Deliberative Discourse Initiative

To lead during a time in which polarization divides us like never before, we must move beyond words and embrace action. Heinz College’s Leading Across Difference (LAD) concentration equips you with the tools to engage in deliberative discourse, and translate those conversations into policies and actions that advance social good. 

This concentration provides education and experiential learning in the practice of deliberative discourse to students, faculty, staff, and the community. This holistic approach will result in culture change over time. You'll take classes in conflict resolution, negotiation, and leadership, a course load that builds toward the LAD skills lab. Here, you employ the characteristics of deliberative discourse – beginning with a goal in mind and debating different points of view about how to achieve it – to solve complex current issues. You'll hear from experts in the field and collaborate in groups to produce policy reform recommendations that address a real-world problem. 

Offered to members of all Heinz College educational programs, the Leading Across Difference concentration prepares you to navigate a workplace, industry, or society that suffers from division due to the stark contrast in the beliefs of its constituents. Upon completing the concentration, you'll possess the skills to facilitate discussion and harness the resulting collective wisdom to take action. Because it is action that creates impact—and impact is the goal toward which our graduates strive.

• 94-854: Developing as a Leader
• 91-869: Conflict Resolution
• 94-900: Negotiation
• 94-897: Leading Across Difference

The first three courses can be taken in any sequence, and are prerequisites to the Leading Across Difference course. Leading Across Difference is a new class grounded in experiential learning that engages students and members of the community in skills practice around solving complex problems.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Cultivate cultural intelligence and responsiveness.
2. Deepen negotiation and resolution across difference.
3. Hone your leadership capabilities in managing diverse teams.
4. Gain a competitive edge in the global job market.

Contact Dr. Basma for more information.

Declare a Concentration

Humans of Heinz is a series that highlights the diverse backgrounds, challenges, and triumphs of individuals or groups in our community to foster a deeper understanding of the experiences that shape who we are. We invite students, faculty, and staff to share their personal stories in a safe, respectful, and empathetic space. This year, we want to allow the audience to drive the conversation, shape the narrative by addressing the issues that weigh on them the most.

The Humans of Heinz Series aims to:

• Elevate the identities and stories of Heinz students, faculty and staff.
  
  
• Honor individual experiences and reduce bias and generalizations about communities of people.
  
  
• Connect with the humanity and individual impact of global, national and local events, policies and structures

Upcoming Events:

Check back soon for details about upcoming events.

Past Events:

Unfriended Over Politics? (Oct. 2024)
With elections approaching, this gathering aims to explore the stress of navigating differing opinions with friends, family, and public figures.

Our Authentic Selves (April 2024)
Throughout the series, we’ve had discussions that connect to the identities we hold and how those impact our interactions with current events and our communities. Our final session of the year will focus on how we uphold and perhaps protect our identities as well as how we show up as our authentic selves.

Your "American" Dream (March 2024)
Discusion of the ideal that in the US, everyone has the equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Who is the American Dream actually for?

Community Post-Covid (Feb. 2024)
The lasting personal and professional effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic–the good and the bad. We aim to discuss the ways in which this global health emergency has altered our view of ourselves and how we interact, the lives we lead, and the world.

Reflections on Israel & Palestine (December 2023)
Reflections on Israel & Palestine: how identities shape experiences - reflections on the events of and following October 7, 2023.

Beyond the Algorithm: Exploring Boundaries and Ethics in Conversational AI

Explore artificial intelligence from a lens of its implications to where it exists. Go "Beyond the Algorithm" and deepen your understanding of how these systems can be developed responsibly. Join Jordan Usdan in a facilitated red teaming exercise and discussion on the boundaries of AI, its vulnerabilities, and the moral considerations that come with advancing technology. This event offers a unique opportunity to challenge your perspectives, explore how AI should be shaped, and participate in discussions that will help you realize how you can contribute to AI development

Date: November 13, 2024
Time: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Room: Hbh 1002
Register here:  Register to attend this event on Campus Groups.

Past Events:

Balancing Discourse: Rights and Responsibilities in the Age of Social Media
Navigating Free Speech and Regulation on Digital Platforms (Fall 2023)
How does an organization’s right to regulate discourse on their platform interfere with a user’s First Amendment right as outlined within the United States Constitution? As experts in both technology and public policy, the question we pose to you is: What is the right approach and how can we go about implementing it
Moderated by Professor Ananya Sen.

Threats to Electoral Integrity: Preventing Manipulation of Candidates' Messages
Technology Solutions and Policy Frameworks for Secure Elections (Fall 2023)
What role does technology play in detecting and preventing manipulation fo candidates' messages, and how can regulatory frameworks adapt to the evolving threat of digital disinformation? As experts in both technology and public policy, the question we pose to you is: Can technology alone solve the problem of electoral misinformation, or do we need a multi-pronged approach?
Moderated by Zeve Sanderson, Executive Director of NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics.

 

Heinz College is partnering with our policy colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs to offer the following events:

Paradox of tolerance and the current socio-political climate

Popper’s paradox of tolerance states that if a society’s practice of tolerance is inclusive of the intolerant, intolerance will ultimately dominate. In practical terms, it means that tolerating absolutely anything includes tolerating narratives that limit the freedom of others. This conversation will explore the paradox of tolerance in the context of current conversations around religious and political freedoms.

Date: Wednesday, Nov 12, 2024 
Time: 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. 
Venue: William Pitt Union, Lower Lounge (University of Pittsburgh campus)
Panelists: Jaime Martinez, Miracle Jones, Denise Rousseau 
Register here. 

Past Events:

Learning to Talk: The Practice of Discourse & Dialogue in Higher Education (September 2024)

This insightful workshop focused on understanding and practicing constructive dialogue within academic settings. The event focused on fostering inclusive and effective communication.

Students, faculty and staff from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University were
invited to register for the event.