Teaching Controversial Issues in the Age of Trump
Date of Lecture: September 29, 2016
About the Speaker: Jonathan Zimmerman is professor of the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, he was professor and director of the History of Education program at New York University. He is author of books including "Campus Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know" (Oxford University Press, 2016) and "Too Hot to Handle: A Global History of Sex Education" (Princeton University Press, 2016).
About the Talk: Zimmerman traces the history of teaching controversial issues in public schools and the restrictions placed on teachers, from early arguments that taxpayers wouldn't fund public schools if they teach viewpoints parents don't agree with, to wartime restrictions on discussing communism, to a recent case where a teacher was fired for expressing anti-war sentiments in a classroom. Zimmerman argues it's important, now more than ever, for teachers to model open and respectful discussions of controversial issues.
His talk is co-sponsored with the Department of Education.