UW News

May 7, 2009

Leading expert on teaching with controversy to speak May 8

The UW Center for Multicultural Education and the Area of Curriculum and Instruction present Diana Hess doing the center’s 12th Book Talk, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 8, in the UW Club Conference Room, with a book signing to follow. Hess’ talk will be based on her new book, Controversy in the Classroom: The Democratic Power of Discussion, in which she provides a spirited, detailed, and practical argument for teaching with controversial issues. Hess will describe why curricula based on controversial issues may be the best route to rigor, relevance, and enlightened political engagement.


Hess is a leading expert on teaching with controversy. Formerly of the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, and now associate professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she is having a significant impact on curriculum and instruction in classrooms across the country. Hess teaches courses for undergraduate and graduate students in social studies education, social studies research, and democratic education. She also researches the ideological messages embedded in high school textbooks and other forms of curriculum. She recently completed a study of what curricula communicate about terrorism and about 9/11 and its aftermath.


Hess also develops and teaches professional development programs for teachers, school administrators, and lawyers in the U.S. and other nations. She serves on the law-related education committee of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the board of the Virginia civic education program, and the governance committee of the American Educational Research Association, in addition to serving on numerous committees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hess earned her doctorate from the UW. Before graduate school, she was the associate director of a major national civic education organization — the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago — and a high school teacher and teacher union president in Downers Grove, Illinois.


The talk is free and open to the public. To RSVP, call 206-543-3386 or e-mail centerme@u.washington.edu.