With the heightened anxiety and tension surrounding the 2020 election and the January 2021 assault on the Capitol as well as other societal issues, these resources might be useful as you consider the impact of political and ideological perspectives on the current teaching and learning environment. 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.
Resources Related to January 2021 Capitol Riots
Webinar Abstract: The events of January 6, 2021 rattled the nation to its core as thousands stormed the Capitol in a planned attempt to unturn 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.
This article has lesson plan ideas, activities, and New York Times materials for exploring the causes and consequences of the assault on the capitol.
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.
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.
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.
IUPUI Resources
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 IUPUI 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.
IUPUI 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. Learn about the variety of ways IUPUI offers to get engaged as well as ways to incorporate civic learning in your curriculum.
Taking Care of Your Emotional Health, IUPUI Counseling and Psychological Services
For help in taking care of your emotional and mental health during the challenges of 2020, IUPUI CAPs offers a full range of services through remote and telehealth options, self-help resources, and virtual workshops.
Additional Resources
- 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.
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.
This guide was prepared to support faculty, staff, Resident Advisors, and students to engage in constructive conversations around the 2020 Elections, regardless of the outcomes.
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.
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.
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.
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. This helps to enlighten students on the many nuances of ideologies and is the basis for dialogue.