Events

Riley Gaines, Speak Louder – February 20; 4 -5:30 p.m. (For all audiences)

Sponsored by the Free Expression and Constructive Dialogue Task Force.

Riley Gaines is a leader defending women’s single-sex spaces, advocating for equality and fairness, and standing up for women’s safety, privacy, and equal opportunities. Gaines graduated from the University of Kentucky, where she was a 12x All-American swimmer.

Register to attend at: http://tinyurl.com/RileyGainesCLT

The Spring 2024 Constructive Dialogue Faculty Learning Community is forming and the deadline to apply is December 1, 2023. Application.

Constructive Dialogue Institute Faculty Workshop/Luncheon on integrating respectful conversations into the classroom with speaker Jake Fay.

Faculty are invited to attend a luncheon workshop to learn how to incorporate three simple techniques into any course to engage students to talk to one another. If you find it difficult to get students to participate in class discussions, Jake Fay from the Constructive Dialogue Institute will help you create a vibrant classroom environment. Anne Moore, dean of Atkins Library will moderate the discussion. Thursday, November 9, Noon-2:30 p.m., Halton Room (For faculty). The workshop is free for faculty, but please register at bit.ly/FECD_faculty23. Event Announcement.

Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap – October 25; 5-6 p.m. (For all audiences)

Sponsored by the Free Expression and Constructive Dialogue Task Force; Professor from Johns Hopkins talks about his new book; our search for equality is not helped but harmed when we obsess over group identity, when we stifle discourse, and when we deny that members of different groups can truly understand each other. Injustice towards minority groups is real, he says, and we must address it. But we can’t stop there. In talks, Yascha shows us how to escape the identity trap and keep fighting for a future in which “what each of us can accomplish—and how we all treat each other—no longer depends on the groups into which we were born.”

Political Frenemies Live! with Berny Jacques and Geston Pierre

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Halton Reading Room (Library) – Refreshments will be served. (For students, faculty, staff, and the community)

Both children of Haitian immigrants, childhood friends Berny Jacques and Geston Pierre don’t agree on much politically — except that they both love our country, and respect each other. They’ll tackle some of the most controversial issues of our time, and (at least so far) they’ll wrap the evening still friends. We think you’ll be inspired by the power of sharing ideas across differences, and you might just make a new frenemy of your own.​

Campus Panel and Forum on Institutional Neutrality

With Mark McNeilly, UNC-CH; Steven McGuire, ACTA; Rosemarie Monge, James Madison Program Visiting Fellow; Jesh Humphrey; and Susan Harden as moderator on April 21 from 10-11:30 a.m. in the Halton Reading Room (Library) – followed by break out session from 1:30-3 p.m. in the Visualization Lab (Library) – Refreshments will be served. (for students, faculty, and staff)

Institutional Neutrality is the policy that university administrators at all levels do not speak for the university or their unit on controversial issues of the day. This allows individual faculty and students to feel free to express their views without fear of it conflicting with those above them.

“Why Should Students Care About Free Speech?”

April 13, Noon-1:30 p.m in the Atkins Library Visualization Lab; Lunch will be served. ​

Join Professor Matt Metzgar and Voices for Liberty for a discussion on the importance of free speech. Students will learn how to effectively use their speech to promote positive change. (for students)

Free Expression

With Jesh Humphrey, Sujit Chemburkar, and Mary Griffin from FIRE moderated by Susan Harden on March 30, 4-5:30 p.m. in the Halton Reading Room (Library); Refreshments will be served.

Join a panel and conversation about freedom of expression rights, parameters, and support on campus. We hope the program will create greater clarity about free speech, external group visits, and academic freedom and lead to positive discussions at UNC Charlotte. (for students, faculty, and staff)

“Fostering Constructive Disagreement in Student Discourse”

With Kevin Marinelli on Thursday, February 23rd at 7 pm via Zoom

Constructive dialogue is a cornerstone of civic education and a perennial challenge for students and educators alike. On Thursday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m. Professor Kevin Marinelli of UNC Chapel Hill will share practical insights gleaned from his experience teaching rhetoric and directing the Program for Public Discourse. Specifically, he will share three concepts/frameworks for facilitating argumentative discourse, including how to create a class compact, the Toulmin model of argumentation, and rhetorical stasis. Participants will leave with a toolkit of rhetorical activities and best practices they can apply immediately in the classroom.