Speech and Expression on College Campuses Symposium

"How to be a confident pluralist"

Danielle Allen  
James Bryant Conant University Professor and
Director, Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University

Conflict entrepreneurs—operating both inside and outside our borders—have recently turned the dizzying and wonderful pluralism of the U.S. into the backdrop for a culture war. Countering the conflict entrepreneurs is necessary to reanimate the promise of democracy. This requires learning how to be a confident pluralist. A confident pluralist is able and eager to engage productively across a wide range of viewpoints, backgrounds, lived experiences, perspectives, and identities, is committed to defending a baseline picture of universal human rights, and is skilled at converting disagreement into purposive negotiation and shared learning. 

Natalie Taylor, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science will introduce Allen and moderate discussion.

This is an ASL-interpreted event.

Allen's books will be available for sale and she will sign copies following her talk.

Faculty Panel

Calvin Baker, Professor of English, will moderate a panel discussion that examines speech and expression across and within various disciplines. Faculty panelists and their respective areas of interrogation include:

Flagg Taylor, Associate Professor of Political Science
“The Speech of Freedom: The Promise of Liberal Education.”

Scott Mulligan, Senior Teaching Professor, International Affairs Program, Arts Administration Program
“Speech on Campus: Should the First Amendment Play a Role?"

Jenny Day, Associate Professor of History, The Frances Young Tang '61 Chair in Chinese Studies
"Speaking Truth to Power: Navigating Campus Climate and Free Speech Amid Geopolitical Tensions."

Pushi Prasad, Professor of Management, Zankel Chair, Department of Management & Business
“Caught in the Crosshairs: Can Colleges Navigate Conflicting Pressures on Speech and Expression?”

A Q&A will follow.

Student Panel, moderated by Adrian Bautista, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs

Joshua Cherry '23, "What's Free?"

Amr Fatafta '23, “The Erosion of Free-Speech on University Campuses: Palestinian Discourse Censorship”

Kiryat Hance '23, “The Reality of Wokeism in Higher Education”

Melanie Nolan '23, “Unpacking the Solidarity Project; Art, Shock and Free Speech”

Morgan Sickels '23,“The Effects of Mistrust in Academic Institutions”

"From Safe Enough Spaces to Intellectual Diversity: Educational Tensions on Campus"

Lunch Plenary Session with Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University

Michael Roth’s talk will focus on how debates about free speech and social justice might become less divisive and more educational. He will examine how the tensions between critical thinking and inclusion, academic freedom and indoctrination, trust and transformation, can generate more powerful forms of liberal learning. The goal of thinking for oneself while being open to learning from others requires safe enough spaces, but it does not require intrusive forms of protection that can undermine broadly transformative learning. 

Roth's books will be available for sale and he will sign copies following his talk.

"A Just and Loving Attention: How we can treat each other more considerately in the daily interactions of life"

David Brooks
New York Times Columnist, Author, and Commentator

Brooks will be introduced by Erica Bastress-Dukehart, Associate Professor of History

This is an ASL-interpreted event.

Brooks's books will be available for sale to attendees.