Penn faculty members discussed the impact of current events on the subject matter of their courses in interviews with The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Multiple professors told the DP they plan to — and often do — adjust their curriculums in order to address current events. The faculty members also addressed the impact of recent federal actions by the Trump administration in their classes.
Political Science professor Parrish Bergquist described her syllabus as “a living document” that has to be “update[d] to accommodate new realities.” She cited judicial responses to recent executive orders as an example of a current event that could lead to content changes.
“When something changes in American politics that fundamentally changes how our institutions work, I update the way I teach the institution,” Bergquist said.
In a statement to the DP, Law and History professor Karen Tani similarly wrote that she often adjusts course content in response to notable current events — such as the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision in 2022.
“Every time I teach this course, I make some adjustments that reflect how the world around us is changing and what aspects of legal history seem most important,” Tani wrote.
Professors also noted that they pay attention to the release of new information that could be relevant to their courses. For example, Political Science professor Roxanne Euben said that she is currently using previously unreleased information about the torture of detainees during the Global War on Terrorism in her Politics and Ethics course.
“There’s a lot of stuff that I have access to now that I can include in the syllabus that wasn’t accessible then,” Euben said.
While professors make an effort to respond to current events, some say that it is difficult to change course content in response to “day-to-day news.”
“I can't really be adapting my syllabus on the fly," Bergquist said. "Students need to know what we're going to be reading at the beginning of the semester [and] I need to know what topics that I'm going to be covering in class."
Faculty also said that recent actions by the Trump administration have influenced student interest in their courses and content.
“There's nothing more vivid than watching videos of a student with a green card getting rounded up by a bunch of men with their faces covered,” Euben said, pointing to a recent viral video of a Tufts University student being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Tani similarly noted that students in her courses are increasingly interested in presidential power amid President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump's frequent use of executive orders. She wrote that this interest “inspired” her to replace a lecture with a panel discussion on the rise of presidential power, which will feature History professor Sarah Gronningsater and New York University Law professor Noah Rosenblum.
“I’m excited for the conversation and hope that it will give students some valuable context and tools to think for themselves about current events,” Tani wrote.
Tani also addressed the potential impact of Trump's attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives through federal funding cuts. She wrote that — while students should not be “forced into a particular ideological mold" — she does not plan to eliminate course content related to DEI.
“It’s hard to imagine teaching a high-quality course on American legal history that did not engage with issues of race, sex, sexuality, disability, and inequality,” Tani wrote.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
