Living the Hard Promise: Navigating Difficult Dialogues in the Classroom

Open expression is a hard promise: it is both a firm commitment and an extraordinarily difficult one. The mission of a great university requires that we question our assumptions and try to look through the eyes of others. Only through such dialogue can we begin to wrestle with the most challenging issues of our times.

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In an era of deep social and political divides, fostering meaningful classroom discussions on complex and sensitive topics has become more challenging—and more essential—than ever. Faculty often find themselves balancing the need for open inquiry with students’ concerns about safety, identity, and belonging. How can instructors create an environment where students feel encouraged to engage, yet remain respectful of differing perspectives? This panel will explore the barriers to productive dialogue and examine the roles that faculty and students have to play in cultivating classrooms that support critical thinking, curiosity, and civil discourse.

Lunch will be provided. 

Faculty Panelists

Josephine Park, Associate Dean for Arts and Letters and School of Arts and Sciences President’s Distinguished Professor of English

William Sturkey, Associate Professor of History

Moderator

Al Filreis, Kelly Family Professor of English and Faculty Director of Kelly Writers House

The School of Arts and Sciences Living the Hard Promise series was launched in 2023 to engage all members of the campus community in the urgent task of fostering meaningful, empathetic dialogue around the challenging issues of our times.