Ohio State’s Listen. Learn. Discuss. provides workshops and tools to develop skills to safely and respectfully navigate difficult conversations, practice those skills in productive and facilitated environments and gain new perspectives that enable all of us to be more effective thinkers, communicators and influencers—with one another and with students.
Ways for faculty and staff to get involved
Civil discourse requires learning and practice. We will not always get it right. It is something we will need to exercise, every day.
Courses, certificates and endorsements
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Ethical Disagreement and Civil Discourse
Through active learning exercises and participatory dialogue, this teaching endorsement provides instructors with tools and strategies to navigate contentious ethical disagreements and foster civil discourse in the classroom. You will be introduced to the principles of civil discourse and receive training in dissecting common ethical disagreements as well as articulating moral principles and tradeoffs. This course is led by a team of PhD trained ethicists and political philosophers at the Center for Ethics and Human Values with extensive experience in the classroom and leading dialogue facilitation with students.
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4Cs: Virtues of Civil Discourse (self-paced)
Through an introduction to the 4Cs of civil discourse — Be Curious , Be Charitable, Be Conscientious, and Be Constructive, this course will help you engage and respond to others even when you disagree strongly on contentious social and political issues. It is recommended to combine this course with synchronous, face-to-face Civil Discourse events.
Workshops (self-paced or by request)
Dialogue Facilitation Training Workshops
The Center for Ethics and Human Values dialogue facilitation training workshops teach participants to initiate and manage conversations about challenging topics. Participants will come away from these workshops with practical skills for working through sociopolitical polarization, addressing the social and emotional needs of others, and productively harness the potential of groups in order to ultimately achieve dialogue characterized by the 4Cs of civil discourse (be Curious, be Charitable, be Conscientious, be Constructive).
Civil Discourse Workshops
Civil Discourse workshops teach participants to use the 4Cs of civil discourse (be Curious, be Charitable, be Conscientious, be Constructive) to navigate difficult conversations or engage in vigorous, respectful discussions about various topics despite disagreement. Workshops are tailored to focus on applying the 4Cs in contexts relevant to the participants.
Facilitated Dialogue Sessions
Sometimes, it's valuable for groups of people to discuss matters of public concern while adhering to norms of civility and respect. Achieving this result is easier said than done, and the guidance of a trained dialogue facilitator can help.
On-demand resources
Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
This toolkit includes resources to help instructors navigate conflict in their courses to build inclusive learning environments that support freedom of expression and respectful dialogue.
Mortiz College of Law
Designed primarily for campus and university leaders, these resources feature ideas for facilitating and engaging in difficult or contentious conversations in a variety of contexts.
Center for Ethics and Human Values 4Cs Guide to Talking About the 2024 Election
The 4Cs can help us have respectful, productive discussions about contentious issues. This guide provides tips for engaging in civil discourse about 2024 election issues.
Center for Ethics and Human Values 4Cs Guide to Talking About Israel and Palestine
The 4Cs can help us have respectful, productive discussions about contentious issues. This guide provides tips for engaging in civil discourse about Israel and Palestine.