Event Archive
Agora Fellows: Reading Reflection
The Agora Fellows meet to discuss Parts I-V of Danielle Allen's Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality.
The Agora Fellows meet bi-weekly on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Bynum 336.
Undergraduate students can inquire about becoming an Agora Fellow here.
The Agora Fellows meet bi-weekly on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Bynum 336.
Undergraduate students can inquire about becoming an Agora Fellow here.
Date: October 14, 2021
Times: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Audience: Agora Fellows
Venue: Bynum 336
Abbey Speaker Series: Social Media and Democracy – Helping or Hurting?
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Is social media helpful or harmful to democracy? Especially after the Arab Spring, social media was hailed as a means of democratizing information and holding leaders accountable. More recently, however, social media has been depicted as a threat to democracy due to the ways in which online platforms appear to fuel polarization, limit and regulate speech, and accelerate the spread of disinformation and conspiracies.For this Abbey Speaker Series event, and as part of our Democracy and Public Discourse theme, the UNC Program for Public Discourse brings together thought leaders from academia and the tech sector to discuss whether social media can promote - or at least co-exist with - democracy.
Date: October 6, 2021
Times: 05:30 pm – 07:00 pm
Audience: Public Event
Venue: Online
Rumman Chowdhury is the director of Twitter’s Machine Learning Ethics, Transparency & Accountability (META) team. Dr. Chowdhury works at the intersection of artificial intelligence and humanity, pioneering research in applied algorithmic ethics to learn how to use data to understand bias and evaluate technology’s impact on humanity. Dr. Chowdhury joined Twitter after founding and serving as CEO of Parity AI, an enterprise algorithmic audit platform developed to bridge the gap between corporations and data scientists. Dr. Chowdhury holds two undergraduate degrees from MIT, a master's degree in Quantitative Methods of the Social Sciences from Columbia University, and a doctorate in political science from the University of California, San Diego.
Siva Vaidhyanathan is the Robertson Professor of Media Studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. Professor Vaidhyanathan is a cultural historian and media scholar and a permanent columnist at The Guardian and Slate. He has also contributed to numerous other publications, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, New York Times Magazine, The Nation, and The Baffler. Professor Vaidhyanathan’s most recent book, Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy, provides a comprehensive account of the effects Facebook has had on the world, explains how social media undermines progress and thought, and offers proposals to address the problems it poses to our society.
Event Moderator
Yascha Mounk is an associate professor of the practice of international affairs at Johns Hopkins University, where he holds a joint appointment in the School of Advanced International Studies and the Agora Institute. His work concerns the rise of populism and the crises facing liberal democracy, and he is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mounk is a contributing editor at The Atlantic and founder of the online publication Persuasion. His writing has appeared in numerous other publications, including Die Zeit, Foreign Affairs, and The Wall Street Journal. Mounk's most recent book, The People Vs. Democracy, argues that the core components of liberal democracy - individual rights and the popular will - are at war with each other and that trust in politics is dwindling worldwide.
Agora Fellows: Debate – Are reparations morally just?
Our undergraduate Agora Fellows meet to debate whether, to whom, and with whose money the federal government should pay reparations.
The Agora Fellows meet bi-weekly on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Bynum 336.
Undergraduate students can inquire about becoming an Agora Fellow here.
The Agora Fellows meet bi-weekly on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Bynum 336.
Undergraduate students can inquire about becoming an Agora Fellow here.
Date: September 30, 2021
Times: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Audience: Agora Fellows
Venue: Bynum 336
Agora Fellows: Discourse – The role of social media in politics and society
Our undergraduate Agora Fellows meet to deliberate on the proliferation of social media and its social and political consequences.
The Agora Fellows meet bi-weekly on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Bynum 336.
Undergraduate students can inquire about becoming an Agora Fellow here.
The Agora Fellows meet bi-weekly on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Bynum 336.
Undergraduate students can inquire about becoming an Agora Fellow here.
Date: September 16, 2021
Times: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Audience: Agora Fellows
Venue: Bynum 336
Democracy and Public Discourse
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Due to an audio issue with the recording of this event, we've made a full transcript available here.When it comes to politics, public discourse has become a shouting match, and Americans seem to talk past one another. Is the anger and polarization a sign of failing democracy, or just the way politics has to be? What do we learn by taking a closer look at the role of history, social psychology, public opinion, and media technology in this political moment? Join our interdisciplinary faculty panel to hear how research happening at UNC can help us understand democracy and discourse—and, maybe, give us some cause for hope.
This event is co-sponsored by Carolina Public Humanities and the General Alumni Association.
