Difficult Dialogues

How to Have Difficult Conversations with Friends and Loved Ones

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:54:59 +0000

How to Have Difficult Conversations with Friends and Loved Ones Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/27/2024 - 18:54

Part of the CHA's Difficult Dialogues: Community Conversations series and Colorado Chautauqua's Voices at Chautauqua series.

How do we have difficult conversations with people you care about, but may disagree with? Join us for an enlightening open discussion on how to have productive conversations about controversial subjects.

Explore how a sincere willingness to listen and learn, instead of approaching tough conversations with an argumentative and persuasive effort, can transform challenging conversations. Join facilitators Jennifer Ho and Ami Dayan on March 27th (Wednesday, 6pm - 7pm) to practice having hard conversations, including on the topic of Gaza and Israel.

Event Guidelines

The Difficult Dialogue series brings together local voices to explore complex topics, fostering mutual understanding and a respectful discourse. Difficult Dialogue events aim to create a space for grappling with tough subjects that people may find difficult or uncomfortable to talk about. These events are not debates but platforms for thoughtful exchange.

Our purpose is to hold dialogues on topics considered diﬃcult, provocative, or controversial, among constituents that may have strong conflicting views. Our objective is NOT to necessarily agree, fix anything, prove anyone right or wrong, or alter anyone’s position.

We are committed to fostering productive dialogues in the hopes that minds and hearts might expand. We ask that you:

Keep an open mind
Be respectful of others
Listen with the intent to understand
Speak your own truth

We expect to experience discomfort when talking about hard things. Remain engaged and recognize that the discomfort can lead to problem-solving and authentic understanding.

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Difficult Dialogues: Reparations (3/20/2024)

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:30:28 +0000

Difficult Dialogues: Reparations (3/20/2024) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/20/2024 - 07:30

A panel event to discuss various forms of reparations for historical harms.

March 20, 2024
12:30pm - 1:45pm
Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), CASE E390

About the Event

How do we repair harm, when the harm is on a national scale?

For the March 2024 Difficult Dialogue topic, we will consider how various nations have provided reparations for systemic harm and how we can hold nations, governments, and communities accountable for it.

While the US government has made reparations to Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II, there are still some groups that have not received any form of restitution, such as to enslaved people taken from African nations or to Indigenous nations for stolen land. Other countries have provided restitution for genocide, such as the German government and businesses to survivors of the Holocaust and the Rwandan government to Tutsi survivors of the 1994 genocide. Our panelists will discuss how we as individuals can encourage and support various types of reparations for harmed communities. For additional reading materials on these topics, visit the CU Libraries Resource Guide: https://libguides.colorado.edu/ddreparations

Questions our panelists will consider:

How do we hold nations, governments, and communities accountable for systemic harm?
How do individuals engage on this scale with governments to provide restitution to groups harmed?
Closer to home, how do we at CU Boulder contend with land acknowledgments that address settler-colonialism when we are not giving back land?

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The Frontier of Free Speech: Are There Boundaries? (2/28/24)

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:42:38 +0000

The Frontier of Free Speech: Are There Boundaries? (2/28/24) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/28/2024 - 12:42

The Frontier of Free Speech: Are There Boundaries?

Part of the CHA's Difficult Dialogues: Community Conversations series and Colorado Chautauqua's Voices at Chautauqua series.

Click Here For Tickets

For this second event in the series, the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) and Colorado Chautauqua are hosting a community conversation about the first amendment and freedom of speech. Are there boundaries to what speech can and should be shared publicly? Are there costs to free speech?

The Difficult Dialogues series brings together local voices to explore complex topics, fostering a mutual understanding and a respectful discourse. Difficult Dialogues events aim to create a space for grappling with tough subjects that people may find difficult or uncomfortable to talk about. These events are not debates but platforms for thoughtful exchange.

We are committed to fostering productive dialogues in the hopes that minds and hearts might expand. We ask that you:

Keep an open mind
Be respectful of others
Listen with the intent to understand
Speak your own truth

We expect to experience discomfort when talking about hard things. Remain engaged and recognize that the discomfort can lead to problem-solving and authentic understanding.

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Why Don’t You Think Like I Do? Navigating the Spaces Between Us (1/31/24)

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 17:23:42 +0000

Why Don’t You Think Like I Do? Navigating the Spaces Between Us (1/31/24) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 01/31/2024 - 10:23

Why Don’t You Think Like I Do?
Navigating the spaces between us

THIS EVENT IS CURRENTLY SOLD OUT

Part of the CHA's Difficult Diaolgues: Community Conversations series and Colorado Chautauqua's Voices at Chautauqua series

As we begin 2024, the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) and Colorado Chautauqua are hosting a community conversation about how we form opinions, and what happens when we confront opposing views.

