Lauren Swayne Barthold is the author of a forthcoming book entitled Overcoming Polarization in the Public Square (Palgrave). Lauren teaches ethics and conflict transformation at Endicott College, and also serves as program developer for the Heathmere Center for Cultural Engagement. The book is in part a result of a two-year HCPL-funded project on which she served as Co-Principal Investigator entitled “The Dialogic Classroom: A Pedagogy for Engaging Difference with Intellectual Humility.”
University of Connecticut sociology professor and HCPL core faculty Ruth Braunstein has a new book entitled “Religion, Humility, and Democracy in a Divided America.” This edited volume explores how religion and religious convictions shape American political life, both as drivers of polarization and as agents of political engagement. Ruth’s other books include Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy Across the Political Divide and an edited volume entitled Religion and Progressive Activism: New Stories About Faith and Politics. She is also a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Cultural Sociology.
The University of Connecticut Humanities Institute (UConn-UCHI) director and HCPL co-PI Michael Lynch joined MSNBC's Morning Joe and company to talk about his new book "Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture." His book examines the predominant way that social media is deployed in today's culture. Facebook and Twitter are not necessarily used to share facts, knowledge, or accurate information, but are rather avenues for us to express our public courage at those who do not share our convictions. Social media, arrogance, and personal convictions are the ingredients for an addictive drug that fans the flames of our public divisions and grounds us in our tribal affiliations: white nationalism and authoritarianism to the right, and identify politics and arrogant liberalism to the left. What's the solution? Perhaps a dose of humility. Michael Lynch is also the Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of philosophy at UConn.
A brief walk with Glenn Mitoma, the Director of UConn’s Dodd Center and Upstander Project collaborator, as he explains the meaning and hopes behind this week’s INTELLECTUAL HUMILITY in SECONDARY EDUCATION: UPSTANDER ACADEMY August 1-5, 2016, UConn Storrs Campus. A human rights-based professional development opportunity for educators.
Sponsored by the UConn Humanities Institute Intellectual Humility in Public Discourse Project through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.