Engagements
The Year of Focus is an annual initiative that highlights a single question or challenge, engaging the Wayne State University community through diverse events and discussions. For 2024-25, the theme, "Dialogue and Discourse in Divisive Times," will explore the importance of constructive dialogue in fostering understanding and respect in a diverse democracy. This year’s goal is to encourage critical thinking and intellectual engagement on how to elevate meaningful discourse amid social and ideological divides.
Engagements
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Jan.23
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Feb.6
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Feb.11
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Feb.24
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Feb.25
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March6
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April17
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Explore further
External resources
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More Like Us
More Like Us — Americans are more similar across the political spectrum than we think; this lesson plan for secondary schools explores the Perception Gap, which posits that people believe the other side has more extreme beliefs than they actually do.
- Similarity Hub — Use this one-stop shop to discover policy overlaps between Democrats and Republicans, and among supermajorities of Americans.
- "Are we really as divided as we think?"
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Essential Partners (formerly the Public Conversations Project)
Essential Partners (formerly the Public Conversations Project) — This project helps people build relationships despite their differences to address their communities’ most pressing challenges.
- Resources for dialogue in higher ed — Incredibly rich resources including examples, activities, lesson plans, etc.
- Divided Community Project, Moritz Law School
- Constructive Dialogue Institute
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Better Arguments
Better Arguments — A national civic initiative created to help bridge divides, not by papering over those divides but by helping people have better arguments.