HWS News
11 December 2023 Conflict Across Difference Curriculum
HWS joins a cohort of 30 colleges and universities rolling out a national conflict management skills and communication-across-difference curriculum.
The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) have partnered to launch “Perspectives,” an e-learning platform for colleges and universities. The lessons are designed to help higher education professionals and students communicate across differences.
Hobart and William Smith has been selected by CDI and NASPA to join the 2023-2024 cohort of 30 colleges and universities who will roll out “Perspectives” on their campuses.
CDI is a nonprofit founded in 2017 in response to rising division and partisanship in the United States. They develop research-based educational tools, resources and frameworks to equip schools, universities and workplaces with practical skills to build inclusive cultures and engage constructively across differences.
NASPA is a U.S. based student affairs organization with more than 13,000 members at 1,400 campuses in 25 countries.
“This program helps students develop and practice the interpersonal tools needed for success in an interconnected world." Becca Barile, Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students
The curriculum will be launched for student leaders, including Community Assistants, in January 2024, and will be infused in the Colleges’ Personal Empowerment Institute. HWS’ Division of Campus Life staff will also participate during the launch, and Student Engagement will offer additional sessions for students who are simply interested in honing their skills.
“By integrating these interactive lessons, which includes in-person opportunities for peer-to-peer reflection, Campus Life is continuing its campus-wide partnerships with DEI and other offices in fostering a campus environment where students can engage in constructive dialogue, understanding and connection across diverse perspectives,” says Becca Barile, Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students.
“Perspectives” includes six interactive online lessons that help learners participate in constructive dialogue, defined by CDI as, “conversations where people who bring different perspectives, or different worldviews, or different identities, are really focused on trying to understand one another – not trying to give up their own beliefs.”
The lessons utilize behavioral science research and are grounded in “moral foundations theory,” a framework for learners to explore and examine how morality develops and why it differs across cultures and individuals. In addition, Campus Life staff will be trained to facilitate in-person reflective conversations, where students can apply what they’ve learned to real life issues and concerns.
After the pilot year, Hobart and William Smith plans to introduce the curriculum to new students as part of Orientation.
"In a time marked by political divides, heightened international tensions, and the personal anxieties and struggles our students navigate daily, 'Perspectives' puts into practice real-world behavioral science,” says Barile. “This program helps students develop and practice the interpersonal tools needed for success in an interconnected world."
In the photo above, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Beth Kinne meets with students in her First Year Seminar.
