Teach History That Helps Students Understand How Hatred Develops
History of European Antisemitism
Online Course
Today’s students encounter antisemitism and other forms of prejudice in media, online spaces, and everyday life–making thoughtful classroom learning more important than ever.
To support educators in leading thoughtful, nonpartisan classroom conversations about these challenges, ICS offers the History of European Antisemitism Online Course, a free, self-paced professional learning course.
The course uses the history of antisemitism as a powerful case study for examining how prejudice forms, evolves, and resurfaces over time – while providing classroom-ready resources designed to support meaningful student engagement across disciplines.
What This Course Helps Students Learn
This course is designed to support the skills and concepts educators are already teaching—without requiring a new or standalone unit.
Through historical inquiry, students learn to:
- Understand how prejudice forms, evolves, and resurfaces over time
- Analyze how language, imagery, law, and ideology normalize exclusion
- Identify recurring myths and narratives used to justify discrimination
- Apply historical insight to contemporary contexts with greater clarity and care
These concepts are relevant across multiple disciplines, including World History, Holocaust studies, civics, social studies, and media literacy.
About the Course
This free, self-paced course explores the historical development of antisemitism – from its religious origins to its racialization in the modern era.
By examining antisemitism as a long historical hatred, rather than a single event, educators gain a clearer framework for teaching this history accurately and responsibly—while helping students recognize patterns that extend beyond one time or place.
Course Details:
- Free and self-paced
- Designed for middle and high school educators
- Includes classroom-ready instructional resources
- Eligible for professional development credit
Classroom-Ready Resources You Can Use Right Away
The course includes adaptable, educator-tested materials designed for real classrooms—not abstract theory.
Curated Primary Sources Across Centuries
Primary sources spanning ancient, medieval, and modern Europe—ready for close reading, analysis, and discussion.
A Shared Vocabulary for Teaching Difficult Topics
A thoughtfully developed glossary that helps students unpack the language, myths, and narratives that fuel prejudice.
Structured Activities for Discussion and Reflection (Sample Gallery Walk Activity)
Graphic organizers, gallery walks, and guided prompts designed to support meaningful classroom engagement.
Guidance for Teaching Sensitive History
Support for facilitating thoughtful, responsible classroom conversations with clarity and care.
All resources are standards-driven, flexible, and designed to be reused across multiple lessons and course types.
A Thoughtful, Nonpartisan Approach
ICS is committed to academic rigor, historical accuracy, and nonpartisan education. This course is designed to support educators in teaching complex history with nuance, confidence, and care—without prescribing viewpoints or advocating political positions.
Our goal is to equip educators with the tools that help students think critically, ask better questions, and engage more thoughtfully with the world around them.
