Democracy & Dialogues

Through the Democracy and Dialogues Initiative, UConn is working to increase democratic and civic capacity by supporting community dialogues on critical issues, providing moderator and facilitation training for dialogues and deliberations, and partnering with campus colleagues and local institutions to increase meaningful participation by all community members.

This initiative is part of Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs and supported by the Office of Global Affairs, the Office of the Provost, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Humanities Institute, UConn Extension, and the Division of Student Affairs’ Parent's Fund.

The Encounters Series is dedicated to fostering unexpected conversations around divisive issues and obscure knowledge. The program dives deeply into subjects that are of interest to the Greater Hartford community through facilitated, small-group dialogues followed by a question-and-answer style conversation with UConn faculty and community partners. Readings are provided beforehand to encourage informed and informal dialogue within conversations that often prove to be polarizing, and thus unproductive. Read more about The Encounters Series through Humanities for All.

Oct

9

A More Perfect Union: A Dialogue on Voting and Voter Participation
Student Union

2:00 PM

Join the Democracy and Dialogues Initiative along with USG, Community Outreach, and the Office of Outreach and Engagement for a student-led dialogue on voting and voter participation.
Oct

16

Encounters - Destigmatizing Intimate Partner Violence
Hartford Public Library

11:30 AM

UConn Hartford and the Democracy and Dialogues Initiative, in partnership with The Alyssiah Wiley Program, is addressing the prevalent issue of domestic violence in Connecticut by raising awareness, fostering education, and promoting engagement to create social change.
Oct

17

Difficult Subjects/Civil Conversations: A Workshop on Structured Dialogue
The Dodd Center for Human Rights

10:00 AM

Join us for this Democracy & Dialogues workshop to learn about how to plan, host and facilitate a structured dialogue.
Oct

19

Encounters: The Changing Landscape Of Policing- A Community Dialogue
NXTHVN

10:00 AM

Participate in a dialogue addressing policing in 21st-century America, examining its historical context and current state through small-group discussions and Q&A with experts.
Nov

4

Dialogue in the Classroom: Strategies for Building Engagement and Empathy
The Dodd Center for Human Rights

2:00 PM

Join us for this Democracy & Dialogues workshop on ways to incorporate structured dialogic modalities into the classroom.
Nov

19

Difficult Subjects/Civil Conversations: A Workshop on Structured Dialogue
The Dodd Center for Human Rights

10:00 AM

Join us for this Democracy & Dialogues workshop to learn about how to plan, host and facilitate a structured dialogue.

Aerial image of the University of Connecticut during Fall 2023.

Metanoia 2024 Kick-Off on Wednesday, April 17

This year’s Metanoia will focus on ‘pathways to productive civil discourse’

Dodd Impact Team Seeks ‘A More Perfect Union’ Through Community Conversation

History professor Brendan Kane and other UConn experts hosted statewide discussions on the nation’s founding documents, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Connecticut Humanities Council

Art, Music Faculty Collaboration Illuminates ‘Paradox in Political Tribalism’

Following a divisive election, a multimedia collaboration asks searching questions about values and principles.

Nana Amos

Director of Community Outreach & Engagement, Co-Director, Democracy & Dialogue Initiative , Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs

nana.amos@uconn.edu

Brendan Kane

Co-Director, Democracy & Dialogues Initiative
Professor, History & Literature, Cultures, & Languages

brendan.kane@uconn.edu

Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute

The Encounters Series

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Engagement