Civil discourse skills— active listening, articulating a difference perspective, negotiating, self-management and conflict resolution, persuasion, ethics and more—will enable you to be a more effective thinker, communicator and influencer—as students and in your careers after graduation.
Ways for students to get involved
Navigating conversations on difficult topics can be hard. Through Ohio State’s Listen. Learn. Discuss. courses, workshops and events, you can learn skills to navigate challenging conversations and situations in respectful, safe and productive environments.
Courses and certificates
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Shop Class for Democracy
These "shop class" forums, designed for new first-year students, provide safe deliberative space for undergraduate students to learn the skills necessary for self-governance through practice. You will build skills in critical thinking, dialoging across difference, and deliberative decision-making and discussion. Through hands-on learning, you’ll gain skills to engage in deliberative discussions on your own issues, as well as across a diverse array of subjects and expand your comprehension in a multi-dimensional manner.
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Civil Discourse Certificate
The Practicing Civil Discourse for Citizenship certificate from Ohio State’s Center for Ethics and Human Values (CEHV) helps students learn and practice civil discourse, aligning with the university’s motto, “Education for Citizenship.” Through coursework, event attendance, and opportunities to participate in a wide range of co-curricular programming, students earn points toward the Practicing Civil Discourse for Citizenship certificate at their own pace.
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Fall 2024 Courses
Explore 2024 courses for undergraduate and graduate students, ranging from non-credit to advanced credit courses, available in multiple learning formats and Ohio State locations.
Self-paced on-demand workshops
OSU Votes
OSU Votes offers a variety of workshops to all Ohio State students at no cost. These virtual and in-person presentations can range in time from 10 minutes to one hour.
On-demand workshop topics include:
- Voting Rights and Provisional Voting (5-8 minutes)
- Being an Informed Voter (5-8 minutes)
- How to register to vote in Ohio (5-8 minutes)
- Out of state voting (5 - 8 minutes)
- Early and Absentee Voting (5-8 minutes)
- Day-of-Voting Practices (8 – 15 minutes)
- Media Literacy (8 – 15 minutes)
- Civic and Community Engagement (8 – 15 minutes)
- Civil Rights and Liberties (8 – 15 minutes)
Center for Ethics and Human Values
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. CEHV staff are available to facilitate undergraduate and graduate student dialogue about important ethical issues.
Explore our tailored workshops and facilitated dialogue sessions designed to help you navigate difficult conversations.
- Workshops on the 4Cs of Civil Discourse: Learn to navigate difficult conversations using the 4Cs (be Curious, Charitable, Conscientious, and Constructive) through tailored workshops for various groups, including students, staff, and faculty.
- Facilitated Dialogue on Ethical Issues: CEHV staff are available to facilitate discussions on important ethical issues, helping participants address sociopolitical polarization and the social and emotional needs of others.
Civil Discourse groups
Civil Discourse Fellows
Undergraduate students participating in this program learn how to serve as ambassadors for civil discourse across campus. Fellows will also support planning and moderating the Center for Ethics and Human Values’ Civil Discourse Forums.
Denman Forum: Civil Discourse Award
The civil discourse award recognizes exemplary undergraduate research on the theoretical or practical challenges facing democracies defined by ethical and political disagreement.
PPE Society at Ohio State
PPE Society is a fast-growing student organization dedicated to creating community for any students interested in examining current events and ethical issues from a wide variety of backgrounds and approaches.
Ethics Bowl Team
Join fellow undergraduate students in a supportive and creative environment to master the fundamentals of ethical theories; and engage in-depth debate to investigate real-world scenarios of ethics dilemmas.