come from discussing politically divisive topics, IU Indianapolis CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) offers a full range of services through remote and telehealth options, self-help resources, and virtual workshops.
Resources Related to January 2021 Capitol Riots and 2020 Elections
- Insurrection at the Capitol: Justice and Reconciliation on our Campuses and in our Nation, CORA Learning, Lasana Hotep, University of California, Berkeley; J. Luke Wood, San Diego State University; Frank Harris III, San Diego State University, January 14, 2021 [video recording]
Webinar Abstract: The events of January 6, 2021 rattled the nation to its core as thousands stormed the Capitol in a planned attempt to upturn the results of a democratic election and to siege elected officials. In the wake of this insurrection, the nation’s college and university leaders are contemplating how to respond. The extreme ideologies that led to the insurrection at the capitol are reflective of radicalized ideological and theological perspectives that are evident in larger society and on college campuses. Within this context, this webinar will examine the viewpoints and perspectives that led to the insurrection at the Capitol. - Responding to the Insurrection at the US Capitol, Facing History and Ourselves, January 6, 2021
This Teaching Idea is designed to help guide an initial classroom reflection on the insurrection at the US Capitol that occurred on January 6, 2021. - Teaching Resources to Help Students Make Sense of the Rampage at the Capitol, New York Times, Published January 7, 2021 and updated January 12, 2021
This article has lesson plan ideas, activities, and New York Times materials for exploring the causes and consequences of the assault on the Capitol. - Teaching in the Age of Disinformation: Propaganda and Conspiracy Theories are Everywhere. What's a Professor to Do? Beth McMurtrie, Chronicle of Higher Education, January 12, 2021
Faculty don’t always feel prepared to handle conversations in the classroom about misinformation or trust of information. This article discusses approaches for indirectly getting students to think critically about the truth of statements, to identify propaganda, to think critically without becoming cynical as well as other strategies for promoting information and media literacy. - Teaching Through National Upheaval, Center for New Designs in Learning & Scholarship, Georgetown University
This article points to resources with strategies that can help faculty address the chaotic and violent transition of the Presidential administration in January 2021 by, for example, acknowledging the situation and implementing flexibility, inviting students to express their feelings and perspectives and exploring the topic more actively using disciplinary tools. - A How to Talk with Your Team About the Violence at the U.S. Capitol, Harvard Business Review, January 7, 2021
This article provides guidance to leaders on how to approach crucial conversations with employees. It includes both general guidelines and a template that could be followed for the conversations, much of which could be useful in the classroom as well as with colleagues. - Pedagogical Strategies in Difficult Times: Talking About the Upcoming Election in Our Classes, October 19, 2020 [video recording]
Moderator: Sue Hyatt, Department of Anthropology, School of Liberal Arts
Panel members: Lasana Kazembe, Kara Taylor, and Ronda Henry Anthony, School of Education
Hosted by the IU Indianapolis Arts & Humanities Institute, the Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (HASS) Racial Justice Working Group meets bi-monthly. In this special session, members of the group discuss pedagogical strategies for handling classroom discussion and interactions in the context of the 2020 election. - Three-Part Series with Strategies and Resources that Instructors Can Use to Plan, Frame, and Facilitate Conversations About the 2020 Election, CRLT and the Ginsberg Center, University of Michigan
Part 1: Preparing to Teach About the 2020 Election (and After)
This guide focuses on what instructors from any discipline can do to begin to create the conditions for post-election discussions in their courses.
Part 2: Structuring Classroom Discussions About the 2020 Election
This guide builds from Part 1 to outline a process for planning the actual structure and facilitation of any discussions about the election, before or after November 3rd.
Part 3: After Election 2020: Moving from Reaction to Action
This guide focuses on how you can help students channel their responses to the 2020 Election into action by 1) acknowledging their feelings, 2) connecting with your disciplines, and 3) recommitting to the many ways that they can continue to contribute to their communities through civic engagement. - Post-election Resources: Navigating Challenging Conversations with Students in this Particularly Fraught Time. Tips for Teaching Professors
This blog post offers resources to address challenging conversations on campus in the heightened tension and anxiety surrounding this semester. Don’t miss the short, animated clip about responding from a place of empathy versus a place of sympathy. - Advice for Teaching through the 2020 US Elections, Derek Bok Teaching Center, Harvard University
These resources are designed to help faculty and graduate student instructors think about how to approach the events of November, given their own goals and their particular course and discipline. - Educating for the 2020 Election: A Call for Immediate Action, AAC&U, September 30, 2020
All disciplines can examine relevant issues in this election, and all students, regardless of their chosen profession, need to grapple with big questions. This blog posting contains sets of questions that can be integrated into classroom activities and cocurricular events.
Edited by Boyun Kim on July 29, 2024