Civility Initiative

The Civility Initiative promotes dialogue across differences. We host speakers, convene panels, and sponsor workshops about communal engagement and healthy disagreement.

It is no secret that people are not getting along. We are living in a world where the loudest voices often drown out differing points of view and make productive debate difficult. 

The Civility Initiative at the College of Charleston was created to foster real change. The initiative highlights the value of mutual respect when sharing opposing ideas and how conversations can help to bridge political divides.

The country faces twin crises: loneliness, isolation, and suspicion on the one hand and anger, polarization, and potential violence on the other. With an eye toward building a campus culture around civility and community, the initiative brings nationally renowned journalists, writers and commentators to the College to present new ideas on how individuals can get along better in a democracy. 

Dr. Michael Lee, director of the Civility Initiative, will soon launch a podcast called When We Disagree, which will examine guests' most memorable arguments. These memories will serve as a jumping off point to examine why we argue, what we argue about, how we argue, what these types of disagreements say about all of us, and what we can do to come together.