Hostetter, David. “Reflections on Peace and Solidarity in the Classroom.” (2009)

Hostetter, who has a background in peace activism, has taught history in a variety of postsecondary institutions, including community colleges and universities. He tries to combat the “apolitical fatalism” of his students by incorporating hands-on lessons in the practice of history in his classroom. He has found that the most effective activities focus on issues relating to war and peace. One of his assignments involves researching past Nobel Peace Prize winners; another involves debating the issues surrounding the atomic bombing of Japan. He has found that the key to making the debate assignment a success is assigning it early enough in the term to allow for meaningful research to take place. The third assignment he discusses is conducting oral history interviews of people who remember significant events of the past. He concludes by reminding us that teachable moments take place everywhere, everyday, so that we should not feel constrained by the classroom.