Webinar Series: Citizenship Under Siege: Promoting Listening, Learning, and Engagement

Posted by Association of American Colleges and Universities on September 12, 2016

Citizenship Under Siege: Promoting Listening, Learning, and Engagement
Fall 2016 Webinar Series

The US Constitution’s preamble speaks of “We the People”—but who is considered part of that sacred circle, and how has this group varied over time? When national identity is hotly contested, what does it mean to experience citizenship as partial, denied, or fully acknowledged? How can the humanities illuminate differing narratives and open up space for understanding, connections, and shared visions of the future?

The Association of American Colleges and Universities and The Democracy Commitment invite faculty, staff, students, and campus community partners to join in one or all of three FREE webinars. These events are designed to expand campus expertise on how to hold constructive conversations about contentious issues and how to institute practices in and out of the classroom that foster engagement across differences.

More information is available here.

http://www.aacu.org/citizenship/events-resources

A Three-Part Series
3:00–4:00 p.m. Eastern Time

From Fractious Differences to Engaged Dialogues (October 13, 2016)
How can texts and techniques from the humanities disrupt unexamined positions, put human faces to abstract ideas, and help open up spaces where dialogue and consensus might emerge on historic and contemporary questions about citizenship and who deserves it? What models exist for training dialogue facilitators who can help encourage listening and perspective taking across seemingly intractable positions? (Register online)

Income Inequality and the Cost of Citizenship (October 27, 2016)
When economic disparities—often intertwined with ethnic, racial, and religious differences—impose real limitations on public participation, how can the humanities provide insights into the historic and persistent reality of differential access to full citizenship rights? Learn how several campuses have engaged their students and communities in examining this issue. (Register online)

I Want My Country Back: Immigration, Race, and Citizenship (November 3, 2016)
In the midst of sometimes-dramatic demographic and cultural shifts, how have the humanities served to illuminate felt experiences, historical contexts, and ethical issues as the rich mosaic of people in the United States fluctuates? What approaches, courses, and public events lead to shared ends rather than perpetual conflict or feelings of displacement? (Register online)

Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and hosted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and The Democracy Commitment.

http://www.aacu.org/citizenship/events-resources