Difficult Dialogues
About the Difficult Dialogues Initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill
In the summer of 2002, a national controversy erupted over the university’s decision to assign
Approaching the Qur’an to its incoming first-year class as part of a required summer reading
program. A valuable exchange ensued, but it did not lead to a sustained dialogue that focused
on the relationship between academic freedom and religious conviction. The Difficult
Dialogues Initiative moves from authorizing the principle of diversity to the more difficult task
of institutionalizing the practice of dialogue on the campus.
The Difficult Dialogues Initiative seeks common ground among differing viewpoints and,
through appropriate forums and media, shares findings throughout the campus community and
with audiences in the wider academic and public spheres. We have learned from the
controversies we have encountered in Carolina’s history that a university cannot be content
simply to espouse principles of free inquiry, open discussion, and support of diversity. Nor
should we wait for fresh controversies to inflame passions to the point that genuine dialogue
has an even harder time obtaining a hearing. UNC-Chapel Hill believes that, as the nation’s
oldest public institution, we have a historic obligation and opportunity to be proactive rather
than reactive.
Goals and objectives
The overall goal of the Difficult Dialogues Initiative is to enhance the intellectual
atmosphere and augment the institutional opportunities for “difficult dialogues” throughout our
campus. The purpose is not to change people’s beliefs. Rather, we intend to create and
institutionalize models of dialogue based on mutual respect, tolerance, and an informed
exchange of ideas and beliefs. We believe that this outcome will enhance both the likelihood
and the quality of thoughtful discussions, inside and outside our classrooms, that allow
questions of faith and personal moral conviction a respectful and responsible hearing within an
academic community dedicated to free inquiry.
Too often, matters of religious belief and academic inquiry seem to fall prey to the “clash of cultures” binaries that spur students and faculty to debate with the goal of trouncing one another in verbal sparring matches. While UNC-Chapel Hill in no way opposes healthy debate on issues, the prevalent notion of debate as yielding a winner and a loser is not a productive way to engage questions about the compatibility of academic freedom and religious conviction on our campus.
Instead of debate, therefore, Carolina's Difficult Dialogues Initiative strives for:
- Freedom of expression for a wide range of viewpoints;
- Respectful attention to a wide range of viewpoints;
- Intellectually serious analysis and defense of multiple viewpoints; and
- A search for common ground, without ignoring genuine differences, among diverse viewpoints.
The three primary objectives by which Carolina will meet these goals and outcomes:
- Faculty, Teaching Assistant and Student training so that controversial issues related to issues of faith and conscience are handled effectively
- Campus-wide Dialogues on the question of Personal Faith and Conscience: How, When, Where and With Whom Can We Speak Our Minds on a Public University Campus?
- Interdisciplinary “cluster courses” exploring DDI-related themes on topics like Evolution, Knowledge at the Crossroads, and Defining Difference