Date: September 14, 2021
Times: 05:30 pm – 07:00 pm
Audience: Public Event
Venue: Nelson Mandela Auditorium, FedEx Global Education Center; Online
Claude Clegg is the Lyle V. Jones Distinguished Professor, with a joint appointment in the Departments of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies and History. Professor Clegg’s work focuses on the African diaspora of the Atlantic world, exploring the ways in which people of African descent have created and imagined communities and identities outside Africa. He teaches courses in African American history and U.S. history, with particular emphasis on the themes of migration, diaspora, nationalism, and social mobilization. His forthcoming book, The Black President: Hope and Fury in the Age of Obama, examines the ways African Americans have experienced and interpreted the Obama presidency.
Kurt Gray is an Associate Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience and directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in Organizational Behavior at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, where he teaches about organizational ethics and team processes. Professor Gray researches how we perceive the minds of others and make moral judgments. He is interested in how children learn to understand other minds, especially those different from themselves, such as animals, robots, and outgroup members. He is also interested in understanding the developmental roots of morality—in particular through the combination of innate socio-biological processes (e.g., empathic concern) with socialized norms.
Marc Hetherington is the Raymond H. Dawson Distinguished Bicentennial Professor of Political Science. His focus is on the American electorate and the polarization of public opinion. Previously, he taught at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Vanderbilt University, and Bowdoin College. Hetherington has published several books and over a dozen articles in academic journals. His most recent book, Prius Or Pickup? How the Answers to Four Simple Questions Explain America’s Great Divide, co-written with fellow UNC faculty member Dr. Jonathan Weiler, explores the psychological aspects of the United States’ deadlocked politics.
Shannon McGregor is an assistant professor at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media and a senior researcher with the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life. Her research addresses the role of social media and data in political processes, with a focus on political communication, journalism, public opinion, and gender. Her published work examines how three groups – political actors, the press, and the public – use social media in regards to politics, how that social media use impacts their behavior, and how the policies and actions of social media companies, in turn, impacts political communication on their sites. Her work aims to bring insights about and new theories of emerging political communication in hybrid media and political systems.
Event Moderator
Molly Worthen is an associate professor of history in the Department of History and a freelance journalist. Her research focuses on North American religious and intellectual history, and she teaches courses in global Christianity, North American religious and intellectual culture, and the history of politics and ideology. Her most recent book, Apostles of Reason, examines American evangelical intellectual life since 1945, especially the internal conflicts among different evangelical subcultures. Her current book project focuses on the history of charisma in America.
First Friday: Democratic Discourse – Challenges and Opportunities
We invite faculty, students, staff, and community members to join us for a series of First Friday workshops this fall. On the first Friday of each month, we will explore various themes in contemporary public discourse, hosted by guest facilitators.
Kevin Marinelli will help kick things off with an interactive workshop on Democratic Discourse: Challenges and Opportunities in room 3206 A|B in the Carolina Union.
First Friday workshops are open to all. Registration is encouraged but not required.
Kevin Marinelli will help kick things off with an interactive workshop on Democratic Discourse: Challenges and Opportunities in room 3206 A|B in the Carolina Union.
First Friday workshops are open to all. Registration is encouraged but not required.
Date: September 3, 2021
Times: 02:00 pm – 03:30 pm
Audience: Public Event
Venue: Room 3206 A|B in the Carolina Union
Agora Fellows: Introduction and Discourse Contract
The Program for Public Discourse invites all undergraduates to join or attend a meeting with the Agora Fellows, a cohort of students committed to the study and practice of public discourse.
This first meeting will include a group discussion and drafting of this semester’s discourse compact, plus a brainstorming session about what topics will be tackled in future dialogues and debates.
The Agora Fellows meet bi-weekly on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Bynum 336.
This first meeting will include a group discussion and drafting of this semester’s discourse compact, plus a brainstorming session about what topics will be tackled in future dialogues and debates.
The Agora Fellows meet bi-weekly on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Bynum 336.
Date: September 2, 2021
Times: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Audience: Agora Fellows
Venue: Bynum 336
UNC Faculty Symposium on Deliberative Pedagogy
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View an anonymized copy of the event's chat log, which includes further discussion and links to additional resources.
Date: May 6, 2021
Times: 09:30 am – 03:00 pm
Audience: UNC Faculty & Staff
Venue: Online
Communication Beyond Carolina, (10 - 11 a.m.):
This panel will provide an overview of the Communication Beyond Carolina component of the new IDEAs in Action curriculum. In addition to hearing from the Office of Undergraduate Curricula's Curriculum Director, this panel includes the chair of the General Education Oversight Committee, and an expert in communicating science to a lay audience who also teaches courses aligned with the Communication Beyond Carolina learning outcomes.
