Is Empathy Possible Today?

Catalog description

This course will help students explore a wide variety of face-to-face and digital communication skills and theories to wrestle with the question ?Is Empathy Possible Today?? We will cover challenging topics including: active/evocative listening; how to have hard conversations; neurodivergence and ?the double empathy problem?; cross-cultural listening and responding across differences; the limits of empathy in a multicultural democracy; rewards and problems of digital communication during the pandemic; general skills for having better relationships; and lots more! Given the experiential nature of the course, students will be expected to bring themselves fully to participate in the creation of a safe yet challenging learning environment. Students of all backgrounds and interests are welcome!