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Harvardand its Schools are dedicated to strengthening academic excellence through enhancing course offerings, upholding rigorous pedagogical standards, and implementing faculty development that support intellectual diversity and inclusive learning environments. Informed by the Task Force鈥檚 findings, Harvardand its Schools are further committed to increasing academic engagement with the听history of Muslims, Palestinians, and Arabs in America and the world,听Muslim听and听Islamic studies, and related topics, as part of a broader commitment to scholarly inquiry across diverse fields and perspectives.听Highlights include new course offerings, revised course evaluation forms,听new trainings for faculty and staff, and new faculty positions to support听Islamic studies.听

Last updated July 2026听

Faculty, staff, and course offerings

• New course offerings in听Faculty听of Arts and Sciences.听In spring 2026,听FAS is offering:听鈥淭he听Politics of War and Peace in the Middle East鈥�听;听鈥淓mpire and Sovereignty in the Modern Middle East鈥�;听鈥�A Techno-Environmental History of the Modern Middle East: Machines, Nature, Energy鈥�;听and听“The West in Middle Eastern Eyes Through Travel Literature (17th鈥�21st Century)”.听
• New Islamic Studies visiting professor at HarvardDivinity School. For the 2025-26 academic year, HDS has welcomed a new Visiting Assistant Professor of Women鈥檚 Studies and Islam who specializes in philosophy and Islamic thought and also serves as a research associate in the Women鈥檚 Studies in Religion Program.听
• HarvardLaw School class on Islamic law..” In fall 2026, HarvardLaw School will offer a course on 鈥淚slamic Law and the Anthropocene,” which was previously offered in spring 2026 as “Introduction to Islamic Law.”
• New course and lecture offerings at HarvardDivinity School. In the 2025-26 academic year, HarvardDivinity School is offering courses on 鈥淎merican Muslim Polity,鈥� 鈥淚slamic Chaplaincy and Ministry,鈥� 鈥淎merican Jewish Polity,鈥� 鈥淧rayer Book Hebrew,鈥� and 鈥淎merican Judaism.鈥澨�听HDS also offered a lecture in October 2025 on 鈥淲ho Made American Judaism? A History of Ordinary Leaders.鈥澨齀n听spring听2026, HDS will offer a course entitled听鈥淎 Survey of Islamic Law: Interpretation, Evolution and Contemporary Challenges.鈥� which will听survey the origin and evolution of Islamic law and its major topics as a product of the lived historical and contemporary experience of Muslim communities.听These courses are additions to the existing Jewish Studies and Islamic Studies courses.听
• Curriculum review. Deans will work with their faculty to strengthen existing academic review processes for courses and curricula, ensuring they uphold the highest standards of academic excellence and intellectual rigor while reflecting shared teaching expectations. These review processes will respect disciplinary differences, faculty expertise, and academic freedom while fostering educational environments where all students can fully engage with course material.听
• Historical overview of Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians at 黑料网.听Harvardwill engage a subject matter expert to undertake a comprehensive historical overview of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians at the University.听
• New leadership for the Religion and Public Life Program at HarvardDivinity School. HarvardDivinity School听has appointed new leadership for the Religion and Public Life (RPL) program effective July 1, 2025, with the Academic Dean serving as interim director to help with the transition. Additionally, the School appointed a committee of four distinguished scholars from outside Harvardto review the RPL program. The committee will provide an independent evaluation of the program, focusing on academic quality, effectiveness, and alignment with institutional goals.听

