Difficult Conversations: Talking about Race during the Election Season

In the run up to the 2016 Presidential Election, race and politics are natural topics for discussion on campus. Given the rhetoric emerging from the two major candidates, the racial violence of the summer, and the ongoing work of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, there are many questions that come up for faculty members who want to incorporate contemporary political discussion into our work.

As faculty members, do we have a responsibility to engage in, or not to engage in, certain kinds of political advocacy on campus regarding topics such as race? For example, should we, or should we not, express political views in class, wear political shirts on campus, display political signs in office windows, publish letters to the editor in campus newspapers, or participate in student-led protests, demonstrations, or walk-outs? And, if we think that different answers are appropriate in different cases, how can we explain that difference?

Please join the Institute for the Arts and Humanities and the Parr Center for Ethics for an hour-long lunchtime discussion about this topic facilitated by Andrea Benjamin (Political Science, UNC) and Daniel Kreiss (Media and Journalism, UNC). Our discussion will cover a wide range of examples, focusing primarily on issues concerning race and the 2016 presidential election.

This event is free and open to all UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members and PhD students. Lunch will be provided, and registration is kindly required by Thursday, Oct. 27.