Opening Remarks by Dr. Jody Enders, Distinguished Professor and Director of UCSB’s Public Speaking Initiative; and Dr. Vanessa Woods, Lecturer in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department
Does “civil discourse” exist? What does it look like? What does it sound like? How do we cultivate it? At home, in class, in life, how do we talk to people who might hold viewpoints radically different from our own? Are some subjects so controversial that we fear talking about them at all? Dr. Jody Enders, a historian of rhetoric and theater, and Director of the Public Speaking Initiative, will be joined by Dr. Vanessa Woods, a specialist in teaching psychology and neuroscience, for some unscripted examples of persuasive—and unpersuasive—communication. Join fellow students and scholars for a free-wheeling and fun discussion where all viewpoints are welcome and no subject is off limits.