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.

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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.

CfP: Faculty Survey

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

catalog and understand the learning activities faculty are using: activities, assignments, assessments, modules, etc.
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.

Participate in the Survey

Speaker Series: Events

Dialogue Across Difference Speaker Series (*continuous development)

2024 Events	Day & Time – Description	Register (for active events)
Building Your Resilience for Difficult Dialogues Patricia Virella, Educational Leadership	Thursday, September 26, 1–2pm An often unspoken challenge to supporting dialogue across differences in our courses is the challenge that such work presents for us. Fostering dialogue across differences can place instructors in a vulnerable position. You may reasonably have concerns about what individuals might say or that comments may be injurious or upsetting to you or others in the class. You may simply feel weary and unsure. In this workshop, Patricia Virella will offer instructors strategies for building resiliency and responding to difficult conversations.	Register
Unify America College Bowl Challenge	September 24–26 * October 1–3 * October 9 The Office of Civic and Voter Engagement invites faculty to encourage your students to join The Unify College Bowl Challenge — a dialogue program sponsored by Unify America. Participants are paired with others who may have differing perspectives, with the goal of finding common ground and fostering mutual understanding. Faculty might consider making this an assignment or an extra credit option. Unify America is a non-partisan, non-profit organization aimed at bridging the political and social divides in the United States through civil dialogue and shared experiences. The organization connects people from diverse backgrounds and political ideologies for meaningful, one-on-one or group conversations about key issues facing the nation. Unify America’s mission is to replace polarization with constructive conversations that promote unity, cooperation, and a healthier democracy.	Register
Building A Public Purpose University: Honoring The Legacy of Kenneth Brook	Tuesday, October 15 Join us for a day of conversation and remembrance in honor of Dr. Kenneth Brook! In 1994, Dr. Ken Brook, along with close colleagues, began work to develop Montclair’s service-learning program as a first step toward integrating civic and community-engaged learning into the curriculum and institutional mission. Nearly three decades later, Ken Brook’s vision of a public purpose university, one committed to social justice and the public good, continues to flourish and expand. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided. 9am: Seeding Civic Education at MSU, w/Dr. Freyda Lazarus, Dr. Mary Beth Henry, and Bryan Murdoch, AVP of Community Partnerships 11am: Advancing the Public Purpose University, w/ President Jonathan Koppell & Dr. Ira Harkavy, University of Pennsylvania; hosted by Dr. Todd Kelshaw. 1pm: The 2024 Sheldon Pollack Lecture, Dr. A.J. Faas, Professor of Anthropology, San Jose State University; Dr. Neeraj Vedwan, Dept. of Anthropology, Montclair State University 2:30pm: History Harvest. Gather and share memories of Dr. Ken Brook. View Full Schedule	Register
Fireside Chat on Democracy Chuck Todd Lindsay M. Chervinsky President Jonathan Koppell	Tuesday, October 15 6:30pm School of Communication and Media Presentation Hall Join special guest Chuck Todd, chief political analyst at NBC, award-winning and presidential historian Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky, and President Jonathan Koppell as they come together to discuss an unprecedented election year, the historical context that has shifted the national conversations, and the vital role of higher education institutions in promoting and sustaining democratic values and practices.	Register
Engaging Strategies that Center and Embrace Differences Jason Williams (Justice Studies) Sandra Bodin-Lerner (SCM) Klara Naszkowska (Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies)	Wednesday, October 16, 11am–12pm ONLINE The roundtable addresses the importance of centering and embracing differences in the classroom. Panelists will talk about best practices and provide examples used in their classroom. This panel will be interactive, so attendees are welcome to bring questions and suggestions.	Register
Navigating Intersections: Examining Gaps & Building Bridges in Our Diverse Community David Rivera, Queens College, CUNY	Monday, October 21, 9:15am–4:30pm University Hall, 7th floor The “Navigating Intersections: Examining Gaps and Building Bridges in Our Diverse Community” conference is a dynamic one-day event, designed to bring together Red Hawk staff, faculty, and administrators, to explore strategies for healing, renewing, supporting, and respecting the emotional well-being of Montclair students. Through engaging dialogues, interactive workshops, panel discussions, and consultations, attendees will delve into topics such as intersectionality, belonging, fostering inclusive campus communities, integrating mental health support into academic programs, equity gaps and mental health disparities, basic needs insecurity, and interfaith dialogue and healing. The conference aims to equip our community with practical tools and insights to create a more compassionate and supportive college environment, empowering students to thrive and succeed, academically, socially, and personally. Navigating Intersections Conference Program Agenda Final (rev. 10/14/24)	Register
Media and Gender in the Presidential Election Harry Haines (SCM) Joel Penney (SCM) Martina Santia (Political Science and SCM) Jackie Vimo (Political Science)	October 30, 2:30–3:30pm Presentation Hall, School of Communications and Media Experts in Communication and Political Science will take your questions on the 2024 election, including the role that gender plays in the presidential campaign and how media shape voter evaluation of candidates. Panel discussion and Q&A. No registration needed.
The Election Watch Party	November 5, 8–11pm School of Communication and Media Lobby Sponsored by the Department of Political Science and Law and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences No registration needed.
Fostering Civil Discussion After the Election: Faculty Strategies Jessica Brater (Theater) Patricia Virella (Educational Leadership)	Tuesday, November 12 (2:30-3:30) Zoom The post-election period creates new challenges and opportunities for dialogue across difference. Drawing on different disciplinary traditions, Emily Isaacs, Jessica Brater, and Patricia Virella will share their strategies for building connections and fostering dialogue. We will also review and discuss what to do when things go awry and suddenly the room feels very hot. How do we diffuse difficult moments without sweeping important conversations under the rug?	Register Here
Faculty and Staff Somatics and Self-Care Workshop (Donna Scro Samori, Dance)	Tuesday, November 19 Cohen Lounge, Dickson Hall 178 College students are not the only ones who experience stress and burnout! The demands of teaching and supporting our students can certainly take a toll on the faculty and staff. When we are in a giving profession, it is important that we take time to receive and refuel so that we have enough gas in the tank to keep going. Join Donna Scro Samori, licensed therapist, yoga and meditation teacher, and Wellness Coordinator for the Department of Theatre and Dance for a Somatic and Self-Care Workshop. The workshop will consist of conversation about “real self-care,” gentle stretching, breath-work and meditation.	Register here
Building Community with Trust and Empathy Jessica Brater (Theater Studies) Brad van Eeden-Moorefield (Family Science and Human Development)	Wednesday, December 4 12–1pm Sprague Library Faculty and Graduate Student Commons Building a sense of community and belonging within our courses and across campus is related to a host of positive academic and personal outcomes. It is especially important in creating spaces where we feel a sense of safety in expressing our views and beliefs, particularly in ways that allow us to engage in dialogues across differences. Creating trust and empathy facilitate this process, which will be the focus of this session.	Register here

