Ledger

Issue date: 4/17/03 Section: News

Media Credit: James Winkelman While many are choosing to express their voices on the street, acting Provost, David B. Thorud, is encouraging that those voices be heard during class time on April 23.

Media Credit: James Winkelman Shellie Jo White and David Bahrt express their sentiment for deployed soldiers.

Prepare your opinions, concerns and questions for April 23 when the University of Washington Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell will be participating in a day of reflection on the war in Iraq.

David B. Thorud, acting provost, has encouraged instructors to use class time to explore the meaning and consequences surrounding the war.

"Instructors are not required to alter their course content, but, where appropriate, faculty are encouraged to discuss these issues with students in their classes. During these trying times, it is important to recognize that the war in Iraq raises important questions about human relationships, especially around the intersections of race, religion, and politics," Thorud said in a campus wide email.

"The university environment is a safe place to discuss issues that are relevant to us as a campus and as a nation, the war in Iraq is both," said Evelyn Zent, lecturer for the business administration department. "I do not plan to teach a special unit on the April 23, but rather will address the war informally as questions arise or as I see fit to integrate the current events as examples to supplement my previously prepared lectures."

Special lectures, workshops and moderate discussions will be offered at the Seattle campus between 2:30 and 6 p.m. on April 23. Students, faculty and staff members will be leading these special sessions concerning the war.

"While all of us are deeply concerned about the war, the loss of life, the length of the war and what happens afterwards there aren't many places where people with divergent views can meet and talk constructively about their differences and their shared values. The university provides those arenas. It is an important educational and democratic opportunity," said Beth Kalikoff, assistant professor of writing.

The Center for Instructional Development and Research (CIDR) has developed a web page entitled "Principles and Strategies for Discussing the Conflict in Iraq with your Students."

The web link was created to offer principles and strategies for discussing the conflict in Iraq. Knowing that people have strongly held positions, concerns or other personal ties to the situation that could greatly affect their participation in a class discussion.

Information is available at http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb.

"Freedom of speech is one of the values that our troops are fighting for and as such it only seems appropriate to allow students to speak their minds, so long as it adds to and does not distract from the learning goals of the courses in which they have enrolled," Zent said.

Some instructors will have an easier time then other instructors incorporating the war in Iraq into their class discussions.

Communication Instructor, Mark LaPointe, who teaches a course on ethical issues in mass media that deals with contemporary and real world issues stated that because of his course theme, "it would be irresponsible of me not to bring up the war on Terrorism or the war in Iraq."

"My job as an educator is to guide the conversation so that reason and critical thinking skills are highlighted. This will hopefully allow me and my students an opportunity to put the war, as large as it looms around us, into some sort of social, political and historical context that, ultimately will help us to put it into focus and approach it as thinking, rational beings., regardless of whether we continue to oppose or support the war," LaPointe said.

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