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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

Funding provided by:
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The Center for Civil Discourse

The Center for Civil Discourse is organized around the central principle that open, fair and truthful debate, characterized by respect for opposing viewpoints is essential to a healthy democracy. The Center’s mission is to advance the values of respectful discourse and to call on Americans to embrace civility and reject demagoguery in government, media and our personal lives. Founded in 2011 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Center is is affiliated with the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies and housed at UMass Boston. Its inaugural event, Civility and American Democracy, will convene leading scholars at UMass Boston to begin a national conversation about civility in America.

http://www.centerforcivildiscourse.org/

  • Civility in American History

    Fri, Feb 17, 2012
    Is civility really as American as apple pie? What about American individualism and self expression, the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement? Is incivility an ineluctable element of American-style democracy? Can civility accommodate political change and facilitate social progress? This panel raises fundamental questions about civility and American democracy.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    The Center for Civil Discourse

  • Civility and Morality

    Fri, Feb 17, 2012
    Is civility simply a smokescreen to maintain the status quo? Does it encourage conformity and inhibit dissent? Is civility sometimes in conflict with other important moral values? Civility demands that we respect all religions, but at what price? Can a new civility lead to a better informed citizenry? This panel explores the relationship between civility, morality and the demands of justice.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    The Center for Civil Discourse

  • Civility and Culture

    Fri, Feb 17, 2012
    Are calls for civility a distraction that marginalizes the individual and inhibits an honest examination of absolutes? Does the practice of civility evolve differently in different cultural experiences? What happens to civil discourse when ordinary political conversation becomes shrouded in the sacred? Can civil discourse lead zealots to reconciliation and mutual respect? This panel examines fundamental questions about the value of civility across cultures.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    The Center for Civil Discourse