A Healthy Culture of Discourse

February 20, 2023

From left: Cal Cunningham ’96 (Law ’99), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and moderator and Program for Public Discourse faculty director Sarah Treul Roberts, Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor of Political Science, during the Abbey Speaker Series event on November 10, 2022. (Photo by Cammel Hurse)

The UNC Program for Public Discourse supports a culture of debate and deliberation through curricular and extracurricular programs, enabling Carolina students to be better citizens, leaders and stewards of our democracy. A signature feature of the program is the popular Abbey Speaker Series. Thanks to Nancy ’74 and Doug Abbey, the program is able to bring noteworthy scholars to campus — as individuals, in pairs or on panels — to share their perspectives about timely issues while fostering dialogue with others who think differently about the topic.

Undergraduate students and other Carolina community members have the opportunity to witness public discourse in action four times a year, ask questions of speakers, engage with others who have different viewpoints and ultimately feel empowered to become civically engaged. A recent speaker series event featured a conversation between U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, and Cal Cunningham, the Democratic candidate who challenged him for his Senate seat, on how to build and maintain friendships across the political divide.

“We embrace the notion that one comes to a more sophisticated, thoughtful, reasoned and successful resolution to a complex issue if there is more diversity of thought brought to bear on the issue,” said Nancy Abbey ’74. “Imagine if every student experienced a welcoming atmosphere in which to express their educated opinion on a subject, where dialogue, debate and listening are valued.”

“The Program for Public Discourse is informed by the belief that robust deliberation is a precondition to democratic culture. Thus, only by working with students on how to engage in robust deliberative practices do we prepare students to act as civic agents and ensure the continuation of American democracy,” said Program for Public Discourse faculty director Sarah Treul Roberts, Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor of Political Science.