Teaching controversial topics and identities in the 21st century
The Expert Meeting «Teaching controversial topics and identities in the 21st century» was held at the National Press Club (Washington DC, USA) on November 3 and 4, 2022.
Teresa Sádaba (Universidad de Navarra) was in charge of the academic coordination . The participating experts were: Lara Brown (George Washington University), Karen Bohlin (Boston University), Salvador Cardús (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona), Paola Delbosco (Universidad Austral), Francisco O’Reilly (Universidad de Montevideo), Ben Klutsey (George Mason University), Isaac Nahón-Serfaty (University of Ottawa), Alberto Ross (Universidad Panamericana), Javier Serrano (Universidad de Navarra) and Peter Wood (National Association of Scholars, United States). Also participating were members of the Cultural Mediation and Social Affairs Project: Marc Argemí (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya), Mónica Herrero (Universidad de Navarra), Gloria Gratacós (Universidad Villanueva), Giovanna Razzano (Universitá della Sapienza) and Juan Pablo Cannata (Universidad Austral). Finally, José María La Porte (Pontificia Università della Santa Croce) was invited as discussant.
Controversy is an inherent feature of life in a culturally plural society. As diversity increases, so does the difficulty of generating spaces for participation in which different people can feel included, involved and respected in the same way. As this absence of common spaces is verified, concern about social fracture also grows, grievances between different groups increase, conflicts emerge and controversy is perceived as a threat to one’s own identity.
In this context, the Cultural Mediation and Social Affairs project of Intermedia Social Innovation brought together several experts in Washington D.C., so that from different political, social and cultural perspectives, they could make a diagnosis and offer proposals and guidelines for the teaching of controversial subjects and the improvement of education in a society of controversy.
La enseñanza de temas e identidades controvertidos en las universidades de identidad cristiana
It will be published soon in English.
El propósito de este documento es mostrar que la existencia de controversias en el seno de una universidad no solo es necesaria, sino también conveniente para la institución, especialmente cuando se trata de una universidad con identidad cristiana. Esto se debe, entre otras razones, a que el cristianismo es hoy una realidad controvertida.
Further Reading
Let’s make the university a safe space to discuss sensitive topics
Public debate is becoming ever more polarised, both on and offline. But higher education has an opportunity to lay out a blueprint for healthy dialogue, starting in our classrooms – here’s how to do it
Pluralismo en el aula
La cultura de la cancelación se está manifestando con fuerza en las universidades, sobre todo en el contexto norteamericano. Este artículo expone las consecuencias de esta cultura para el diálogo en las aulas, y se cuestiona si se están trasladando los mecanismos de debate propios de la opinión pública al escenario de las universidades.
Is still possible to teach controversial topics in universities?
Today any topic could be controversial in a classroom. Even in the «neutral» hard sciences, such as chemistry, a matter as factual as the composition of the female hormone estrogen could lead to a heated discussion of sex and gender. In certain circles, affirming the connection between biology, sex and gender can unleash a debate on the supposed “transphobic” prejudices of those who dare to raise the biochemical basis of sexual identification.
Cultural Mediation and Social Affairs Project 