Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute

DIALOGUE IN THE CLASSROOM

This two-day training is designed to support faculty and instructors in fostering a more open, connected, and conversational classroom culture. With the launch of the new dialogue competency in general education coming soon, this workshop will help prepare participants to integrate dialogue into their teaching and help shape how UConn prepares students to be competent in dialogue. This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience with dialogue and for all disciplinary approaches. Participants will leave with practical dialogue tools to use in the classroom, including designing a Reflective Structured Dialogue for the participants’ campus contexts.

ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

The workshop will be run by Essential Partners in cooperation with the Common Curriculum Committee (CCC+), Democracy & Dialogues Initiative (Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs), and the Center for Excellence Teaching & Learning (CETL). Research shows that students who experience dialogue in the classroom and on campus have better learning outcomes and report feeling more connected to their classmates and their campus communities. They also report greater openness to opposing points of view and exhibit greater willingness to engage in conversations across differences in values, views, and identities (DeTemple, 2020).

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Establish the conditions for the dialogic classroom through the use of agreements, preparation, design, and the use of space - both virtually and in-person
• Build connections and trust between students to support difficult classroom conversations
• Structure difficult dialogues in the classroom and design dialogue questions to invite narrative, value-based discussion, and complexity
• Use dialogue as a pedagogical tool for reflection, connection to the topic, and the development of conviction and intellectual humility
• Invite and encourage discussions on diversity and inclusion in its many forms
• Use curricular activities as a pathway to more engagement and dialogue throughout campus and local community

If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please take a few minutes to apply by Wednesday, December 18th. 

APPLY NOW

DIALOGUE IN THE CLASSROOM

This two-day training is designed to support faculty and instructors in fostering a more open, connected, and conversational classroom culture. With the launch of the new dialogue competency in general education coming soon, this workshop will help prepare participants to integrate dialogue into their teaching and help shape how UConn prepares students to be competent in dialogue. This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience with dialogue and for all disciplinary approaches. Participants will leave with practical dialogue tools to use in the classroom, including designing a Reflective Structured Dialogue for the participants’ campus contexts.

ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

The workshop will be run by Essential Partners in cooperation with the Common Curriculum Committee (CCC+), Democracy & Dialogues Initiative (Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs), and the Center for Excellence Teaching & Learning (CETL). Research shows that students who experience dialogue in the classroom and on campus have better learning outcomes and report feeling more connected to their classmates and their campus communities. They also report greater openness to opposing points of view and exhibit greater willingness to engage in conversations across differences in values, views, and identities (DeTemple, 2020).

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Establish the conditions for the dialogic classroom through the use of agreements, preparation, design, and the use of space - both virtually and in-person
• Build connections and trust between students to support difficult classroom conversations
• Structure difficult dialogues in the classroom and design dialogue questions to invite narrative, value-based discussion, and complexity
• Use dialogue as a pedagogical tool for reflection, connection to the topic, and the development of conviction and intellectual humility
• Invite and encourage discussions on diversity and inclusion in its many forms
• Use curricular activities as a pathway to more engagement and dialogue throughout campus and local community

If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please take a few minutes to apply by Wednesday, December 18th. 

APPLY NOW

The Corporation and the Public Interest: The Environment, Diversity, and Human Rights

Environmental, social, and governance issues have brought the roles and responsibilities of the contemporary business corporation to the forefront of the public agenda and have changed the nature of legal practice. This symposium will gather a select group of leading experts to discuss issues of corporate sustainability and societal impact. It will consist of three panels on topics that lie at the intersection of corporate activity and the public interest: the environment, diversity, and human rights.

Schedule (exact times are subject to change):

RSVP COMING SOON!

When it comes to voting, the United States lags behind other democracies, with barely over half of all eligible voters participating in most major elections. The 2024 presidential election saw around 64% of voter turnout, and smaller local elections saw even lower numbers. Meanwhile, twenty-six countries around the world require all eligible voters to participate in elections by law. Australia, for instance, has required citizens to cast a ballot since 1924 and had over 90% voter turnout in their last major election. Some advocates around the United States are calling for ’100% Democracy’, or universal voting.

This is an election process where every eligible citizen has the right to vote and full opportunities to do so—but also the duty to vote, a requirement to participate in our national choices. If Americans must pay taxes and serve on juries, why not require every eligible American to vote as well? Could this be the next step in our great democratic experiment? How would universal voting work in our country? And what would be the results? Join us for an informed and collaborative exploration of these critical and fascinating questions!

Encounters programs dive deep into subjects through facilitated, small-group dialogues followed by a question-and-answer style conversation with University faculty and community partners. Resources are provided beforehand to encourage informed and informal dialogue. The aim is to develop a forum for respectful and challenging dialogue. Coffee and lunch will be provided.

This event is sponsored by Connecticut’s Old State House and UConn’s Democracy and Dialogues Initiative