Nancy Thomas, Director of the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE), remarked on a recent phone call with colleagues in the Campus Compact network that the common denominator for schools that had high voter turnout rates? They talk about it. Everywhere. In classes, with athletic teams, in the cafeteria, in formal debates and informal coffee chats. And not just once or during election years. They talk about politics–all. the. time.
Yet we also know that for a variety of reasons, it’s harder than ever to talk about politics now.
Here are some options to spark and guide critical yet respectful discourse about politics and political issues.
The results of recent Gallup poll acknowledged a tension between the overwhelming majority of students (81%) who would think students should be exposed to all kinds of speech, even if offensive or biased) and the nearly same amount ( (76%) who acknowledged that diversity and inclusion and free speech protections “occasionally” or “frequently” come into conflict on college campuses.
Tackle this tension head on by investigating the legal and social conceptions of free speech using IDHE’s Free Speech and Inclusion on Campus guide or the National Issues Forum Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus: How do we foster the campus community we want? guide.
Particularly for classrooms and formal settings, consider choosing a tested dialogue and deliberation method to provide structure and parameters to your discussion. Choosing a particular method also allows participants to add specific facilitation, listening, and speaking skills to their toolbox.
The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation’s Beginner’s Guide offers several resources to get you started. Use the Engagement Streams Framework to first choose the intention or purpose (Exploration, Conflict Transformation, Decision Making, and Collaborative Action), then select a method that matches it.
You may also want to consider utilizing our college’s subscription to Constructive Dialogues which uses evidence-based approaches in its learning program, Perspectives, to equip students with the mindset and skills for constructive dialogue across differences during academic discussions. Contact Chris Chapp in the Institute for Freedom and Community for more information and how to get started.
Help make the connection between deliberation and public engagement by reading Martha L. McCoy and Patrick Scully’s 2002 article “Deliberative Dialogue to Expand Civic Engagement: What Kind of Talk Does Democracy Need?“
A few options to consider:
- Try using a dialogue and deliberation method for a discussion session you already had planned around a topic in your course. Project Pericles has a whole module around deliberative dialogue and a handy guide to construct a deliberative dialogue–no matter what your topic is!
- Looking for topic ideas? Check out the multi-disciplinary prompts list from Project Pericles contributors
- Want something ready made that you can implement without much additional effort? The National Issues Forum, Living Room Conversations, and Everyday Democracy collectively have well over 150+ different guides on a wide range of topics.
Facilitating a dialogue, particularly a political one, can be daunting. Hare are some general guidelines:
- establish ground rules and expectations from the very beginning
- share your duties as a facilitator
- stick to the allotted time
- encourage everyone to participate
- restate and clarify statements when needed
- when in doubt, move to curiosity: “Tell me more about that.”
- sit in circles to encourage a sense of togetherness
Consider whether the instructor or the students should facilitate the dialogues, in or out of the classroom, with the course’s students or with outside participants. There are benefits and drawbacks to any of these scenarios!
For facilitating formal dialogues outside of the classroom space, consider how you plan to alert participants to the ground rules and expectations for the discussion and who is best suited to facilitate dialogues.
Not sure where to begin? See IDHE’s training guide on How to Facilitate Political Discussions or visit NCDD’s “best of the best” resource library to investigate tried and true strategies for facilitating dialogues and deliberation.
Students can learn a lot by attending and participating in town halls and other open forums held by their elected officials. They can learn about not only their elected officials’ views and positions on issues, but on communication styles, rhetorical techniques, and the performative nature of politics. Consider having students attend in groups to sharpen their critical listening skills and allow opportunities to continue discussing the topics–in person, on social media, or in Moodle forums.
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