Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, wars, and other crises often occur without warning. This page offers principles and strategies for discussing a crisis in your class, knowing that students' immediate reactions to the crisis, strongly held positions, or personal ties to the situation could greatly affect their participation in a class in which it is discussed.
At CIDR we have developed these general guidelines and resources to help you think through how events might affect your students and how you might talk about them in your class.
When a crisis strikes, there is likely to be a range of reactions and responses among students; some may have personal ties to events, or friends and relatives directly affected by it. Certainly even those who do not have personal ties to events may still be strongly affected by them.
If you expect the crisis to be a topic of discussion in your class, it will be important for you to be aware of the range of positions represented among your students. For general suggestions to help you think about understanding students' perceptions coming into your course, see CIDR guidelines for:
Students may hesitate to participate if they think their views will not be welcome in class. Be prepared to make an explicit statement that all students are welcome in your class, and that you expect students to treat one another with respect.
For suggestions to help you think about establishing a welcoming classroom climate, see CIDR guidelines for Honoring Student Diversity, including, Setting the stage for potentially sensitive material.
You may be concerned about how to respond if students bring these events up in class, or how to bring up the topic yourself. Think ahead about the goals for a discussion like this, students' possible responses (both spoken and unspoken), and your roles in this discussion. Think ahead also about ways that you can prepare students for this discussion.
For suggestions to help you think about leading class discussions, see CIDR guidelines for Fostering Equitable Class Participation.
You may notice signs that students are experiencing emotional distress. As an instructor, it is not necessarily your role to help students in this situation, and in fact it may be counter-productive for the students if you bring up emotionally difficult issues without providing appropriate support and assistance. For more information about ways to talk with students about these issues, contact UW CareLink at 1-866-598-3978.
For suggestions to help you think about ways of responding to distressed students, see CIDR's collection of resources on Responding to Difficult Situations with Students, especially:
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Consult with CIDR
CIDR staff are available to consult individually with UW faculty, TAs, and departments. To arrange an appointment, call 206-543-6588 or send a message to info@cidr.washington.edu |
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CIDR Web Guides
Inclusive Teaching
Teaching in ways that do not exclude students, accidentally or intentionally, from opportunities to learn
Threatening Classroom Situations: Planning Guide for Faculty and TAs
This web guide identifies resources and strategies for dealing with difficult and threatening situations that you might encounter through your teaching. It also identifies considerations for discussing these types of situations with your students.
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This page is adapted from resources developed for the UW Day of Reflection on the War in Iraq and Talking about the September 11 Tragedies in Your Class, which was originally developed by CIDR as a resource for UW instructors following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C.
