#  To Teach or Not to Teach? 

 



   ![Row of books](/sites/g/files/omnuum3616/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-03/JiS%20case%20images%20%283%29.png?itok=CuubenBu) 

 

### ***Snapshot**: In this fictional case, a group of literature professors weighs the historical and literary value of canonical texts like* The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn *against the potential harm such books may cause students, as well as the value of diversifying the literary canon with postcolonial texts. How, if at all, should historical context be taken into account as institutions and individual instructors choose which texts and thinkers to expose students to? How should instructors think about including figures with problematic legacies?*



 

 [ Download Case Study (PDF) arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.justiceinschools.org/resource/teach-or-not-teach-narrative-case-study) [ Readers' Theater Script (PDF) arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.justiceinschools.org/resource/teach-or-not-teach-readers-theater-script) [ Discussion Protocol (redirect) arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.justiceinschools.org/protocols) 

 

 

 

 

##  Detailed Case Description 

In this case set at a fictional university, Assistant Professor Jamie Bordwin faces a tough decision as he plans to teach the English Department’s “Introduction to Literature” course in the fall: should he keep Mark Twain’s *The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn* in the syllabus or swap it for a text like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s *Americanah*? He calls together a group of colleagues, and together they weigh the historical and literary value of *Huck Finn* against the potential harm it may cause students, as well as the place of postcolonial texts in the literary canon.

How should instructors and institutions think about including potentially problematic or harmful works in the curriculum? What responsibilities do university instructors have to diversify the curriculum?



 

##  Explore Further 

- Examine the [arguments for the necessity of teaching uncomfortable texts like *Huck Finn* (redirect).](https://www.literaryfocus.org/post/the-essential-discomfort-of-reading-mark-twain-s-huckleberry-finn)
- Explore why one [school board decided to remove *Huck Finn* (redirect)](https://www.rblandmark.com/2021/02/23/lths-board-drops-huck-finn-from-curriculum/) from the district’s high school curriculum.
- Here is an educator's account of how [today’s students connect with the literary canon in surprising ways (redirect).](https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/a-teacher-reflects-on-the-literary-canon)
- [Do the works of problematic or abusive authors still have a place in the classroom? (redirect)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/gender-identity/does-the-work-of-abusive-authors-belong-in-the-classroom/) A writing professor reflects on how she frames and teaches texts from controversial authors.
- A professor shares her thoughts on [why *Huck Finn* holds such an important place in the American literary canon (redirect)](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/teachers/huck/essay.html).
- This in-depth analysis explores [how *Huck Finn* is taught in classrooms today and why it's taught in fewer classrooms than it was in the past](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/magazine/huckleberry-finn-teachers-students-schools.html?searchResultPosition=2).



 

This case is also part of the Legacies and Lessons learning pathway, a collection of cases unpacking institutional ties to slavery with support resources.



 

 



 [ Legacies and Lessons Learning Pathway arrow\_circle\_right ](/legacies-and-lessons-learning-pathway) 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Higher Education ](/case-study-levels/higher-education)
- [ College ](/topic/college)
- [ Curriculum ](/topic/curriculum)
- [ Teachers ](/case-tags/teachers)
- [ Case Study ](/page-categories/case-study)