Globe and Mail reporter Joe Friesen recently explored how some universities are creating opportunities for students to engage in debates on uncomfortable topics. Friesen writes that some academics and administrators are concerned that students are not developing the skills they need to appropriately engage with others who hold opposing viewpoints. The article highlights some of the initiatives that postsecondary institutions are taking to address this issue. These include a workshop held by Victoria University at the University of Toronto on difficult conversations where students eat lunch together and genuinely hear arguments that may oppose their own viewpoints and a class at the University of British Columbia Okanagan where students debate difficult ideas.
