Brave Classrooms: Taking on Antisemitism in Schools

Schools and teachers are increasingly reporting acts of physical and verbal violence connected to antisemitism. This hatred is not new and has a long and “convenient” history. How can we prepare students to recognize and confront this hateful ideology? As educators, how can we ensure that our classrooms are safe for those students threatened by antisemitism at school—and that we don’t inadvertently tolerate, perpetuate or exacerbate this harm?

For over two thousand years Jews and Jewish communities have been stereotyped and discriminated against, exiled, and violently attacked based on a wide range of false and dangerous accusations. This mini-course will look at the history and evolution of this hateful ideology and present steps to help students stand up against this form of hatred and bigotry.

During this mini-course, we will:

1. Explore how social divisions create “the other” 
2. Explore the ancient and contemporary stereotypes of Jews 
3. Explore different methods of combating contemporary antisemitism in schools

Mini-Course Schedule

• Prework:
  • Self-Guided Work for new participants: (approx. 90 minutes): February 1–February 8
• Module 1:
  • Self-Guided Work (approx. 90 minutes): February 1–February 8
  • Live Session in Zoom (90 minutes): February 8, 7–8:30 PM ET (see in your time zone)
    • Optional Office Hours (20 minutes) following the session
• Module 2:
  • Self-Guided Work (approx. 90 minutes): February 8–February 15
  • Live Session in Zoom (90 minutes): February 15, 7–8:30 PM ET (see in your time zone)
    • Optional Office Hours (20 minutes) following the session
• Module 3:
  • Self-Guided Work (approx. 90 minutes): February 15-February 22
  • Live Session in Zoom (90 minutes): February 22, 7–8:30 PM ET (see in your time zone)
    • Optional Office Hours (20 minutes) following the session
• Module 4:
  • Self-Guided Work (approx. 90 minutes): February 22–February 29
  • Live Session in Zoom (90 minutes): February 29, 7–8:30 PM ET (see in your time zone)
    • Optional Office Hours (20 minutes) following the session

Mini-Course At-a-Glance Details

Who should take this mini-course: 6th–12th grade world history, US history, humanities, and English language arts teachers, school leaders, and curriculum specialists. We invite educators from a variety of K-12 school settings including public, private, independent, and religious schools to apply. This course is NOT open to Higher Ed professionals.

Cost: Free. The registration and event fees for this online offering have been waived thanks to generous funding from Facing History and Ourselves donors and partner organizations.

Duration: 4 weeks. There is a new module each week. Each module includes online self-guided work and a weekly synchronous session in Zoom.

Time commitment: Approximately between 2–3 hours each week for 4 weeks.

Pacing: 

Each week’s module will follow a similar structure: 

• Approximately 90-minutes of online self-guided work to complete in preparation for each week’s live session (with an additional 90-minutes during the first module for participants who did not complete Part I). 
• A 90-minute facilitated live session to include whole- and small-group activities.
• Optional extension activities to be completed anytime during the week. 

Certificate of Completion: 

Awarded upon successful completion of the course for 12 professional development hours. Requirements for professional development hours vary by state. It is the educator's responsibility to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of their state.

If you are an educator based in New York, after taking this course you are eligible for 12 CTLE hours. If you are an educator based in Illinois, after taking this course, you are eligible for up to 12 clock hours. Please contact us at support [at] facinghistory.org for more information.

For the purposes of this course, we will not be touching upon the topic of the intersection of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments. To cover that topic, join us for Part II of our Brave Classrooms mini-course series.