Let’s Return to Teaching Students How to Argue
We hear all the time that America is hopelessly polarized, that the electronic landscape allows us to stay in our own hermetically-sealed communities, and that no one can speak with…
Posts tagged with
“debate”
Are Colleges Rebounding on Speech?
Free speech is a foundational value of American life, yet our college campuses are justly accused of not adequately fostering a free-speech environment. Few will have forgotten the tensions of…
The True Story of UNC-Chapel Hill’s New School
Last month, UNC-Chapel Hill faculty penned an open letter airing criticism of both the North Carolina General Assembly and the UNC Board of Trustees. Among their complaints was the allegation…
Restoring Real Debate on College Campuses
I don’t sleep much after chairing a Braver Angels college debate. There’s a surge of excitement that reverberates for hours after I guide the collision of highly charged, diverse viewpoints…
A Partial Shout-Down at UNC-Chapel Hill
Until recently, it was a point of pride that there hadn’t been any speaker “shout-downs” at UNC-Chapel Hill since 2009. But that changed on Tuesday when student protestors repeatedly interrupted…
The Public Discourse Program at UNC-Chapel Hill: Expanding Students’ Minds
Since the rise of social media, many students have gotten used to discussing difficult topics within the protection of their own echo chambers. Students are often not expected to defend…
Three Ways to Teach Students How—Not What—to Think
How do we teach students how to think rather than what to think? If the latest election cycle showed us anything, it’s that parents care deeply about what their children…
We Need to Teach About the Socialist Alternative…and Its Failure
Karl Marx is a common fixture on college course syllabi. From English to sociology to philosophy, the German socialist’s writings are explained, analyzed, and dissected. I find myself, a teacher…
Motte-and-Bailey: The Academic Threat from ‘Lived Experience’
A few years ago, my friend Sheila recounted an incident of alleged racism she experienced at a café in California. While waiting in line to order a coffee, a barista…
Teaching Students Civil Dialogue in a Culture Hostile to Free Speech
It can be disheartening to witness how college culture has become inhospitable to viewpoints that fall outside of the ideological mainstream. For example, a March 2020 report by three professors…