Message from the Director

Dialogue is the engine that propels education and civic life. Dialogue is more than a “free exchange” of ideas; it is a mechanism that germinates, tests, shapes, and transforms them. To me, dialogue is what transforms a mere reading list into a course. It is by communicating with one another, listening to one another, and inquiring together that we come to know the world - and ourselves. 

Like other skills of scholarship- from quantitative research to persuasive writing- dialogue involves study and practice. The Project on Civic Dialogue, founded in 2018 as the Project on Civil Discourse, is committed to the study and practice of dialogue. Our programming reflects our shared desire to understand varying points of view, become effective communicators, and examine significant problems and questions with integrity. 

There are many ways to engage with our program: join our team of dialogue facilitators, where you can learn and practice methods of navigating disagreement, asking challenging questions, and communicating to be understood. Attend a peer-led discussion or a “disagree with a professor”event.  Engage in self reflection with the help of our Building my Voice tool. Host a student-led discussion in your course or program.  Or inquire about other dialogue opportunities and teaching tools. We welcome opportunities to collaborate with groups, courses, faculty and programs on and off campus. 

Lara Schwartz
Director