Faculty Roles in Facilitating Controversial Conversations

A workshop led by Kate Richmond

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Seegers 111

3:30PM - 5:00 PM (Refreshments at 3:15 PM)

Our students care deeply about a number of social issues, but they often lack the necessary skills and knowledge to talk about them openly and honestly.  This workshop, a follow-up of the work done by Muhlenberg’s faculty learning community over the last year,* will help faculty members understand what they can do to guide students in learning to talk about controversial topics more effectively whenever they occur in class.

Kate Richmond, Assistant Professor of Psychology, attended a conference specifically dedicated to training faculty from all academic fields in this process.  She will explain facilitation strategies that professors, regardless of discipline, can use to lead conversations in a way that gets students to acknowledge their strong emotions yet use evidence and reflection to engage with classmates respectfully.  She will also talk about the value of a “pedagogy of discomfort.”  Talking about controversial issues often makes us uncomfortable:  guiding students to recognize the learning that comes with discomfort can be a key step in their intellectual growth.