Disagreement

Catalog description

Disagreement is at the heart of the university, at the heart of democracies, and even at the heart of the founding of the United States. In universities, scholars in every discipline engage in disagreement every day, from the nature of the outer reaches of the galaxy, to the value and meaning of different works of literature, to the ideal forms of government. Similarly, democracies confront disagreement as often as they do agreement: for example, how should wealth be distributed? How do we balance rights with responsibilities? How fast should speed limits be? And the United States was founded in the face of very serious disagreements which persist to this day: how free should speech be? What should be the role of religion in public life? How should the rights of the States be balanced against the national government? Effective scholars and effective citizens alike need to wrestle with how to disagree. This course addresses this challenge head on, using disagreements in the founding of the United States to help us learn how to disagree better. Students will observe and engage with leading academics and public intellectuals exploring the disagreements at the heart of American democracy and society. These conversations are held live on campus, giving students a chance to experience them collectively, and then engaging in a moderated discussion about them afterwards. Second, students will undertake seminar discussions about these topics with other students. This will happen under the supervision of a faculty member, who can engage students in the material from their own disciplinary perspective. Third, students will complete a single assignment with another students, where they learn how to work through an issue on which they disagree.