3405 - Discussing Topics We Disagree On - A Workshop (Alice Huang)
Course Description
Instructor: Alice Huang
Are you bothered about feeling like your relationships may be at risk whenever the conversation turns to topics you are passionate about? Do you wish there was a way to have those conversations without putting your relationships in jeopardy? Would you like to consider some ideas about how to talk constructively when you disagree passionately with your conversation partners? This is a workshop to explore what might help, and then to try out our ideas as we discuss some topics that many find difficult. We will consider the importance of learning about the perspectives of people who disagree with us and about the nuances of what we agree and disagree on, the effects of the common tendency to push people into mutually exclusive us-vs-them categories, and the challenge of trying to learn from those we think are wrong.
Bio: Much of “what everyone’s talking about” these days seems to drive us apart, so we wind up more and more talking with only people we agree with about everything. This workshop is an effort to get more of us talking with each other again, even when we disagree about some things. I come to this with a background in biomedical research, and experience designing and conducting workshops and leading discussion groups. I look forward to learning with you about discussing topics we disagree on.