\n<\/p>\n
During his senior seminar at Kalamazoo College, Hollis Masterson was given an assignment to interview someone whose political views sharply differed from his own. For Masterson, a self-described social democrat, the outcome surprised him.<\/p>\n
The political science and history major spoke with a classmate\u2019s father, a libertarian who has consistently voted for libertarian presidential candidates. What began as an exercise in disagreement led to something more nuanced: a discussion that covered not only points of contention, but also areas of common ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a lot of commonalities about human nature, and I found him to be incredibly realistic,\u201d Masterson said. They disagreed on the value of public versus private education but found agreement on international security and the extent to which the U.S. should play a role on the world stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very rarely pulled towards optimism, and if I am, usually there\u2019s something that quickly shuts that down,\u201d he said. \u201c[This assignment] showed me that many of the individuals in the middle have a lot of agreements, but they\u2019re pulled by people on far opposite sides toward thinking that there\u2019s really not much we have in common.\u201d<\/p>\n
The assignment was one of several in the senior seminar course that treats civil discourse as a skill students can actively practice. In the class, students engage in structured conversations around contentious issues, learning techniques for listening closely and navigating disagreement without shutting down dialogue.<\/p>\n
Justin Berry, associate professor of political science at Kalamazoo, said many students walk away from the course\u2014particularly after interviewing someone with different political views\u2014rethinking how they engage with opposing viewpoints.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really became the backbone of the class,\u201d Berry said. \u201cThe conversations that [students] engaged in\u2014I mean, I asked them initially to be 30 minutes to an hour, and some of them ended up being multiple sessions for multiple hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the term, Berry asks students to examine the forces driving political polarization in the United States\u2014from widening divides among elected officials and the public to the role social media plays in reinforcing those differences.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome scholars talk about the need for civil disagreement, but this course talks about civil agreement,\u201d Berry said. \u201cThis generation hasn\u2019t really been taught how to disagree in a way that demonstrates understanding and respect for the person they\u2019re engaging with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Civil discourse into practice: <\/strong>As polarization intensifies nationwide, other colleges are also experimenting with ways to help students engage constructively across differences.<\/p>\n At the City University of New York, students, faculty and staff participate in the Constructive Dialogue Initiative, which equips participants with practical skills to lead respectful conversations. The training takes multiple forms, from stand-alone student courses to first-year seminars and faculty development workshops.<\/p>\n Similarly, the University of Denver launched the Compassion Lab, which began as a single course and has since expanded into an opt-in program for faculty and staff. Its lessons now appear across disciplines\u2014from political science and business classes to residential assistant training\u2014emphasizing skills employers increasingly value, including empathy, communication and the ability to navigate conflict.<\/p>\n A key component of the Kalamazoo course involves analyzing the most recent election cycle using a range of sources. Through guided dialogue and interviews, students practice communicating across political divides.<\/p>\n Berry said the assignments often challenge students\u2019 assumptions about people with opposing views.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw in the interviews that students went in with a lot of misperceptions about the people they were interviewing,\u201d Berry said. \u201cThere were times when they chose somebody because they thought they would have radically different political beliefs, but in some cases, students actually had to change who they interviewed because they agreed with everything they said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ultimately feel that, based on how politics operates now and how sorted we are in our media chambers, we\u2019re just not talking to people we disagree with,\u201d he added. \u201cThe only way to get at that is to actually practice it.\u201d<\/p>\n Students at Kalamazoo College learn techniques for listening closely and navigating disagreement without shutting down dialogue.<\/span><\/p>\n Preparing for a divided world:<\/strong> Berry said the lessons students learn are more than an academic exercise\u2014they help prepare them to navigate a fractured political climate, both nationally and in their own communities.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of fear among colleges and universities right now, rightfully so, when it comes to getting involved in political conversations,\u201d Berry said. \u201cI understand the risk, but this is exactly the moment when colleges and universities need to be at the forefront of these difficult conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n Masterson noted that engaging in such conversations has helped him become not only a better student but also a more rational person.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to become a better informed citizen, you have to reckon with the fact that people have different opinions than your own,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Get more content like this directly to your inbox. <\/em>Subscribe here.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During his senior seminar at Kalamazoo College, Hollis Masterson was given an assignment to interview someone whose political views sharply differed from his own. For Masterson, a self-described social democrat, the outcome surprised him. 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