We are committed to fostering productive dialogues in the hopes that minds and hearts might expand. We ask that you:

Keep an open mind
Be respectful of others
Listen with the intent to understand
Speak your own truth

We expect to experience discomfort when talking about hard things. Remain engaged and recognize that the discomfort can lead to problem-solving and authentic understanding.

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Difficult Dialogues: Antisemitism and Being Jewish in the US (9/13/23)

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 17:12:30 +0000

Difficult Dialogues: Antisemitism and Being Jewish in the US (9/13/23) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/13/2023 - 11:12

Antisemitism and Being Jewish in the US

This panel discussion focused on the rise of antisemitism in the last decade—a rise that some might say has never disappeared and has resurfaced with events like the march on Charlottesville, the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue, and recent comments by celebrities. This event was part of the semi-annual Difficult Dialogues event — a series of panel conversations that bring together people from on and off campus to discuss challenging issues from their own perspectives.

It is hard to know how to talk about antisemitism, and this difficult dialogue engaged with multiple topics as well as what it means to be Jewish today, especially in a multi-religious and multi-racial space such as Boulder county. Among the questions our panelists pondered was is: “How does antisemitism manifest in our communities today?", "Are Jews white?", "How is antisemitism different from or similar to to other forms of racism, bias, exclusion, and discrimination?", "Is criticism of Israel antisemitic?"

Event Information

Registration: https://colorado.edu/cha/dd23rsvp
Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Time: Doors Open: 6:30pm | Event Timeframe: 7pm - 8:30pm
Location: in-person at Grace Commons Church, Oerter Hall: 1820 15th Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Flyer Download: www.colorado.edu/cha/sites/default/files/attached-files/fall_dd_print_flyer-antisemitism_and_being_jewish_09.13.2023.pdf
Event is free and open to the public. This event will not be recorded.

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Difficult Dialogues: Abortion

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 17:11:37 +0000

Difficult Dialogues: Abortion Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/22/2023 - 11:11

We invite you to join the conversation on the topic of Abortion at our semi-annual Difficult Dialogue series on March 22, 2023.

Register Here

What to Expect

The Center for the Humanities and the Arts and the University Libraries continue to host Difficult Dialogues — a series of panel conversations that bring together people from on and off campus to discuss challenging issues from their own perspectives.

In 2022, we witnessed the end to fifty years of legal protections for the right to abortion care as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The court concluded that the constitution does not protect a right to abortion and returned the right of states to regulate abortion. Months after the case, several states have invoked total or near-total bans on abortion, the devastating social, political, and economic impacts of which we are only beginning to understand. Millions of citizens have lost access to abortion care and those already facing discriminatory barriers are disproportionately disadvantaged by the loss of this fundamental right.

This panel features individuals discussing how talking about abortion can be difficult, and how the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade makes conversation about this topic even more fraught. This is not a debate about being pro-life or pro-choice; this difficult dialogue is simply to discuss the difficulty of talking about abortion. Register here for zoom link: colorado.edu/cha/ddabortionrsvp

University Libraries Book Resource Guide

Ground Rules

We are committed to fostering productive dialogues in the hope that minds and hearts might expand and that mutual respect, understanding, and perhaps self-examination can be fostered by meeting with and listening to each other respectfully. These dialogues are meant to allow us to see each other as human. If you are going to participate, the goal is to develop the capacity of talking about hard issues with as much care for self and others as possible.

Giveaway: Free Books!

The first 15 people to register* (Register Here) as well as attend the event will receive a free copy of the book "Tiny You: A Western History of the Anti-Abortion Movement" by Jennifer Holland.

Tiny You tells the story of one of the most successful political movements of the 20th century: the grassroots campaign against legalized abortion. While Americans have rapidly changed their minds about sex education, pornography, arts funding, gay teachers, and ultimately gay marriage, opposition to legalized abortion has only grown. As other socially conservative movements have lost young activists, the pro-life movement has successfully recruited more young people to its cause. Holland explores why abortion dominates conservative politics like no other cultural issue. Looking at anti-abortion movements in 4 western states since the 1960s—turning to the fetal pins passed around church services, the graphic images exchanged between friends, and the fetus dolls given to children in school—she argues that activists made fetal life feel personal to many Americans.

