Jack Gronau
Jack Gronau is an Instructor of History at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. Since joining the Academy in 2023 he has developed a new senior elective, "Dictators and Demagogues: Illiberal Regimes in the 20th Century,” and designed a study abroad trip to Paris and Kraków, that analyzes the divergence of the Jewish experience in Western and Eastern Europe during the Holocaust. He recently became the Academy's newest Director of the Washington Interns Program, a Congressional internship program with roots stretching back to 1968.
Phillips Exeter Academy
Session
The WHA Annual Meeting asks, “how can we write, teach, and think about world history in a moment characterized both by global entanglement and anti-globalist politics?” This roundtable is envisioned as a chance to bring together secondary and college-level educators who come from training in various regions and specializations to reflect on how we teach world history today. The goal for this roundtable is to prioritize conversation, pedagogical exchange, and practical insight on the shared challenges instructors at both the secondary and undergraduate levels face in an increasingly politicized classroom. We will explore how the current social, political, and economic environment of the U.S. is influencing our teaching of world history, as well as how we negotiate our own political/ideological position in the classroom. Responding directly to the conference theme, “Closed Borders and Global Connections: Being Global after Globalization,” participants will examine how anti-globalist rhetoric, culture-war politics, post-truth narratives fueled by social media/AI, and ideological polarization are shaping classroom dynamics, curricular design, and student engagement. By bridging secondary and higher education perspectives, this roundtable aims to produce practical insights for navigating politicized classrooms while sustaining the intellectual integrity and global scope of world history.