TEACHx 2024

In the wake of the crisis in the Middle East, many college campuses have experienced a complete deterioration of civility and discourse. Verbal and physical violence have been normalized as the forum through which different "sides" express their respective positions. In the very environments society looks to as beacons for learning and building bridges across vast and mercurial divides, universities are now at the center (and perhaps inadvertently leading) of what may be the demise of civil discourse. In this session, we will explore the power and impact of using dialogue to promote understanding, specifically focusing on the "dual narrative." Beyond the legacy and somewhat bankrupt guidance to "see both sides of the story," the dual narrative opens the possibility of fully internalizing the experience of the other. In the case of war, the other is a perceived or real enemy. Becoming more skillful at exposing narratives in the classroom promotes dialogue, understanding, compassion, and a new future.