Teaching about 9/11 and the War on Terror Beyond the 20th Anniversary

How can we best teach students about 9/11 who have no memory of the events? How can the events of 9/11 and the War on Terror (WoT) be integrated into the curriculum beyond the 20th anniversary? How can we balance collective memory of these events with a critical examination of the resulting impacts in and outside of the U.S.? How can we include the perspectives of those directly impacted by 9/11 and the WoT?

This summer institute will provide opportunities for participants to develop content expertise and ideas for how to integrate topics related to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the ongoing War on Terror in their classes. Participants will engage with a panel of intelligence experts and historians discussing the intelligence context of 9/11 through today and will be introduced to resources from the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. Participants will be able to access and work together with facilitators to develop activities using a set of curated primary sources focused on themes and key perspectives related to 9/11 and the WoT, including:

  • Veterans and their Iraqi/Afghan partners
  • Muslim and Arab Americans
  • U.S. Patriot Act
  • Rise of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
  • Soviet-Afghan War
  • American intelligence failures
  • Popular culture reactions to 9/11
  • Combating conspiracy theories

The institute will focus in particular on how to incorporate the ongoing events related to 9/11 using primary sources as a way to better understand the context of the attacks and events leading up to them as well as the perspectives of those impacted by the War on Terror.

Participants will earn an “evidence of participation” certificate after engaging in all three institute sessions as well as a $50 honorarium.

When: August 10–12, 2021, 9:00–11:00 a.m. CDT

Where: Online

Program Fee: Free*

Participants: Limited to 50 Wisconsin educators

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* Thanks to a grant from the Teaching with Primary Sources program of the Library of Congress, this course is offered at no cost.

CONTACT

If you have questions about Teaching about 9/11 and the War on Terror Beyond the 20th Anniversary, please email PLACE Conference and Event Planning Services at conferences@education.wisc.edu.