Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Many hope that embracing viewpoint diversity fosters an environment with a wide range of political opinions and perspectives, bridges divides, and even challenges our own biases. But whatever one’s political opinion, what if the “other side” of the truth is a lie at best, and an outrageous conspiracy theory at worst? As people at various points on the political spectrum seek to further viewpoint diversity in our institutions, how can they come together to assess which disagreements of opinion are valid and nuanced, and which are unhinged and even disqualifying? Just how does one go about recruiting colleagues who will disagree constructively with others? Are there litmus tests? To what extent have cultural institutions themselves become victims of the culture wars?
Featured:
Deborah Appleman is the Hollis L. Caswell Professor of educational studies at Carleton College. Her recent work has focused on teaching college-level language, literature, and creative writing courses at the Minnesota Correctional Facilities in Stillwater and Faribault to incarcerated men who are interested in pursuing post-secondary education. She taught high school English for nine years before receiving her doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
Kathryn Kay Coquemont is vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Macalester College. She previously served as associate vice president for student success at Salt Lake City Community College, where she led institutional learning circles focused on anti-racism and co-chaired task forces for increased institutional support of Hispanic/Latinx and Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander students.
Robert Groven, assistant dean of faculty development and associate professor of Communication Studies at Augsburg University, is one of the original founders and the current director of the Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL). MNUDL is an independently funded program of Augsburg using the transformative pedagogy of debate to close the opportunity gap by empowering young people to become voices of change in their communities; it serves some 1,200 students in 67 programs across nine school districts in the Twin Cities.
Jeffrey R. Young (moderator) is a reporter and editor at EdSurge and host of the weekly EdSurge Podcast. He previously spent 20 years at The Chronicle of Higher Education as a reporter and editor. He has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and earned a master’s degree in Communications, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University.
Recorded Sept. 20, 2023
Many hope that embracing viewpoint diversity fosters an environment with a wide range of political opinions and perspectives, bridges divides, and even challenges our own biases. But whatever one’s political opinion, what if the “other side” of the truth is a lie at best, and an outrageous conspiracy theory at worst? As people at various points on the political spectrum seek to further viewpoint diversity in our institutions, how can they come together to assess which disagreements of opinion are valid and nuanced, and which are unhinged and even disqualifying? Just how does one go about recruiting colleagues who will disagree constructively with others? Are there litmus tests? To what extent have cultural institutions themselves become victims of the culture wars?
Featured:
Deborah Appleman is the Hollis L. Caswell Professor of educational studies at Carleton College. Her recent work has focused on teaching college-level language, literature, and creative writing courses at the Minnesota Correctional Facilities in Stillwater and Faribault to incarcerated men who are interested in pursuing post-secondary education. She taught high school English for nine years before receiving her doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
Kathryn Kay Coquemont is vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Macalester College. She previously served as associate vice president for student success at Salt Lake City Community College, where she led institutional learning circles focused on anti-racism and co-chaired task forces for increased institutional support of Hispanic/Latinx and Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander students.
Robert Groven, assistant dean of faculty development and associate professor of Communication Studies at Augsburg University, is one of the original founders and the current director of the Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL). MNUDL is an independently funded program of Augsburg using the transformative pedagogy of debate to close the opportunity gap by empowering young people to become voices of change in their communities; it serves some 1,200 students in 67 programs across nine school districts in the Twin Cities.
Jeffrey R. Young (moderator) is a reporter and editor at EdSurge and host of the weekly EdSurge Podcast. He previously spent 20 years at The Chronicle of Higher Education as a reporter and editor. He has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and earned a master’s degree in Communications, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University.
Recorded Sept. 20, 2023