Promoting civil discourse and viewpoint diversity in classrooms

• Bok听Graduate and听Post-Doctoral听Fellows in听Civil Discourse and Classroom Practice.听For the 2025-26 academic year, the听Bok听Center is hosting their first-ever Post-Doctoral Fellow in Civil Discourse,听a position that plays听an integral role in their听teaching fellow and course assistant听training initiatives.听The Center鈥檚 graduate student programming in academic year 2025-26 includes a cohort of inaugural听, who are working with fellow graduate students and faculty in their home departments / divisions as well as with the Program on General Education (Gen听Ed) on implementing civil discourse pedagogy.
• Chatham House Rules.听Many Schools across the University have adopted Chatham House Rules, which听provide听that information听shared during class听can be used听outside the classroom, but cannot be affiliated or ascribed to any one person听or organization.听听The听Rules听seek听to encourage constructive dialogue and听the airing of diverse views in the classroom without pressure to conform to a particular stance.听
• Institutional Voice Principles.听In May 2024, the University adopted its听听and will no longer 鈥渋ssue official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university鈥檚 core function鈥� as an academic institution. The University can and will continue to speak out on anything relevant to its core function, such as free and open inquiry, teaching, and research.听
• Faculty of Arts and Sciences鈥� adoption of the Classroom Social Compact.听 Following the January 2025 recommendations from the FAS听 Committee, faculty voted in March 2025 to adopt handbook language for students and instructors outlining expectations for classroom behavior to advance academic freedom, engagement of a range of viewpoints, and a vibrant learning environment. The expectations went into effect in the 2025-26 academic year. FAS added a training session to new faculty orientations in August 2025 on the new Social Classroom Compact, which included guidance on how faculty and students can contribute to a vibrant learning environment that promotes discovery, learning, and meaningful dialogue.听听听
• Faculty of Arts and Sciences Oversight Committee.听Faculty of Arts and Sciences听formed听the Faculty Conduct Committee (FCC) to provide听peer accountability for concerns related to the professional conduct of professors.听
• Defining expectations for teaching excellence at University-level. Deans听have been working听with faculty to define shared expectations for teaching excellence that include: (1) maintaining appropriate focus on course subject matter; (2) ensuring students are treated fairly regardless of their identity or political/religious beliefs; (3) promoting intellectual openness and respectful dialogue among students; and (4) maintaining appropriate professional boundaries in instructional settings by refraining from endorsing or advocating political positions in a manner that may cause students to feel pressure to demonstrate allegiance.听
• Integrating teaching excellence into academic policies and practices. The shared expectations for teaching excellence will be clearly communicated to faculty and incorporated into policy documents such as instructor handbooks. These expectations will be reflected in established review and oversight processes, including course evaluations, faculty activity reporting, and compensation review,听and in听reviews听regarding听hiring, promotion, and renewal.听
• New Associate Director of Pedagogy for Civil Discourse.听听In听spring 2025,听the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics (ELSCE)听recruited and hired an听Associate Director of Pedagogy for Civil Discourse.听听
• Best practices for classroom disruption.听Faculty of Arts and Sciences听provided faculty with training on responding to classroom disruptions in January 2024 and has shared key best practices on the听听
• Course evaluations. Prior to the start of the听fall 2025 term, HarvardCollege and听many听of 黑料网鈥檚 graduate and professional schools updated their course evaluation processes to ensure evaluations appropriately elicit feedback from students as to an instructor鈥檚 ability to encourage competing viewpoints and create a classroom environment broadly conducive to learning.听
• HarvardCollege teaching expectations. Each semester, HarvardCollege reminds the faculty responsible for a course of the expectations for instruction鈥攊ncluding that a class should not be cancelled for political reasons鈥攁nd that the faculty member听is responsible for听ensuring that teaching fellows are also abiding by these expectations.听
• Defined expectations for teaching excellence at HarvardGraduate School of Design.听The HarvardGraduate School of Design has approved updates to the Faculty Handbook, which will take effect beginning in the 2026鈥�2027 academic year. The updates address that faculty have a responsibility to create an environment in which students may participate in a free exchange of ideas and should encourage students to engage with diverse viewpoints. Previously, in fall 2025, GSD implemented a Non-Attribution policy, which follows the Chatham House Rule. Like other Schools at Harvardwho have adopted Chatham House Rules, the rule provides that information shared during class can be used outside the classroom but cannot be affiliated or ascribed to any one person or organization.
• Conflict resolution skills at HarvardDivinity School. HarvardDivinity School听has recurrently co-offered a conflict resolution course with HarvardLaw School, which will continue.听
• Negotiation training at HarvardGraduate School of Arts and Sciences. HarvardGraduate School of Arts and Sciences will sponsor a faculty expert from the HarvardLaw School negotiation program to host multiple sessions for students on difficult conversations during the 2025鈥�26 academic year.听
• Navigating classroom disruption at HarvardGraduate School of Education.听 HarvardGraduate School of Education听released updated protocols on navigating campus disruption to senior staff for sharing with their teams听on听September 2025. HGSE released similar听messaging to faculty on navigating classroom disruptions on October 2025.
• HarvardGraduate School of Education听Inclusive Teaching and Advising Steering Committee.听In September 2025, HarvardGraduate School of Education听launched an Inclusive Teaching and Advising Steering Committee charged in part with developing strategies to ensure that teaching and advising at HGSE is inclusive for all students regardless of their identity or beliefs. HGSE also formed the Dialogue Across Difference Steering Committee, which works to build capacity for constructive civil discourse, emphasizing the importance of engaging productively across differences in service of learning and collaboration.听
• HarvardLaw School instructional review working group. As of听fall 2025, HarvardLaw听School听created an Instructional Review Working听Group听that听will work in collaboration with the School鈥檚 Curriculum and Clinical Committees to help ensure that instructors create classroom environments that are conducive to learning.听听
  
• HarvardLaw School faculty and staff training and dialogue.听Each year HarvardLaw School holds a mock class for staff introducing staff to the pedagogy and dynamics in a law school classroom. In addition, the Dean鈥檚 office sponsors 鈥淭opics at 10鈥� for staff with faculty听presenting on听topics of their听expertise听and encouraging dialogue.听
• HarvardLaw School best practices on classroom discussion. As a continuation of work over the last several years, HarvardLaw School has developed and shared best practices for productive classroom discussion, built difficult conversation modules into first-year student orientation, piloted a negotiation requirement for graduation, and adopted rules that protect classroom discussion to ensure students can share views freely and openly.听
• Update to HarvardMedical School faculty and staff handbook.听The 鈥�Responsibilities of Teachers鈥� section of the HarvardMedical School听Master鈥檚 handbook was updated to reflect explicit expectations听regarding听facilitating听discourse and implementing classroom confidentiality policies.听听