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This panel will provide an overview of the Communication Beyond Carolina component of the new IDEAs in Action curriculum. In addition to hearing from the Office of Undergraduate Curricula's Curriculum Director, this panel includes the chair of the General Education Oversight Committee, and an expert in communicating science to a lay audience who also teaches courses aligned with the Communication Beyond Carolina learning outcomes.
- Dr. Charlotte Boettiger, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience (View Charlotte's presentation here)
- Nick Siedentop, Office of Undergraduate Curricula (View Nick's presentation here)
- Dr. Erika Wise, Department of Geography ( View Erika's presentation here)
Facilitating & Evaluating Public Discourse, (11 a.m. - noon):
This panel will provide a range of strategies and techniques for facilitating and evaluating students' capacity to engage in discourse. Drawing from experiences within and beyond the college classroom, panelists will offer tips and reflections for how best to generate meaningful discussion and deliberation, as well as how to evaluate students' participation.
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This panel will provide a range of strategies and techniques for facilitating and evaluating students' capacity to engage in discourse. Drawing from experiences within and beyond the college classroom, panelists will offer tips and reflections for how best to generate meaningful discussion and deliberation, as well as how to evaluate students' participation.
- Dr. Kelly Hogan, Office of Instructional Innovation; Department of Biology (View Kelly's presentation here)
- Dr. Lloyd Kramer, Carolina Public Humanities; Department of History (View Lloyd's presentation here)
- Dr. Michael Vazquez, Parr Center for Ethics; Department of Philosophy (View Michael's presentation here)
Engaging Race and Racism in the Classroom, (1 - 2 p.m.):
This panel will provide strategies and techniques for engaging with topics related to race and racism within a course. With a focus on cultivating students' skills in discussing race and racism, panelists will offer tips and reflections for how best to generate productive deliberation on race and racism, while attending to the ways in which race and racism shapes the classroom experience.
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This panel will provide strategies and techniques for engaging with topics related to race and racism within a course. With a focus on cultivating students' skills in discussing race and racism, panelists will offer tips and reflections for how best to generate productive deliberation on race and racism, while attending to the ways in which race and racism shapes the classroom experience.
- Dr. Travis Alrbitton, School of Social Work
- Dr. Sibby Anderson-Thompkins, Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (View Sibby's presentation here)
- Dr. Emily Boehm, Center for Faculty Excellence (View Emily's presentation here)
Student Perspectives on Dialogue and Debate, (2 - 3 p.m.):
This panel will offer students' own reflections on dialogue and debate at UNC. Highlighting their experiences within two different programs that each include a focus on the skills of deliberation and debate, the student panelists will share their key take-aways and what they think instructors should know when designing such class-based experiences. The students will be joined by faculty with whom they work in these two programs, who will also share their reflections on teaching dialogue, debate, and the skills of public discourse.
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This panel will offer students' own reflections on dialogue and debate at UNC. Highlighting their experiences within two different programs that each include a focus on the skills of deliberation and debate, the student panelists will share their key take-aways and what they think instructors should know when designing such class-based experiences. The students will be joined by faculty with whom they work in these two programs, who will also share their reflections on teaching dialogue, debate, and the skills of public discourse.
- Dr. Christian Lundberg, Department of Communication
- Students from the Chancellor's Science Scholars
- Dr. Kevin Marinelli, Department of Communication; UNC Program for Public Discourse
- Students from the Agora Fellows
Debating Public Policy Series: Debating the Minimum Wage
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For our inaugural Debating Public Policy Series event, the UNC Program for Public Discourse invites two UNC faculty members to debate the advantages and disadvantages of President Biden’s recent proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $15. Dr. Luca Flabbi of the UNC Department of Economics will argue in favor. Dr. Paige Ouimet of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School will argue against. The debate is moderated by Kevin Marinelli, executive director of the UNC Program for Public Discourse.Date: April 19, 2021
Times: 05:00 pm – 06:30 pm
Audience: Public Event
Venue: Online
Luca Flabbi, Ph.D is an Associate Professor in the UNC Department of Economics. Dr. Flabbi is an applied microeconomist and econometrician with expertise in labor/population economics and in applied econometric methods.
Download Dr. Flabbi's presentation here.
