Events

With Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter, the Supreme Court’s upcoming rulings on two cases (Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter v. Taameh) related to online content, and continuing concerns about the effects of online interactions on the mental health of teenagers in the news, questions about the role of social media in our lives have never been more salient. These questions exist at both the micro-level of personal decisions and interactions and the macro-level of society, politics, and democracy. Should we be on social media? Should we regulate it? If so, how and to what extent? Some argue that social media is generally positive for both individuals and society, while others assert that its harms far outweigh its benefits – at least as it currently operates.

To explore these questions, Davidson College’s Deliberative Citizenship Initiative, Digital Studies, Political Science, and Psychology Departments, and Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship invite you to join us for a Deliberative Forum on “Social Media: How Should We Engage and/or Regulate it, If at All?” This Deliberative Forum will enable participants to actively engage with this important issue, first by hearing from an online panel of experts with diverse perspectives on the topic, and then by actively deliberating with one another in facilitated small group discussions (either in person or virtually) on how best to engage with and regulate social media (if at all). This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from experts, listen to the viewpoints of others, and share your own ideas about this challenging and complex topic.

The event is free but registration is required. We request that all registrants plan to attend both the panel and the small group discussions, which are designed to complement each other. Participants may join both in-person and online. Spaces are limited due to the number of trained DCI facilitators we have available to moderate the small group discussions. You may be placed on a waitlist if our capacity is reached; we will let you know if spaces open up. We will do our best to accommodate as many people as we can so please don’t hesitate to get on the waitlist. The Zoom link will be sent to online participants after they register.

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Panelist Bios:

Emily Dreyfuss is a journalist who covers the impacts of technology on society, with a focus on social media and information systems. She was a 2018 Nieman Berkman Klein fellow, a senior editor at WIRED and CNET, and a founding editor of the tech news website Protocol. Ms. Dreyfuss is currently Senior Editor and Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Technology and Social Change Project, where she co-leads the Harvard Shorenstein News Leaders Program and edits the Media Manipulation Casebook, a research platform that advances knowledge of misinformation and its threats to democracy, public health, and security. Ms. Dreyfuss is also a co-author of the 2022 book, Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America.

Melissa Hunt is the Associate Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also earned her PhD in psychology. Dr. Hunt conducts ongoing research on the cognitive and affective bases of depression, anxiety, and chronic gastrointestinal disorders, and has published two books on these topics for both patients and clinicians. In 2018, Dr. Hunt published the first experimental study on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram use, and found a causal link between time spent on these platforms and increased loneliness and depression. The study, “No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression,” was published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology and has been cited over 700 times.

Darius Kazemi is an internet artist and researcher who has been working on federated, decentralized social media since his Mozilla Open Web Fellowship in 2018. He maintains several federated social media software projects including Hometown, and published Run Your Own Social, a guide to hosting a small social media site for your friends. He is a Senior Software Engineer at Meedan where he works on Check, a software tool for content moderators and fact-checkers. He has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times about the difficulty of identifying bot accounts on social media, and The Boston Globe has described him as “one of the most closely watched and pioneering figures at the intersection of technology, cultural commentary, and what feels to many like a new kind of Web-native art.”

Jacob Mchangama is CEO of the think tank Justitia and directs the organization´s Future of Free Speech Project. Jacob has written and commented extensively on free speech and human rights in international media outlets, including the Economist, L.A. Times, Washington Post, BBC, CBS News, NPR, CNN, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, and Politico as well as top-tier academic and peer-reviewed journals. Jacob frequently appears on international TV and radio providing expert commentary on issues related to free speech, tech and human rights. Jacob is the producer and narrator of the podcast “Clear and Present” Danger: A History of Free Speech and author of the critically acclaimed book Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media, published by Basic Books in 2022.

Mark Sample, Chair and Professor of Digital Studies at Davidson College, will serve as the moderator of the panel.

We are excited to share some information about two upcoming events co-sponsored by the Bonner Scholars Program and the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative featuring Citizen University CEO Eric Liu. The first is a public lecture by Mr. Liu this coming Monday evening (2/6) from 5 pm to 6:30 pm in the Lilly Gallery. The theme of his talk is “From Isolation to Community: A Commitment to Rehumanize and Revive our Democracy.” More information is below and attached; the event is free to attend in person but an RSVP is required on WildCatSync (there will also be a livestreaming option).

After his keynote address, Liu will lead a smaller interactive conversation exploring the key insights from the Better Arguments Project, a national civic initiative that he helped create to “bridge divides – not by papering over those divides but by helping people have better arguments.” Learn more below and RSVP on WildCatSync. The event is in-person and dinner is included for all participants, but seating is limited so RSVP as soon as possible if you are interested in joining.

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PUBLIC LECTURE:

From Isolation to Community: A Commitment to Rehumanize and Revive our Democracy

Monday, February 6th, 5 pm to 6:30 pm

Is it possible to escape our culture of hyperindividualism, digital isolation, and status anxiety? What does it mean to be an engaged citizen in today’s divisive and divided political landscape? How can we come together to restore hope, find joy and purpose, revive democracy, and feel part of a connected community? Citizen University CEO Eric Liu confronts these questions, celebrates the shared values and beliefs that unite us, and provides an action plan for powerful citizenship. Drawing from his hit TED talk and the “Civic Saturdays” phenomenon his organization sparked, Liu will challenge us to rehumanize our politics and rekindle a spirit of love and responsibility in civic life. Not just for the good we will do for society, but for the powerful good that we will do for ourselves. To RSVP for this free event co-hosted by the Bonner Scholars Program and the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative, click here (in-person and streaming options available).

