Teaching in a Time of National Crisis:
Focus on Hurricane Katrina

As instructors, many of us find that during a time of national crisis, our students often need and want to use the classroom as a place to sort out difficult questions and passionate feelings about current events.

To help you confront the challenges that may arise in these situations, and to guide you in thinking about if or how you want to discuss events such as Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, we’ve gathered a list of Internet resources (see below).

A series of public forums have also been developed by MSU faculty. Coming to Terms with Katrina and Its Aftermath are free programs open to MSU and greater Lansing Communities.

If you have specific questions related to teaching in a time of national crisis, or you would like a private, confidential consultation, please contact Patricia Payette at facdevel@msu.edu or at 432-2033.

We’d also like to hear from you if you have resources we can add to this webpage.

Hurricane Katrina Research Guide
http://www.lib.msu.edu/libinstr/katrina.htm

Two MSU librarians, Kara Gust and Leslie Behm, have created a Research Guide for Hurricane Katrina.

Teaching & Learning in a Time of Crisis
http://www.wku.edu/teaching/booklets/crisis.html

A 2002 resource prepared by The Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching at Western Kentucky University and periodically updated for new crises.

Guidance For Instructors Leading Class Discussion on Hurricane Katrina
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/hurricaneguidelines.html

A step-by-step guide in thinking about student reactions and facilitating difficult classroom discussions (both spontaneous and planned) around powerfully emotional public events such as Hurricane Katrina.

Bringing Hurricane Katrina Into the Classroom: Media Literacy Lessons
http://www.amlainfo.org/hurricane/

The Alliance for a Media Literate American has created and gathered a set of online resources for the “why” and “how to” questions around incorporating Hurricane Katrina into classroom lessons and specific disciplinary topics. It is made for K-12 instructors but applicable to higher education settings.

For a list of MSU initiatives around Hurricane Katrina, go here.