In the throes of a contentious election season, students often find themselves navigating a polarized world. But in this climate, many UChicago students and faculty are embracing, as opposed to shying away from, challenging issues.
Recent events on campus reflect this appetite for substantive dialogue. Over the fall, the Institute of Politics and the Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression have hosted policy-themed discussions that bridge ideological divides. In addition, the Parrhesia Program for Public Discourse and Scholars at Risk programs regularly connect students with thinkers who bring firsthand perspectives on global issues.
Student discussion has often centered on the upcoming U.S. presidential race. At a recent IOP event, presidents of the College Democrats and Republicans—fourth-years Kate Davis and Christopher Phillips—engaged in a lively debate where each defended their preferred candidate.
In an election landscape in which young voters increasingly tip the scales, the topic was: “Which Presidential Candidate is Best for Gen Z?'”
“This felt like a spirited way to have youth themselves serve as messengers and articulate why they're voting for either candidate,” said Purvi Patel, Director of Civic and Campus Engagement at the IOP. “It was about bringing lots of different people together in the same room.”
The debate, moderated by NBC journalist and IOP Pritzker Fellow Chuck Todd, continued the IOPs' longstanding tradition of respectful but vigorous cross-party dialogue.
“We have conversations about the campaign and controversial issues, and I think we come away from it learning more from each other,” said Elisabeth Snyder, a fourth-year in the College who serves on the student advisory board for the IOP. “Even when none of our perspectives change, we develop a more nuanced sense of our opponents’ views and how to respond to them.”
Conversations across the aisle are not only enriching, but can drive real change on legislative floors and in town halls. Following the presidential election, select students will get their own taste for this in a policy challenge session. Students from across the political spectrum will work together to draft mock bipartisan legislation, addressing issues facing the upcoming lame-duck session.
Part of the goal is to encourage political engagement beyond the election cycle, no matter the result.
“We anticipated people might be deflated after the election and wonder: What’s the point of all this? Half the country—and perhaps half the campus—is going to be disappointed,” said Patel. “Our prompts are meant to help students stay engaged and further their exploration of public service.”
The policy challenge sessions will cap a long season of political engagement from students involved with IOP programs during election season. From interning at the DNC and RNC to voter education at Cook County Jail, students have been involved in a range of initiatives aimed at fostering civic engagement and awareness across communities.
“Our goal is to help students, regardless of where they are and what they think about the election result, still find their place—and find ways to create change at any level,” said Patel.
Building trust and bridging divides
Students also recently had opportunities to practice measured dialogue on the continued escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
Near the one-year anniversary of the war in Israel and Gaza, the Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression presented a conversation featuring Salam Fayyad, former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority.
The talk between Fayyad and Chicago Forum faculty director Prof. Tom Ginsburg covered potential paths towards peace in a deeply entrenched conflict and was followed by a unique exercise on constructive engagement across differing viewpoints.
Led by Nicholas Epley, the John Templeton Keller Professor of Behavior Science at Chicago Booth, the exercise randomly paired audience members to discuss the event's key themes. The dialogue approach drew directly from Epley's research on social interactions, encouraging participants to consider the value of conversing on topics beyond their comfort zone.
“I think Professor Epley’s research shows that we human beings tend to expect that conversations with people we don’t know—especially around contentious issues—will go far worse than they actually end up going,” said Tony Banout, executive director of the Chicago Forum. “And crucially, we make decisions as to whether or not to engage based on a miscalibrated expectation.”
These breakout conversations serve as one example of the Forum’s approach to not only inviting diverse speakers—but fostering a culture where the University community is invited to practice productive, free and pluralistic discourse.
“What the Chicago Forum is trying to do is much more than simply say, here's an important speaker. Here's an interesting former government official or leading intellectual,” said Banout. “We think a part of our job is to create opportunities to practice free expression and cultivate a culture in which it is happening in a better, more productive way.”
As a capstone to its series on the Middle East, the Forum hosted a conversation on practical, community-oriented approaches to conducting conversations on contentious issues. Beyond these events, the Forum actively promotes community dialogue through initiatives like its student advisory board, which helps shape programming and creates opportunities for meaningful campus discourse.
“Great ideas emerge from our student leaders. By creating a board, we're doing much more of that, and we'll give them support to do this at the College and in their divisions,” said Banout.
Open doors, open minds
In a tense geopolitical landscape, the campus has also become a forum for students to engage with the perspectives of dissident journalists and scholars displaced by conflict.
A recent example includes the Parrhesia Program’s event last year with Russian journalist Elena Kostyuchenko, a journalist who has covered politics and protest movements in Russia for more than a decade. Her reporting on Putin’s war with Ukraine made her a criminal in her home country, and she later survived an apparent poisoning attempt by the Russian state.
“She is an exemplar for me of what Parrhesia aspires to inculcate—this value of fearless engagement with the world whether it's through writing, performance, being an editor or a critic,” said Nora Titone, Director of Programming and Undergraduate Research at the Parrhesia Program in the College.
Another program, Scholars at Risk, brings scholars to campus whose work is being disrupted by threats in conflict zones. The program provides temporary appointments to academics, gives their dependents a safe temporary home, and helps them explore more permanent career options.
Appointees have included visiting faculty such as an established screenwriter, poet, playwright and scholar in Afghanistan who openly criticized the Taliban. At UChicago, this scholar has given lectures on the history of Afghan cinema and on Afghan women filmmakers. Many of the filmmakers featured in these lectures have faced threats and persecution, or had their films destroyed by the Taliban regime.
Though the primary goal of Scholars at Risk is to allow scholars to continue their work regardless of their discipline and interests—many bring edifying personal histories and perspectives to the University community.
“They bring that experience to campus, and students benefit from being able to interact with them both inside the classroom and out,” said Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and linguistics professor Jason Merchant.
The Scholars at Risk program at UChicago has brought academics across various disciplines and countries to the University, from Ukraine and Russia to the Middle East. A recent arrival at the University is a scholar affected by the conflict in Gaza and Israel who will begin teaching on campus in the Winter Quarter. This scholar’s participation is made possible in part by a University commitment to ensure that the Scholars at Risk program can accommodate up to eight scholars affected by the conflict in Gaza and Israel.
“It's a lifeline to people whose scholarship is being disrupted by a conflict that they have no control over,” said Merchant.
Beyond echo chambers
Whether through newsroom debates, policy challenges, or conversations with dissident artists and journalists, students are seeking unique forums for engaging with today’s most pressing issues. Rather than retreating from difficult conversations, they're often leaning in—developing the tools to engage with voices beyond their own immediate contexts and nationalities.
“It takes courage to express an opinion in a room…where there is a wide spectrum of viewpoints,” said Nora Titone of UChicago’s Parrhesia Program. “What I’ve seen with students is that fearlessness—the commitment to owning your truth and sharing it publicly. And you can do that when you know that everyone in the room shares that same value.”