*You are eligible to receive a free copy of "Tiny You" if you are one of the first 15 people to register for the event. You must attend the event for the majority of the time (45 minutes+). If you are eligible for a free copy, you may pick up your book at the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) office in Macky Auditorium Room 201 (on CU Boulder's main campus). Office hours to pick up your copy are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9am - 4pm. If you are unable to make that time, reach out to cu-cha@colorado.edu to schedule alternative times for pickup.

ADA Accommodation

We will work with ADA Compliance to attempt to fulfill any disability requests for ASL interpreting and/or real-time captioning for these events. Requests received less than 48 hours prior to the event cannot be guaranteed. To make a request, please email the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) at cu-cha@colorado.edu.

Panelists

Christie Burkhart, Clinical Operations and Clinical Compliance Director, Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center
Amanda Linsenmeyer, Director of the Office of Intercultural Engagement, Center for Inclusion and Social Change, CU Boulder
Amanda Jean Stevenson, Assistant Professor, Sociology Department, CU Boulder
Moderator: Kate Kelly, Regional Lead Organizer, New Era Colorado

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Difficult Dialogues: Being Black in Boulder & "This is [Not] Who We Are" Film Screening

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 19:31:26 +0000

Difficult Dialogues: Being Black in Boulder & "This is [Not] Who We Are" Film Screening Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/27/2022 - 13:31

A free film screening of the "This is (Not) Who We Are" documentary and a conversation on "Being Black in Boulder" hosted on Thursday, October 27, 2022.

Event Information:

Registration: cuboulder.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BLxLFqBewYXa4K
Date: Thursday, October 27, 2022
Time: 6:45pm - 9:00pm MT (film screening begins at 7pm MT)
- Film Screening: 7pm - 8:30pm MT
- Difficult Dialogue: 8:30 - 9pm MT
Location: in-person at Grace Commons Church Chapel: 1820 15th Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Flyer Download: This Is [Not] Who We Are - Film Screening & Dialogue flyer
CU Libraries Resources: libguides.colorado.edu/whoweare
Images from Event can be found on the CHA Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=CUBoulderCHA&set=a.556923263101292

Film Screening:

"This is (Not) Who We Are" is a documentary film exploring the gap between Boulder's progressive self-image and the lived experiences of its Black citizens. The film braids the lived experiences of Black characters ranging in age from 12 to 78. Some stories are searing, while others are hopeful. The film seeks to open a space for dialogue among Boulderites and about cities like Boulder, overwhelmingly white, wealthy, and conflicted about issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Is a more economically and racially diverse future possible, both in Boulder and in cities like it across America?

Difficult Dialogues:

After the film screening, there will be a group of panelists to lead a discussion about issues of race, class, and the community. This is part of the CU Boulder Libraries and Center for Humanities & the Arts semi-annual "Difficult Dialogue" series. The viewers are encouraged to participate in the conversation.

Panelists for the event:

Katrina Miller: Co-Director of the film, "This is [Not] Who We Are"
Carl Hofmann: Senior Associate Pastor at Grace Commons Church
Dr. Jennifer Ho: Professor, Director of the Center for Humanities & the Arts
Ami Dayan: Boulder-based Playwright, Director, and Performer
Dr. Thomas Windham: Psychologist, Educator, featured in film, "This is [Not] Who We Are"

Event Hosts:

This free film screening and dialogue is hosted by Grace Commons Church, Boulder Friends Meeting, CU Libraries, and CU Boulder's Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA). This event is open to the public.

Directions:

This event is at Grace Commons Church at 1820 15th Street, Boulder, CO 80302. Please enter through the doors on 16th street adjacent to the chapel. There is street parking as well as a parking garage (15th & Pearl Parking Garage for $3) if you planned to drive to the event.

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Difficult Dialogues - How to Talk About Race

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 18:26:17 +0000

Difficult Dialogues - How to Talk About Race Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/03/2020 - 11:26

Join us in launching the Center for Humanities & the Arts' new series, "Difficult Dialogues". This series hosts panel conversations that bring together people to discuss challenging issues from their own perspectives. The topics chosen for each event are important, but can be difficult to discuss. We offer a space to have these tough conversations. These events are co-hosted semi-annually by the CHA and CU Libraries.

The first event topic for the series is "How to talk about Race". This event will feature a panel of specialists who will be sharing how they talk about race, especially focusing on how to talk about race in and out of the classroom and how to respond to issues of racism when they impact our campus community (such as the anti-black incident earlier in the fall).

John-Michael Rivera (Writing Program) will moderate a discussion with Sam Flaxmann (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), Tiara Na’puti (Communication), and Celeste Montoya (Women and Gender Studies).

Tuesday, March 3, 2020
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Norlin Library E260 classroom (2nd floor)

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