The Role for Faculty in Advancing Open and Constructive Discourse on Campus About Complex Issues

As faculty who navigate a wide range of sensitive topics with our students and colleagues, it is important to consider our role in fostering a learning environment that welcomes different perspectives inside and outside of our classrooms. Discussions can be difficult and fraught, especially with polarizing topics such as the Middle East, which are multifaceted, emotionally charged, and have a personal impact on members of our academic community in deep ways. The challenge for us as an educational community is to enhance understanding and build skills that lead to shared learning and constructive dialogue.

In this workshop, you will hear from faculty peers and campus colleagues who regularly navigate charged dialogues in their schools, classrooms, labs and other academic environments. Panelists will also share effective practices and helpful resources to support rigorous and respectful debate that aims to advance our learning and understanding.

Speakers: Abbas Benmamoun, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and Professor of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies; Mara Revkin, Associate Professor of Law and Political Science; Deondra Rose, Kevin D. Gorter Associate Professor of Public Policy; David Schanzer, Professor of the Practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy

Moderator: Candis Watts Smith, Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Political Science