Working Group Members

Dialogue Across Difference Working Group

Working Group members have all participated in programming that supports faculty and leadership development in dialogue across difference, especially in the interest of helping students gain the understanding and skills to communicate productively across differences.The Dialogue Across Difference (DAD) Working Group meets regularly to plan programing, with group members serving as spokespersons and facilitating workshops and panels.

Group members are also available for consultation with faculty or staff who face challenges in the work of fostering dialogue. Community members may contact these colleagues directly, or reach out to Emily Isaacs.

For faculty who face an immediately stressful situation, contacting your chair or dean is always reasonable. You can also refer to the Political Discussions in the Classroom resource.

GROUP MEMBERS

Mark Allman, Office of the President. Contact: allmanm@montclair.edu

Jessica Brater, Department of Theater and Dance. Contact: braterj@montclair.edu

Brad van Eeden-Moorefield, Department of Family Science and Human Development.
Contact: vaneedenmobr@montclair.edu

Brigid Harrison, Political Science and Law. Contact: harrisonb@montclair.edu

Emily Isaacs, Office for Faculty Excellence. Contact: isaacse@montcalir.edu

Vera Senina, Office for Faculty Excellence. Contact: seninav@montclair.edu

Tanesha Thomas, Department of Sociology. Contact: thomasta@montclair.edu

Patricia Virella, Educational Leadership. Contact: virellap@montclair.edu

Jason Williams, Department of Justice Studies. Contact: williamsjas@montclair.edu