Paige Ouimet, Ph.D. has several research projects looking at income inequality and the role of firms. She also has researched ESOP (employee share ownership plans) and employee stock options and their impact on labor productivity, wages and turnover. Her research agenda is concentrated at the juncture of finance and labor economics. She is interested in in how decisions studied in finance impact employee stakeholders – specifically how those effects are reflected in firm performance and, hence, corporate finance decisions.
Download Dr. Ouimet's presentation here.
Event Moderator
Kevin Marinelli, Ph.D. serves as executive director of the Program for Public Discourse and teaches in the Department of Communication. He teaches courses in rhetorical studies, and his scholarship centers on public argument. Currently, he is investigating practices of rhetorical citizenship.
Abbey Speaker Series – The Future of Conservatism
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Conservatism in America has an uncertain future. On a host of issues including populism, free trade, and nationalism, conservatives are no longer united. Now, perhaps more than ever, what it means to be a “conservative,” where conservatism is likely headed, and where, ideally, it should direct itself are open to debate. A panel of political thinkers with different views on conservatism will discuss these critical questions.This event is co-sponsored by the Arete Initiative, part of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University.
Date: March 23, 2021
Times: 05:30 pm – 07:00 pm
Audience: Public Event
Venue: Online
Patrick Deneen, PhD is a Professor of Political Science and the David A. Potenziani Memorial Chair of Constitutional Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He has previously taught at Princeton University and Georgetown University. Deneen has published several books on American political thought, including Why Liberalism Failed (2018) and Conserving America? Thoughts on Present Discontents (2016).
Before transitioning to education, Patrick Deneen was Speechwriter and Special Advisor to the Director of the United States Information Agency. He was also awarded the American Political Science Association's Leo Strauss Award for Best Dissertation in Political Theory in 1995 and an honorable mention for the organization's Best First Book Award in 2000.
Before transitioning to education, Patrick Deneen was Speechwriter and Special Advisor to the Director of the United States Information Agency. He was also awarded the American Political Science Association's Leo Strauss Award for Best Dissertation in Political Theory in 1995 and an honorable mention for the organization's Best First Book Award in 2000.
Yuval Levin, PhD is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. As director, he studies the foundations of self-government and the future of law, regulation, and constitutionalism while also exploring the impact of social and political life on the American family. He is also the founding and current editor of National Affairs, a senior editor of The New Atlantis, and a contributing editor to National Review. Previously, Levin served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush and was the President's Council on Bioethics' executive director.
His most recent published works include A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream (2020).
His most recent published works include A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream (2020).
Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review, published by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He also serves as the director of the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship Program at The Fund for American Studies and is a visiting fellow at the Center for the Study of Statesmanship at The Catholic University of America. Before joining Modern Age, McCarthy was the editor of The American Conservative.
McCarthy’s writings have been published by various news organizations including The New York Times, USA Today, The Spectator, and the National Interest.
McCarthy’s writings have been published by various news organizations including The New York Times, USA Today, The Spectator, and the National Interest.
Ashleen Menchaca-Bagnulo, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Texas State University, where she researches Western Civic Republic tradition and has lectured on political thought during eras ranging from the Medieval period to the American Civil War. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. Before arriving at Texas State, Dr. Menchaca-Bangulo served appointments at Princeton University, the US Naval Academy, and Furman University.
Her scholarly writings can be found in various journals, including Augustine's Political Thought, Political Science Reviewers, and Perspectives on Political Science. She is an editor of and contributor to an upcoming anthology on Augustine in unsettled times, along with Bolek Kabala and Nathan Pinkoski.
Her scholarly writings can be found in various journals, including Augustine's Political Thought, Political Science Reviewers, and Perspectives on Political Science. She is an editor of and contributor to an upcoming anthology on Augustine in unsettled times, along with Bolek Kabala and Nathan Pinkoski.
Event Moderator
Jed Atkins, PhD is director of the Arete Initiative at the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, where he is the E. Blake Byrne Associate Professor of Classical Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science. Additionally, Dr. Atkins teaches in Duke’s Visions of Freedom Focus Cluster, which offers courses designed to develop a critical understanding of various competing conceptions of freedom and their historical origins. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge.
An expert on Greek, Roman, and early Christian moral and political thought, Dr. Atkins is the author of Cicero on Politics and the Limits of Reason (2013), Roman Political Thought (2018), and co-editor of the forthcoming Cambridge Companion to Cicero’s Philosophy.
An expert on Greek, Roman, and early Christian moral and political thought, Dr. Atkins is the author of Cicero on Politics and the Limits of Reason (2013), Roman Political Thought (2018), and co-editor of the forthcoming Cambridge Companion to Cicero’s Philosophy.