Promoting Pluralism and Academic Freedom on Campus

The MU Difficult Dialogues program is designed to stimulate rigorous intellectual inquiry, and to empower students to express opposing views respectfully and in the spirit of open-mindedness.

Program activities will provide an environment in which differing views are defended, heard, and considered by those who hold conflicting ideas and values across cultures.

The activities will focus on teaching and reinforcing dialogue skills and religious literacy that encourage difficult dialogues on important, challenging topics and are essential to democratic citizenship in an increasingly diverse society.

An interdisciplinary group will implement a program that draws on specific strengths represented at MU: the top-ranked Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution (CSDR); the Pew-sponsored Center for Religion, the Professions, and the Public; faculty leadership in the Carnegie/American Association of Higher Education cluster on the use of interactive theater to address multicultural issues; the nationally recognized MU Freshman Interest Group (FIG) Living and Learning Communities; the nationally recognized Department of Religious Studies; and a major commitment to multiculturalism facilitated by the Chancellor's Strategic Plan, Diversity Initiative and Diversity Council.