How To Talk About Hot Topics On Campus: From Polarization To Moral Conversation

Nash (education and social services, University of Vermont) offers a theory-to-practice model of conversation for the entire college campus that will enable all constituencies to engage in productive and civil dialogue on controversial social, religious, political, and cultural topics. Based on their experience both in and out of classroom settings, Nash and co-authors DeMethra LaSha Bradley (University of Vermont) and Arthur W. Chickering (Goddard College) give advice on teaching potentially provocative subject matter and creating an institutional culture that welcomes and nourishes difficult conversations throughout campus life. Using concrete frameworks and ground rules, they outline a process they call "moral conversation," and demonstrate how to put it into action with examples from real life. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Robert J. Nash is a professor in the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont. He has published eight books, as well as more than one hundred articles, book chapters, monographs, and book reviews in many of the leading journals in education at all levels. He is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Religion & Education.

DeMethra LaSha Bradley is an assistant director for academic integrity in the Center for Student Ethics and Standards at the University of Vermont (UVM). She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program at UVM. She is the co-author of several book chapters and has made various presentations at national conferences and universities across the United States.

Arthur W. Chickering is Special Assistant to the President of Goddard College in Vermont. He is the author of several Jossey-Bass books, including Education and Identity and Encouraging Authenticity and Spirituality in Higher Education.