MAYDAY! Peace ConferenceMay 3, 2023 at 10 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.

MAYDAY! Peace Conference 2023 - The Future of U.S. Education: Who Decides What Gets Taught 

The annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference is happening on Wednesday, May 3 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Cec Eckhoff Alumni Hall. The class schedule is modified so students, faculty, and staff can attend.

Education is one of the cornerstones of American democracy and has historically been seen as a pathway to personal wellbeing, healthy communities, and a more peaceful world. Every generation has seen debates around educational curricula as a reflection of our values and priorities. Today, we’re seeing increased efforts to legislate what gets taught in classrooms from K-12 to colleges and universities—particularly around topics such as history, race, gender, sexuality, and identity. The outcomes of these debates will have a tremendous impact on peace, justice, and our democracy at home and abroad. 

This MAYDAY! teach-in will be an opportunity to draw upon the expertise and insights of Gustavus faculty members from across the disciplines to examine what education’s purpose is and should be, who actually decides what gets taught and why, and how the answers to these questions will impact us all in the short term and for generations to come.

Moderator
Greg Kaster
Professor of History and African Studies

Panelist 
Lisa Dembouski
Education Division
Associate Professor of Education

Sun Hee Lee
Humanities Division
Associate Professor of English

Colleen Stockmann
Fine Arts Division
Assistant Professor of Art and Art History

Katie Leehy
Natural Sciences Division
Assistant Professor of Biology

Jill Locke 
Social Sciences Division
Professor of Political Science

Class Schedule Modification: The class schedule will be modified to allow for all students and faculty to attend the morning session. Classes that start at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. will meet at the regularly scheduled times. Classes that start at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on that day will be shortened to thirty minutes each with ten minutes between classes. Normal scheduling will resume at 1:30 p.m.

The event will be recorded and posted at gustavus.edu/mayday the day after the event. The event is free and open to the public.

For a complete schedule of the day, visit gustavus.edu/mayday.

The annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference was established at Gustavus Adolphus College in 1981 with funding by the late Florence and Raymond Sponberg. It was established to inspire attendees to work for justice and peace throughout the world.