Professional Development Opportunities
The Cohen Institute hosts between three and five professional development workshops for educators every academic year. These free, interactive offerings provide core content, model lessons, and opportunities for connecting with other professionals to discuss challenges and opportunities for integrating the Holocaust and genocide studies in the the classroom. Workshop attendees earn a certificate of completion listing the number of professional development hours completed.
2025-2026 Workshops for Educators
Teaching About the Nazis’ LGBTQ+ Victims
Monday, September 15, 2025 from 8:30 am - 1:00 pm. On campus at Keene State College.
In this free workshop for educators, award-winning historian and educator Dr. Jake Desai-Newsome will equip teachers with the knowledge and tools they need to confidently teach about how and why the Nazi regime targeted LGBTQ+ people during the era of the Holocaust. The session will include a lecture that provides an overview of the history, an introduction to original educational resources created by experts at the Pink Triangle Legacies Project including a primary source activity for the classroom, and a forum for participants to discuss challenges and opportunities of teaching this topic. Participants will receive exclusive access to digital educator resource packets curated by the Pink Triangle Legacies Project. The last day to register for this workshop (if spaces still remain) is September 4, 2025.
Creating Brave Spaces: Discussing Difficult Histories with Sensitivity and Impact
Friday, October 17, 2025 from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm. On campus at Keene State College.
Teaching about the Holocaust and genocide requires more than just delivering historical facts—it demands both bravery and careful attention to how students emotionally process difficult topics. This free workshop for educators explores how to foster a classroom environment where students feel safe engaging with complex, often traumatic histories while also being challenged to think critically and ethically.
Specifically, the workshop will cover how choice-driven and project-based learning can be effectively used to meet the needs of students with varying learning styles and abilities. By incorporating flexibility in how students engage with complex material, educators can help students access and process emotionally challenging content in a way that is meaningful and empowering. Educators will also explore how to balance the delivery of difficult histories with strategies to support the emotional wellness of both themselves and their students by creating intentional spaces for reflection. This approach fosters a learning environment where students and staff alike can critically engage with the past while also being given the tools to navigate the future with bravery. The last day to register for this workshop (if spaces still remain) is October 9, 2025.
What Happens After War? A Case Study on Justice and Peacebuilding in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Friday, March 27, 2026 from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm. On campus at Keene State College.
How do countries and communities’ function in the wake of atrocities? In societies where neighbors persecuted neighbors, is there hope for peace, justice, and reconciliation? In this workshop for educators, we’ll explore these questions in a case study of events in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early 1990s, when citizens experienced war, siege, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. Using maps, timelines, video clips, and other materials created by the Educator’s Institute for Human Rights (EIHR) to accompany the acclaimed book, Imagine: Reflections on Peace, teachers will leave with deeper understanding of these events, along with classroom-ready lesson plans and a copy of the book. Two of the core questions to be addressed in this workshop are: What is the role of photography in conflict and peace? How are individual stories shaped by historical events and international response in times of conflict? The last day to register for this workshop (if spaces still remain) is March 19, 2026.
Guidelines for Workshop Facilitators
Part of the mission of the Cohen Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College is to equip educators with information, tools, and resources for teaching Holocaust and genocide studies in ways that are aligned with best practices and emerging scholarship in the field. We seek to empower educators to adapt these resources creatively to meet their own curricular needs, while also cultivating a professional network to which they can turn when questions or issues do arise. If you are interested in leading one of our workshops for educators, please review the guidelines below.
