Leading Controversial Conversations

As liberal arts scholars, we embrace the controversial nature of human inquiry, and, as educators, we strive to prepare our students to engage in controversial issues competently and productively. Still, navigating controversy in the classroom remains an increasingly daunting challenge in today’s political climate. This semester, the Center for Faculty Excellence and the Program for Public Discourse invite you to participate in a series of three workshops designed to empower educators across the curriculum with the necessary tools to facilitate robust discourse across controversial terrain.

The series will begin with a workshop on laying ground rules for discussion, followed by a workshop on facilitating productive dialogue, and culminating in a final workshop on facilitating argumentation and debate. Faculty will leave the series with an essential toolkit of deliberative strategies and a novel approach to classroom controversy.