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Jan 02, 2025
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COMS 5220 - Facilitating Difficult Conversations
This course examines communication theory and practice to help prepare students to facilitate conversations about contentious, potentially divisive topics. The course draws on concepts from group, organizational, and political communication to explain why conversations about difference often develop into polarizing and dehumanizing discourse, and how practices of public dialogue and deliberation offer alternative ways to communicate. Students explore how some nonprofit and community organizations use deliberative civic engagement to improve creative problem solving, conflict transformation, and rigorous, respectful group discussions. Students learn group facilitation skills and engage in a series of activities that help them facilitate meaningful public conversations in their own lives.
Requisites:
Credit Hours: 4
Repeat/Retake Information: May not be retaken.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 4.0 lecture
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:
- Students will be able to explain public dialogue and deliberation theories and concepts
- Students will be able to analyze group facilitation principles and practices
- Students will be able to apply their facilitation skills
- Students will be able to design and facilitate a challenging conversation in their own life
- Students will be able to evaluate their performance as a group facilitator using criteria from the course
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