2025 Faculty Summer Seminars: Teaching Civil Discourse in a Polarized Time
Instructors: John Rose (UNC-Chapel Hill), Abdullah Antepli (Duke), and Simon Greer (Bridging the Gap)
Dates: July 15th-16th and August 5th-6th
Call for Applications
We are pleased to announce a call for applications for the fourth annual faculty summer seminar, “Teaching Civil Discourse in the Classroom,” made possible by a generous grant from The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and co-sponsored by UNC’s Program for Public Discourse and Duke’s Civil Discourse Project. The 2023 seminar was a great success and the 2022 seminar was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Each seminar will be comprised of a group of 20 faculty from a variety of schools and backgrounds. The seminar will be led by Prof. John Rose (UNC-Chapel Hill), Abdullah Antepli (Duke), and Simon Greer (Bridging the Gap), and John Rose. It will cover topics including potential course content and best practices for effectively promoting civil discussion over sensitive topics in the classroom and will help prepare professors to teach a course based on Dr. Rose’s own popular class at Duke/UNC, “How to Think in an Age of Political Polarization” (HTAPP). Special attention will be paid to the case study of facilitating civil discourse on the subject of the Israel-Palestine conflict, a topic on which the facilitators have experience.
The seminar will be free of charge with food, lodging, and flights covered. Participants will stay at the beautiful Carolina Inn on UNC’s campus. In addition, participants will receive a stipend of $3,000 ($2,000 upon completion of the seminar and $1,000 upon teaching a class with a civil discourse component at their own institution).
In order to participate, applicants must agree to teach a course similar to HTAPP, or a course with a significant civil discourse component, within three semesters of finishing the seminar. Successful applicants will need to acquire written approval from their department chair or dean allowing them to teach such a course within that timeframe.
Applications will be handled on a rolling basis, with preference given to applications received before June 15th. Materials can be emailed to Prof. Nora Hanagan (hanagan@email.unc.edu) or to john.rose2@unc.edu. You should include the following attachments.
1) CV/Resume
2) 1-2 page statement explaining one’s interest in the seminar
3) Any other relevant documentation, including relevant course syllabi, publications, etc.
In your application, please indicate whether you are applying to the July or August seminar. If you have any questions, feel free to email Prof. Hanagan or Prof. Rose.