Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
How do you teach tough, controversial topics in a way that builds connection instead of conflict?
In this video, Abigail Saguy, Professor of Sociology at UCLA, shares how she transformed her classroom by making dialogue across differences a core learning objective. Drawing on years of scholarship and her groundbreaking cross-disciplinary course on sex and gender, Saguy explains what happened when her students began showing up as “experts,” challenging her language and framing.
Looking for community and tools to help, she discovered Heterodox Academy (HxA) and was introduced to Sway, an AI-powered platform designed to help students practice hard conversations.
The results? Students reported real growth: treating disagreement like a skill to be trained, building empathy, and even learning to regulate their emotional reactions in order to engage in genuine intellectual debate.
🔔 Subscribe for more stories from HxA members who are reshaping classrooms and conversations.
How do you teach tough, controversial topics in a way that builds connection instead of conflict?
In this video, Abigail Saguy, Professor of Sociology at UCLA, shares how she transformed her classroom by making dialogue across differences a core learning objective. Drawing on years of scholarship and her groundbreaking cross-disciplinary course on sex and gender, Saguy explains what happened when her students began showing up as “experts,” challenging her language and framing.
Looking for community and tools to help, she discovered Heterodox Academy (HxA) and was introduced to Sway, an AI-powered platform designed to help students practice hard conversations.
The results? Students reported real growth: treating disagreement like a skill to be trained, building empathy, and even learning to regulate their emotional reactions in order to engage in genuine intellectual debate.
🔔 Subscribe for more stories from HxA members who are reshaping classrooms and conversations.
