Get Involved

Students
Faculty
Staff
Community

Student Involvement

The Civil Dialogue Project Brightspace Course
  • The Brightspace course is a central location to access supplemental content related to the Civil Dialogue Project and the 2024 Common Read Experience. This interactive platform allows students to learn about civil dialogue, this year’s common read, and have access to a calendar of dialogue programs held on campus each fall.
  • This Brightspace course also serves as a content hub for students seeking to complete the Constructive Dialogue and/or Constructive Debate microcredentials. Students participating in the UNIV 101/103 course or the Emerging Leaders Program will achieve the Constructive Dialogue microcredential through this platform. Students who do not wish to complete a microcredential will find helpful information about upcoming events on campus.
  • All first year students are automatically enrolled in this Brightspace course when they matriculate to Binghamton. If you are a student who wishes to have access to the course, please reach out to eepps@binghamton.edu.  
Constructive Dialogue Microcredential
  • The Constructive Dialogue microcredential is tailored to equip students with essential skills for engaging more effectively and empathetically in conversations within the academic environment and broader social contexts. Rooted in the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, this research-based program uniquely blends psychological insights with practical communication strategies, aiming to enhance interpersonal interactions across diverse social landscapes.
  • LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students participate in the Perspective online modules and in-person workshops designed for students to:
    • Enhance their metacognitive awareness of polarizing thought patterns
    • Connect through constructive listening
    • Share their perspective using non-polarizing language
    • Learn strategies to handle difficult moments
Student Organization Uncommon Grounds
    • The Open Perspectives Initiative hosts weekly meetings open to all students with unique activities to practice civil dialogue
    • Fall semester meeting time: Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
    • Join the OPI GroupMe for updates and meeting locations:
    • Follow the Open Perspectives Initiative on Instagram to stay up to date!
    • “A genuine conversation with another person, face to face, is something a lot of students are craving right now. Especially conversations about the massive challenges we face as a society and especially when those conversations lead to possible solutions. We don't have enough of that in our lives. Have you ever sat and talked with a group of friends for hours, falling down a conversational rabbit hole together and hardly feeling the time pass? This club has captured that feeling—the eboard has done an excellent job developing a welcoming atmosphere that fosters endless dialogue and embraces and respects newcomers.”  

Faculty Involvement

Civil Dialogue Teaching Fellows
  • The Civil Dialogue Teaching Fellows program is a new initiative that guides faculty in the design and implementation of course content that facilitates student practice of civil dialogue. Selected faculty will receive a stipend and meet several times throughout the academic year to explore how classroom activities can support student development of skills necessary to engage in dialogue about meaningful topics with people holding different points of view. Sessions will focus both on understanding relevant theoretical frameworks and on applying practices within the classroom setting. The program is open to full-time faculty of every rank and discipline. Fellows will receive a stipend of $2,000 and are expected to integrate civil dialogue into at least one of their courses at the conclusion of their fellowship experience.
Civil Dialogue Faculty Teaching and Research Grants
  • Civil Dialogue Faculty Teaching and Research Grants are available to support full-time faculty of any rank and discipline with up to $5,000 in funding for expenses that contribute to and expand upon the civil dialogue initiative. Grants are intended to strengthen student skill-building to engage in meaningful dialogue across differences, provide opportunities for students to put these skills into practice, support faculty in the development of relevant pedagogical approaches, contribute to research on civil dialogue, and more.
  • Allowable expenses include but are not limited to: supplies or materials for events, research stipends, research participant incentives, honoraria for speakers, training expenses, travel or field trip expenses, and more.  
  • Grants applications are accepted on a rolling basis. To apply, complete this form.
  • For more information, contact Alison Twang, PhD, director, Center for Civic Engagement at atwang@binghamton.edu. 

Staff Involvement 

Critical and Conscious Conversations (CCC) hold space for faculty and staff across divisions to come together and engage in active, collaborative discussions each month. The goal is to promote relationship-building and improve the campus climate through a social justice lens. Research indicates that this type of learning community can reduce microaggressions, increase micro-affirmations and lead to positive systemic changes through ground-up engagement (Madison, 2020; Young & Anderson, 2019; Jones & Rolón-Dow, 2019).

Community Involvement

The Civil Dialogue Projects is working on initiatives to collaborate with the community. The following resources are readily available to all:

Dialogue Ambassadors 

Have you taken Perspectives and you want to put your new skills to use? Interested in receiving advanced dialogue facilitation skills and facilitating dialogues on campus? Please reach out to eepps@binghamton.edu to be a part of the inaugural cohort of Dialogue Ambassadors.