Agreeing to Disagree: How to Discuss, Debate, and Make Your Voice Heard in a Polarized Age

We often say to each other today that our society has become incapable of civil debate. But perhaps this is not solely because of our increasing political and cultural polarization, but because we have forgotten the ways that formal debate and oratory were studied and taught in past generations. A quick study of America's past great leaders shows that most of them benefited from dedicated training in debating, public speaking, and persuasive writing—all of which fueled their success. This course is an exploration of the history, current status, and possible future of argumentation and debate, drawing on theories, lessons, and case studies from Plato to Joan of Arc, the Jim Crow South, and the present day. In studying the philosophy and history of argumentation, students practice both creating their own arguments and constructively critiquing others' arguments. Our class activities and assessments offer multiple ways to engage the course topic, both individually and as part of teams: from a selection of events designed by formal competitive debating societies to consensus-building techniques originating in a variety of academic and professional fields, to the role of performance and aesthetics in speaking, discussing, and persuading.