The Better Arguments Project:

AN INTERACTIVE CONVERSATION AND DINNER

Monday, February 6th, 7 pm to 8:30 pm

After his keynote address, Citizen University CEO Eric Liu will lead a smaller interactive conversation exploring the key insights from the Better Arguments Project, a national civic initiative that Liu helped create “to help bridge divides – not by papering over those divides but by helping people have better arguments.” Designed as a practical approach to enable individuals and groups with diverse perspectives to engage with one another (without rushing prematurely towards reconciliation), the Better Arguments Project focuses on incorporating historical context, emotional intelligence, and a recognition of power dynamics into these efforts. It is also based on five key principles for better arguments, which Liu will introduce and help participants actively consider how they can incorporate into their future conversations across differences. Dinner is included for all participants, but seating is limited so RSVP as soon as possible if you are interested in joining.           

Eric Liu, Citizen University CEO and Co-Founder

SPEAKER BACKGROUND

“Democracy works only when enough of us believe democracy works,” says Eric Liu. How do we rekindle that belief? How do we, as individuals, organizations, communities, corporations — even professions — reinvigorate the meaning and spirit of citizenship in America? These are the questions civic evangelist Eric Liu explores in his compelling, acclaimed talks – talks that celebrate our shared values and challenge Americans to live up to them. Liu is one of the country’s most sought-after speakers on citizen power, civic health, the future of democracy, and American identity. His inspirational 2019 main stage TED Talk, based on his work at Citizen University, received a standing ovation and more than topped one million views in less than a month. His two previous TED Talks, on power and on voting, have been viewed three million times. Recently, Liu has been elected to membership in the American Academy of the Arts and selected to be a 2020 Ashoka Fellow. In both cases he was recognized by colleagues and was championed by friends.

Liu, son of Chinese immigrants and former White House speechwriter, is the CEO of Citizen University, a nonprofit working to foster a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship. He also directs the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship & American Identity Program and is a correspondent at TheAtlantic.com. His eight books include You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen, and the national best-sellers The Gardens of Democracy and True Patriot. His first book, The Accidental Asian, Notes of a Native Speaker was a New York Times Notable Book featured in the PBS documentary, “Matters of Race.” Liu’s latest book is Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility and Democracy, which grows out of the Civic Saturday phenomenon that Liu and his team pioneered and has now spread nationwide. Liu served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and later as the President’s deputy domestic policy adviser. He has also served as a board member of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Washington State Board of Education and the Seattle Public Library and is co-founder of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. He is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.

Reviewed as “phenomenal,” “amazing,” “motivating,” “moving” and “empowering” by audiences ranging from university leaders and K-12 educators to innovators in corporate citizenship, health care, and architecture, Liu’s talks are unforgettable experiences. With passion, magnetism, a grounding in history, and a sense of humor, Liu touches people from all walks of life and across the political spectrum. He ignites and unites. And he leaves his audiences inspired to take action, with a renewed spirit of common purpose and a deeper sense of civic responsibility.

The Davidson College Deliberative Citizenship Initiative, Educational Studies Department, and Political Science Department invite you to join us for a Deliberative Forum on “Parents and Schools: Who Should Teach our Kids about Race, Gender, and Sexuality?” Both in-person and online attendance options are available, but space is limited. The event will be held on Thursday, September 29 from 7 pm to 9 pm, and you may register to attend on EventBrite here.

Tensions surrounding responsibilities for teaching children about race, gender, and sexuality have become a prominent source of political debate. Some argue that it is the job of educators and schools to support students’ various identities, regardless of whether their parents are uncomfortable or anxious about such information. Others argue that parents ought to have control over what their children learn regarding complicated racial, sexuality, and gender matters.

This Deliberative Forum will enable participants to explore this important issue, first by hearing from a panel of experts on this issue, and then by actively deliberating with one another in facilitated small group discussions on how best to understand and engage with the tensions surrounding parents, schools, and childhood education about contentious social issues. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from experts, listen to the perspectives of others, and share your own ideas about the roles of parents and schools in educating children about contentious social issues.

The event is free but registration is required. We request that all registrants plan to attend both the panel and the small group discussions, which are designed to complement each other. Spaces are limited due to the number of trained DCI facilitators we have available to moderate the small group discussions. You may be placed on a waitlist if our capacity is reached; we will let you know if spaces open up. We will do our best to accommodate as many people as we can so please don’t hesitate to get on the waitlist.

Panelist Bios:

Derek Black is Professor of Law and the Ernest F. Hollings Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of South Carolina’s School of Law. Professor Black’s work focuses on school funding and equality for disadvantaged students, and his books Education Law: Equality, Fairness and Reform and Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy and articles on “The Fundamental Right to Education” and “Charter Schools, Vouchers, and the Public Good” are particularly relevant to the forum’s topic. Professor Black began his career litigating education cases at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and teaching at Howard University School of Law, where he founded the Education Rights Center. He received his JD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and his BA in African American Studies, Philosophy, and Political Science from the University of Tennessee.

Melissa Moschella is an Associate Professor in the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America. Professor Moschella has written extensively on the rights of parents in education, including her dissertation on “Parental Rights in Education,” her 2016 Cambridge University Press book on To Whom Do Children Belong? Parental Rights, Civic Education, and Children’s Autonomy, and a recent paper in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, and Public Policy on “Defending the Fundamental Rights of Parents: A Response to Recent Attacks.” Professor Moschella is also a McDonald Distinguished Fellow at the Emory University Center for the Study of Law and Religion, and has served as a Myser Fellow at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. She received her PhD in political philosophy from Princeton University and her bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from Harvard University.

Daniel Layman, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Davidson College and a Co-Convener of the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative, will moderate the panel discussion.