Residential Program in Enlightened Disagreement

“Yes And! Using Improv for More Effective Interactions” with Heather Barnes (Kellogg School of Management). Explore ways to quickly establish points of connection with others and experience the difference between listening to understand versus listening to respond. Discover methods to effectively build trust, empathy, and develop essential people leadership skills. Prepare to support others, participate without judgement, let go of fear, and experience how to create space for all to engage.

“Wicked Problems: Talking About Values to Understand Each Other’s Positions” with Martin Carcasson (Colorado State University). How can we build capacity to tap into the best of human nature? Carcasson has designed processes to help communities have better conversations. Bringing values to the forefront of policy discussions shifts the focus from positions (what we want) to underlying interests (why we want that). Thinking about your values and how you prioritize them can prepare you to think clearly and empathetically in a difficult moment or throughout challenging times.

“Argument Mapping” with Steven Franconeri (Northwestern University). When handled thoughtfully, disagreement sharpens ideas, improves policies, and brings people closer to the truth. But too often, hard conversations spiral into outrage, misinformation, and distrust. That’s not because people don’t care. It’s because we don't disagree well. Point Taken, a writing-based conversation game developed by Franconeri, helps fix that, and students will learn about the science behind it before playing.

“Depolarizing Democracy via Deliberative Polling” with Alice Siu (Stanford University). Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab uses deliberative polling to structure policy discussions to examine how attitudes and even voting behaviors can shift as people listen and learn about competing viewpoints. Researchers have implemented studies domestically and internationally to create neutral environments for deliberation. Through Siu’s adaptation of the protocol for the Litowitz Center’s program, students will get an introduction to the research methods and participant experience.

“How Minds Change” with David McRaney (author and journalist). In a special session akin to a One Book One Northwestern keynote, all cohorts will hear from David McRaney. Program participants will receive a copy of McRaney’s How Minds Change in advance. Exploring politics and cognitive science and distinguishing beliefs from attitudes, McRaney looks at crises of perception and how people can find ethical ways forward while tending to powerful intrinsic motivators like identity, autonomy, and belonging. The audience will learn about—and be encouraged to try—techniques like deep canvassing and telescoping that build rapport, maintain psychological safety, elicit biases, and resolve dissonance. Even a conversation about someone’s favorite movie can demonstrate their impact.

“Enlightened Disagreement: Applications and Reflections” with Nour Kteily and Eli Finkel (Faculty Co-Directors of the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement) and David McRaney. The final session will be an occasion to synthesize the year-long program and discuss students’ casual experiments with McRaney’s techniques. The Litowitz Center’s faculty co-directors will lead the discussion as students reflect on where they have seen efforts at enlightened disagreement, how they discern unenlightened disagreement, and what they will take with them from the program to enrich their time at Northwestern, including classroom learning, extracurriculars, and pursuits on and off campus.