We live and teach in fraught times – and classrooms are not separate from the world we live in. As we move into yet another contentious national election cycle, it’s important to remember that classrooms are never politically “neutral” spaces, regardless of discipline, and that outside pressures will always creep in, both in expected and unexpected ways. In this Learning Community we will talk about the ethics of disclosure, how to balance free speech with course constraints, establish codes of conduct, and combat mis- and dis-information. We’ll discuss how recent court decisions on affirmative action may affect our classroom spaces, and how we might reaffirm a commitment to equity despite an increasingly embattled landscape. We’ll talk about how we can foreground the value of higher education and expertise regardless of how it is discussed on the campaign trail, reaffirming a commitment to evidence-based reasoning and critical thinking in a moment when increasing attention is being paid to what and how we teach. Together, we will map the landscape of challenges that come with teaching in an election year, and build a set of resources to help ourselves and our colleagues rise to the occasion. Contact Stephanie Ranks (stephanie.ranks@yale.edu) with questions.… . This group counts as a learning community for the Certificate of College Teaching Preparation, and all graduate/professional students and postdoctoral fellows are welcome to join… . . This four-part series will be held in person on Tuesdays, 3:00-4:30pm, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, and 11/14. — Event Details: https://yaleconnect.yale.edu/rsvp?id=2211489