During these increasingly polarized times, we invite you to help undergraduate students think about and practice “dialogue across difference” in its many forms. Please join us in piloting a new interdisciplinary “Dialogue Across Difference” (DIAD, pronounced “dyad”) course attribute.
Course attributes help students curate their learning pathways by searching for clusters of related courses in the course catalog and schedule. While some attributes help students find courses to fill requirements, other attributes help students locate interdisciplinary pathways, such as:
- Sustainability
- Socio-Legal Studies
- Urban Studies
- Community-Engaged Learning
- [DEI attribute in progress via new gen ed process]
- And others!
DIAD is being piloted as another interdisciplinary pathway students can choose.
Does my course fit?
Courses that fit the DIAD attribute include those where students:
- Develop skills in dialogue strategies, conflict resolution, counternarrative, debate, listening-to-understand, empathy, healing circles, and other “techniques” for dialoguing across difference.
- Think, create, or take action around DIAD themes, including learning to critique particular aspects of DIAD.
- Engage local and global, current and historic documents, texts, theory, artistic practices, and policies around democracy, pluralism, and freedom of expression and their limits (e.g., individual rights v. public good, free speech v. hate speech, religious liberty v. religious nationalism, justices of recognition v. justices of redistribution, decolonizing democracy, etc.)
- Take up other topics relevant to the DIAD pilot. (We are eager to hear ideas from you!)
How can I add my new or existing course to the pilot?
To be included in the pilot, use the Qualtrics link below to send the course title, description (from the syllabus), and a separate 1–5 sentence “DIAD description” explaining to students what DIAD skills, theories, expressions, or practices your course offers.
There is no review process for the pilot. All submissions with a “DIAD description” will be included. We aim to have the DIAD attribute up and running by Spring 2023.
Undergraduate courses offered spring 2023 through spring 2024 are eligible for inclusion.
Deadline for submissions:
- Spring 2023 courses due February 1, 2023
- Fall 2023 courses due March 15, 2023
- Winter 2024 courses due October 1, 2023
- Spring 2024 courses due February 1, 2024
Partners and Next Steps
We are working with the Faculty Senate Academic Planning Committee in partnership with the Undergraduate Council and Office of Teaching and Learning on assessment plans. We will work with the new Faculty Director of Gen Ed, ODEI, 4D, CCESL, Public Good, Chairs, Deans, and other campus partners in a spirit of collaboration, iteration, and ongoing conversation as part of the roll out, review and assessment processes, and next steps.
Questions?
Contact Sarah Pessin (sarah.pessin@du.edu), 2022–23 ACE Fellow working on the DIAD pilot on behalf of the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs.