History teachers Charles Hanson, Clara Bergander, and Sabahat Adil hosted a discussion of the history and future of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict on Wednesday, March 12 during lunch. The event was the first of three World Events Colloquies, a history department-sponsored series seeking to foster student engagement with current world topics.

 The colloquy provided an in-depth look at the conflict’s history and current state, as well as its international implications and the potential outcomes of the war. Teachers and students discussed NATO’s involvement, the role of US leadership, and how the war will shape the future of Ukraine and Russia. 

“We try to organize the events [around] providing information, so that people can go off and make their own best judgments on where they feel they land about these things,” Adil said.

However, the idea of engaging students in controversial topics is not new, Adil also pushed for conversations in 2022 when talking about the crisis in Ukraine. 

One key talking point from the discussion was about what might happen if Ukraine or Russia were to emerge victorious from the war, and what that would mean for the world. 

John Schafer explained the colloquy as a way to navigate controversial topics by sharing ideas, context and background so that students can form their own opinions. “It’s not so much teachers’ opinions, it’s teachers’ analysis.” Schafer said, “They’re bringing their expertise to present to students an interesting background and perspective on the issue.”