The AHA, its members, and other historians find ourselves on the front lines of a conflict over understandings of America’s past, up against opponents who are actively promoting ignorance in the name of unity. Historians have a crucial role to play as participants in public deliberations about how to engage students in truthful and rigorous inquiry in history classrooms.

This guide highlights sessions at AHA24 that focus on controversies in the classroom. From the chilling effect of divisive concepts legislation introduced in legislatures across the nation, to discussions over state standards, to teaching difficult topics, these sessions aim to support educators as they navigate history education in this charged atmosphere.

Advocating for Educators and Students

Cultivating Inclusivity and Diversity in the Classroom: Teaching History through an Equity Lens
Thursday, January 4, 1:30-3 p.m.

Teaching as a Crime: Anti-Woke Legislation and What It Means for Teaching Race in Florida Colleges and Universities and the Rest of the Nation
Thursday, January 4, 3:30-5 p.m.

Plenary: The Politicization of History Education at the State Level: Legislation and Standards
Thursday, January 4, 8-9 p.m.

Historians and the "Culture Wars" in Higher Education
Friday, January 5, 1:30-3 p.m.

Advocating for History: A Workshop on Steps and Strategies to Support the Discipline
Friday, January 5, 3:30-5 p.m.

Teacher Educators, Teachers, and Activists Speak on Teaching Difficult Subjects in Contentious Times
Saturday, January 6, 3:30-5 p.m.
Joint session with the Radical History Review

Responding to Controversies in History Education

Historical Inquiry in History Classrooms: Investigating and Reframing an Essential Relationship
Friday, January 5, 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.

Recent Developments in Advanced Placement US History, World History, and African American Studies Courses
Thursday, January 4, 3:30-5 p.m.

What Is the Civic Value of a History Education?
Friday, January 5, 3:30-5 p.m.

Ten Years of C3: A Roundtable Discussion
Saturday, January 6, 3:30-5 p.m.
Organized by the AHA Teaching Division

American Lesson Plan: A Progress Report from the American Historical Association's Mapping the Landscape of Secondary US History Education
Saturday, January 6, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Political Repression and Higher Education: Past, Present, and Future
Sunday, January 7, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Joint session with the Radical History Review

Teaching Controversial or Difficult Topics

Teaching and Researching University Histories in the Age of Reconciliation
Friday, January 5, 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.

Teaching against Modern Myths: Premodern Japan in the Classroom
Friday, January 5, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Teaching History in Polarized Times
Friday, January 5, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Bumps Ahead? New and Old Paths to Queer History Education
Saturday, January 6, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Teaching the Holocaust: What Scholars Know/What Teachers Teach
Saturday, January 6, 3:30-5 p.m.

Teaching and Research during a Tumultuous Time in US-China Relations
Sunday, January 7, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Preparing for the Future of the Classroom

Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: Perspectives from Education Schools and History Departments
Thursday, January 4, 3:30-5 p.m.
Organized by the AHA Teaching Division

Teaching Writing Workshop: Teaching Writing in the Age of AI
Friday, January 5, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Organized by the AHA Teaching Division

Future of History in the Liberal Arts: Difficult Conversations in the Liberal Arts Classroom Roundtable
Friday, January 5, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Future of History
Friday, January 5, 1:30-3 p.m.

History at the Crossroads: Challenges and Solutions for History Departments
Saturday, January 6, 3:30-5 p.m.
Organized by the AHA Professional Division

AI and the Historical Profession: Applications and Implications
Sunday, January 7, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.