"Strategies for Teaching the War in Ukraine" Webinar Highlights

Abstract

On March 15th, 2022, APSA convened the webinar “Strategies for Teaching About Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.”The panel brought together scholars with regional expertise on Russia and Ukraine, post-Soviet political development, international relations, global civic engagement, and political science instruction. Moderated by Michelle Allendoerfer, APSA’s Director of Teaching & Learning, the five panelists included John Ishiyama (APSA President, University of North Texas), Alison R. M. McCartney (Towson University), Yoshiko Herrera (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Paul Poast (The University of Chicago) and Olga Onuch (The University of Manchester). The aim of this event was to address the opportunities and challenges for teaching political science in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Members of the panel offered insights on how political science can shed light on the origins, dynamics, and consequences of the conflict, as well as practical suggestions for how to incorporate the events in Ukraine into classroom discussions and activities. In the following, I distill some of the core ideas that emerged in the panel discussion, which I organize around three key roles instructors can play during this time. Scholars of political science can provide students with relevant and accurate information about the conflict, help students to understand the conflict through the lens of political science, and empower students to take action on behalf of those affected by the conflict.