Civility Initiative

The Civility Initiative helps people disagree better.

Through speakers, panels, workshops, media, and fellowships, we equip people with the tools for healthy conflict and perspective-taking.

Disagreement happens everywhere, so that’s where we go. We work across classrooms, boardrooms, and civic spaces to improve how we handle friction in our relationships, our schools, and our organizations.

Upcoming Events

We Work in Two Areas

Fight:    Polarization  |  Bigotry  |  Violence  |  Rage  |  Cancellation

Flight:   Withdrawal  |  Isolation  |  Silence  |  Loneliness/Echo chambers

Workshops and Trainings

• Civility in the classroom
• How to debate
• How to have a difficult conversation
• How to be persuasive/ tell a good story
• What is healthy conflict?
• Hearing, listening, and empathy
• Media literacy

Unique Opportunities: Faculty, Staff, and Student Fellowships 

The Free Expression Student Fellowship empowers high-impact student leaders to serve as campus ambassadors for open inquiry, equipping them with advanced skills in conflict transformation, dialogue, and debate. These Fellows hope for a campus and a wider culture based on humility, curiosity, and connection.

The Civic Deliberation Faculty Fellowship invites professors to rethink how students learn to disagree. Fellows join a community of colleagues, redesign a course to build dialogue and debate skills, and share what they discover each May at CETL's Ed Fest. These Fellows believe the classroom can be where we learn to disagree well.

The Free Expression Staff Fellowship invites campus professionals to bring dialogue and debate into the work they already do with students. Fellows join a community of colleagues, try new ideas in their own programs, and learn what helps students disagree well. These Fellows believe every corner of campus can be a place to practice curiosity and connection.

The Civility Initiative at the College of Charleston was created to foster real change and connection across all lines of differences. We highlight the value of mutual respect when sharing opposing ideas and how conversations can help to bridge divides. If you would like to join our efforts, please consider a gift to support our vital work.