MSU Fellowship Empowers Michigan Teachers to Reimagine Genocide Curriculum for Today’s Learners
At a time when students are encountering discussions of genocide not only in history books but as it unfolds in real time across social media and global news, a program offered through Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters is helping secondary education teachers across Michigan respond to the growing challenge of teaching about this fraught topic in a rapidly shifting global context, providing the time, resources, and community to rethink their approach.
Now accepting applications for its third cohort, MSU’s Holocaust and Genocide Curriculum Fellowship is open to Michigan English and Social Studies educators teaching grades 8-12. Through this program, teachers broaden their understanding of genocide across diverse historical and cultural contexts while researching and designing new curriculum to better engage Michigan students.
Led by Mary Juzwik, Professor of English Education with a joint appointment in the departments of Teacher Education and English; Laura Yares, Associate Professor of Judaism in the Department of Religious Studies; and Deborah Margolis, MSU Librarian for Jewish Studies, Muslim Studies, Middle East Studies, and Religious Studies; the program stands apart from traditional teacher training on genocide by integrating diverse disciplinary approaches to the topic, especially humanities, art, and religious studies.
The program emphasizes common themes across genocides, such as dehumanization, group identity, testimony, and memory, while highlighting resilience, culture, and human flourishing.
By Kim Popiolek, Senior Editor, MSU College of Arts & Letters, with the full article originally published on the College of Arts & Letters website.