Teaching and learning about violent pasts is an innovative online course designed by UNESCO to equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to address sensitive and violent histories in the classroom. Covering historical topics such as genocide, colonialism, enslavement, and systemic discrimination, the course emphasizes how confronting difficult pasts can foster empathy, critical thinking, and a commitment to human rights and peacebuilding.
Participants will explore key concepts, from understanding how violence manifests, to identifying the ongoing legacies of these pasts in today’s world. The course promotes inclusive, gender-sensitive, and anti-racist teaching approaches, helping educators create respectful and “brave” spaces for dialogue. Through inquiry-based learning, the use of primary sources, and multiperspectivity, teachers will empower students to analyze complex historical events and connect them to contemporary issues.
By the end of the eight modules, participants will be able to transform history education into a platform for justice, reconciliation, and responsible global citizenship, while joining a global community of educators committed to building more peaceful and inclusive societies.
