Workshop: Teaching on Controversial Issues

Workshop: Teaching on Controversial Issues
Hosted by: Malmö University (MAU)
Date and Time: Wednesday, 5th February 2025 | 13:00 – 16:00 CET

Maximum Seats: 25
Registration Deadline: 27th January 2025
How to Register: Click Here

Teaching controversial issues, sometimes called “sensitive issues,” is becoming an increasingly contentious topic within higher education. With society marked by antagonistic tensions—due to large-scale international conflicts, polemical rhetoric in social media, the erosion of civility in political discourse, and the media’s obsession with conflict—it’s crucial for educators to address these issues effectively in the classroom.

Many teachers express that they have received little or no training in handling controversial issues in their teaching. This workshop aims to fill that gap by honing participants’ skills in teaching such issues. The participants will engage with a tool that Fredrik Portin, Associate Professor and Pedagogical Developer at Malmö University developed that highlights the pitfalls that a teacher might fall into when teaching controversial issues. Portin will present the tool, and the participants are invited to discuss how the pitfalls that the tool highlight are expressed in their own fields of knowledge.

After this workshop, you will be able to:

- Critically examine the use of controversial issues in your own field of knowledge.

- Engage with a tool that highlights the pitfalls that a teacher might fall into when teaching controversial issues.

- Reflect on how the pitfalls that the tool highlights are expressed in your own academic discipline.

Procedure:
The workshop consists of a 3-hour online session. During the workshop, the tool for preparing controversial issues will be presented and discussed. Participants are required to fill out a Padlet regarding their personal relationship to teaching controversial issues, which will be provided a few days before the workshop. The workshop will not be recorded.

For more information or inquiries, contact your local CTL or write to ctl@unic.eu

To learn more about upcoming workshops, please check out our Centre for Teaching and Learning page. The core topics of our workshops are:

- Challenge-Based Learning
- Innovative Mobility/Virtual Exchange
- Inclusive Education
- Education for Sustainable Development
- Beyond the Core Topics