To Teach or Not to Teach? Pathway
To Teach or Not to Teach?
Case Overview
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?
You can find and download the full case study or the reader theater's script below.
Key Questions You Will Explore
- What responsibilities do institutions and instructors have to diversify the curriculum? How should they balance the responsibility to induct students into a discipline while redressing past injustices caused by slavery and colonization?
- 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?
- How can institutions balance the value of teaching students important historical texts with the potential harm such difficult history can cause?
Hear from the Experts
Why is this issue a real dilemma? Watch short video commentaries to explore the complexities, challenges, and values at stake in this case.
As you watch each video, consider the following questions:
- What resonates with you in this video?
- What questions does this video raise for you?
- How does this video impact your understanding of the dilemmas in the case?
On Harmful Language
Vincent Brown, Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, answers the question: How can instructors think about teaching texts with harmful language?
On Connecting Past and Present
John Stauffer, Sumner R. and Marshall S. Kates Professor of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, answers the question: What responsibilities, if any, do institutions and instructors have to diversify curriculum?
Additional Resources
- Examine the arguments for the necessity of teaching uncomfortable texts like Huck Finn (redirect).
- Explore why one school board decided to remove Huck Finn (redirect) 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).
- Do the works of problematic or abusive authors still have a place in the classroom? (redirect) 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).
- 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.
Case Reflection Questions
- What ideas presented in the case were new or surprising to you?
- Have you ever read Huck Finn or another book that’s been challenged? If so, what was that experience like for you?
- Several of the authors mentioned in the case have expressed views that different communities find harmful. How, if at all, should instructors and institutions take the personal views of authors into account when deciding which works to teach? Should such considerations extend to other disciplines?
Are You Hoping to Lead People Through This Learning Pathway?
The Pathway Facilitation Guide provides comprehensive information and guidance for teaching and learning with this learning pathway:
- guidance on customizing your pathway
- best practices for normative case discussions
- detailed protocols for each case
- discussion questions for different audiences
- extension activities for personalized learning
Want facilitation materials and guidance just for this one case? Download the Case Facilitation Guide!
What's Next? Exploring the Other Cases in this Pathway
This pathway contains four additional case studies and supporting materials that explore dilemmas related to institutional entanglement with slavery and the legacies of that entanglement. Click on each case below to learn more.
In this fictional case, a group of Harvard University students learn the history of Professor Louis Agassiz, whose research and theories justified the institution of slavery, highlighting the university’s ties with enslavement. Each student grapples with how to react to the University’s complex history and legacy.
What responsibility does the University have to teach this history, and what are our personal responsibilities to learn?
A committee at a fictional college revisits their decision to rename an administrative building in the face of new understanding of the founder’s ties to slavery. Students and activists are demanding more sweeping changes, including renaming the entire college to address systemic racism, while some faculty and alumni emphasize preserving tradition and legacy.
What responsibilities do universities have to reconsider whom they memorialize, and how should they weigh different stakeholder perspectives?
Set at Harvard University, this nonfiction case examines the iconography of figures who both served as champions of justice and equity and advocates for expulsion and oppression. These figures have ignited complex discussions as faculty, staff, students, and campus leaders try to determine whether, and if so, how these leaders should be memorialized in the visual culture of the campus.
With an institutional commitment to truth and a more diverse student body, what are the tradeoffs to consider when revisiting monuments for complex historical figures?
In this fictional case set at Harvard College, an African American college student with South African and Zimbabwean ancestry grapples with whether to apply for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, knowing that its creator and primary funder spread white supremacy and imperialism across the African continent.
Should Cecil Rhodes’s historical legacy impact her decision—and if so, in what direction?
Learning about a topic like the legacy of slavery can be overwhelming. Community Care Resources are available for members of the Harvard community seeking support for mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being.
Want to Learn More?
EdEthics | Legacies and Lessons Video Playlist
Watch our full series of expert commentaries on grappling with complex history in higher education, featuring alumni, scholars, and institutional leaders.
Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative
Explore the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative and their work.
Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Report
Read the 2022 Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery.
