Dialogue Across Difference

Conversations About Ideas that Matter

In the current and contentious social-political context, helping students learn to dialogue across differences in beliefs is an important skill, not only for their personal growth but for the sake of our democracy. Montclair faculty share this value and regularly work with students to develop their capacities to communicate and learn across differences. Teaching students how to approach consequential topics in constructive ways is at the core of what the faculty do.  

Recently, President Koppell joined College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, an initiative by The Institute for Citizens and Scholars to nurture civil discourse. This campus-wide effort involves cultivating democratic engagement, teaching students to understand different points of view, and engaging in constructive discourse.

As part of this effort, the Office for Faculty Excellence, working with the Office of the President, has formed a Dialogue Across Difference Working Group.

The Working Group has three primary objectives: 

  • Catalog and understand the learning activities faculty are using to foster dialogue across differences;
  • Create a Dialogue Across Difference Speaker Series, to be offered during the AY 2024-25, for and by faculty;
  • Identify other strategies for empowering faculty to foster dialogue across difference.

Tab Group

Dialogue Across Difference: Faculty Survey

Beginning with this survey, we seek to document the work the faculty does to teach students how to be constructively engaged citizens and to further develop our collective skills in this area. More specifically, we would like to

  1. catalog and understand the learning activities faculty are using: activities, assignments, assessments, modules, etc.
  2. Identify faculty who may be interested in contributing to a panel, recording a podcast, allowing observers to visit their class, or sharing their knowledge in other ways.
We appreciate you spending about 10 minutes to complete this survey.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 13, 2025 10:01 am