Teaching about so-called divisive concepts

In this brief essay, the author contextualizes and describes a workshop she conducted at the University of Colorado–Boulder in January 2026. In it, she explains how the notion of “divisive concepts” came to be a concern for colleges and universities. She then proposes an exercise for teaching about “divisive concepts” in classrooms. Ultimately, the author’s goal is to embolden teachers to continue teaching from their expertise no matter how much political pressure they face.