By John Elliot Harpham

Denison’s mission statement puts the ability to morally discern, to autonomously think, and to participate in democratic society above all else as the goals of the college. These are honorable goals, and they paint a wonderful picture of what liberal arts values are all about. Yet, as I look around at our campus, I can’t help but feel there is more to be done to prepare our graduates for a life that practices those values.

Now, don’t get me wrong, we graduate as well-educated and well-equipped individuals in many respects. But the needs of our country are changing. The challenges American democracy faces are real, and they are cavernous. America continues to turn away from working through disagreement and toward likeminded others, insulated by polarizing rhetoric.

Those problems don’t just live in the world outside of Granville – they exist on our campus, too. Research conducted on Denison students this past fall showed high rates of conflict avoidance. Students were unlikely to contribute their opinion on a topic of disagreement, in or out of the classroom. Only 40% of students said they had received explicit instruction on civil dialogue.

Denison may not be immune from democratic problems, but we do have a unique opportunity to help solve them.

Our curriculum encourages intellectual exploration and exposure to new topics and new perspectives – but there is a gap. It isn’t enough to simply tick the boxes of the general education checklist to understand how to function productively in American democracy. Denison needs to expand the curriculum around civic engagement, learning across differences, and training for well-reasoned and respectful debate. We already have a good model for it.

All of Denison’s students have taken the W101 course. It is a requirement to graduate. Meant to prepare students for college-level writing, the course levels the playing field for a student body with as diverse a range of academic backgrounds as you can find. Students even get to select a section focused on a topic they find interesting, so that they learn new writing skills while engaging with material they actually want to study. If Denison can approve and advertise a course like the W101, we should be doing something similar for civil discourse as well.

It isn’t just about politics. Working together with people who disagree with us is an essential skill in life – for the workplace, for teams, for roommates or friends – disagreements are inevitable wherever there are people. We have to recognize that our curriculum should rise to the level of the challenges we will face in our lives off the hill – engaging with people who may have profoundly different worldviews.

Denison wouldn’t be alone if we had this type of curriculum. There are a growing number of campuses across the country that require civil discourse training for all undergraduates. Some universities require training modules, some require a standalone course, and some are using the Braver Angels debate model that some Denison students may remember from August orientations – every campus is unique, and every campus will require a different solution.

What do I think we should do? I’ve got a couple of ideas – maybe a general education competency, a W101-esque course for first years, or an overlay onto a pre-existing course. What I do know is that something should be done, that Denison has the tools to be a leader on this front, and that it is a part of our mission to do so.

If you or an organization you are a part of are interested in helping to promote this idea to change Denison’s curriculum to help students navigate differences, please reach out to me at harpha_e1@denison.edu.

John Elliot Harpham is a senior Communication major and DPR minor at Denison. He is from Columbus, Ohio. Did I mention that he is from Columbus, Ohio? That’s where he grew up, in Columbus, Ohio.