POLI 120 Utah Case Studies in Civil Dialogue
We have a problem in the United States. We are more divided than ever. Our public discourse is increasingly polarized. In this environment, students are learning to view those with different views as the enemy. This polarization has led to a rise of contempt in American politics and society. Contempt means to view others with scorn or think they are inferior.
The rising American generation-–you-–can be part of the solution. As you prepare for responsibilities in citizenship, you can develop the competency of civil dialogue and engage with others who see things differently than you do. The 3Rs–-rights, responsibility, and respect–-can guide you in your preparation for citizenship. These are to:
- Understand every human has the right of conscience;
- Feel a responsibility to protect the rights of others;
- Respect the human dignity of others and their freedom to disagree.
Civil dialogue can help us live well, even with deep differences. Civil dialogue is not debate. It is a process of seeking understanding by communicating with respect and listening with empathy. The case studies below follow the KSAM Method. Each case study highlights a component of civil dialogue: Knowledge, Skills, Attitude, or Motivation.
Overview
The following four case studies are designed to provide Utah-based examples of successful dialogue. We have chosen examples of Utahans modeling good conversations across their deeply held religious differences. Each case emphasizes one of the following components of civil dialogue: Knowledge, Skills, Attitude, or Motivation.
Case Study 1: Knowledge: Mormons and Bosniaks
- In Case Study 1, students will learn about knowledge in civil dialogue. The knowledge you need for good dialogue starts with understanding the 3Rs: Rights, Responsibility, and Respect. This includes understanding that everyone has the right of conscience. Conscience is the inner voice that guides us to do what we believe is right. Civil dialogue is a process to understand the conscience and humanity of another person. Students will learn that civil dialogue is not debate. It’s a process of communicating with respect and listening with empathy.
- In Case Study 1, students will learn about a Muslim community, known as Bozniaks, who fled genocide in Bosnia and settled in Utah. Then you’ll learn about a dialogue experience between some Bozniak and Latter-day Saint teenagers.
Case Study 2: Skills: Book of Mormon Vandal
- In Case Study 2, students will learn about the skills students bring to successful dialogue. These include listening, sitting in discomfort, and oral communication skills, such as using sentence frames.
- In Case Study 2, students will learn about a dialogue in a Comparative World Religions class at Brighton High School that happened after a student in the class tore up a Book of Mormon and spread the pages throughout the school.
Case Study 3: Attitude: The LGBTQ+ Advocate and the Mormon Mom
- In Case Study 3, students will learn about bringing an attitude of openness to dialogue. This means we are curious and want to learn to understand. An attitude of openness and curiosity makes honest and hard conversations possible.
- In Case Study 3, students will learn about a dialogue between Marian Edmunds-Allen who is an advocate for LGBTQ+ youth and Laura Warburton who is a self-described Mormon Mom. They started off with fear and preconceptions about one another, but through their attitudes of openness, they were able to engage in successful dialogue that led to working together for the good of kids in Utah.
Case Study 4: Motivation: The Atheist and the Muslim
- In Case Study 4, students will learn about the motivations people bring into dialogue. These can include seeking an end to suffering, seeking affirmation or relationship, or it can include exploring ways to collaborate and do good in the world.
- In Case Study 4, students will explore a dialogue between two University of Utah students, Austin and Humza. Austin does not believe in God and Humza is a practicing Muslim. Both grew up in Utah and share the difficulties of being a minority believer in a Utah school. These students are motivated to hold the conversation to help others understand their perspective better as a religious minority in Utah.
Contributors
High School, College
Civic Education for a Common Good
We apply the U.S. Department of Education’s Consensus Statements about Constitutional Approaches for Teaching about Religion
▸ Our approach to religion is academic, not devotional;
▸ We strive for student awareness of religions, but do not press for student acceptance of any religion;
▸ We sponsor the study about religion, not the practice of religion;
▸ We expose students to a diversity of religious views, but may not impose any particular view;
▸ We educate about all religions, we do not promote or denigrate any religion;
▸ We inform students about religious beliefs and practices, it does not seek to conform students to any particular belief or practice.
We apply the American Academy of Religion’s “Religious Literacy Guidelines”
▸ “Religious Literacy Guidelines for College Students.” American Academy of Religion, 2019.
▸ “Teaching About Religion: AAR Guidelines for K-12 Public Schools.” American Academy of Religion, April 2010.
We apply the National Council for the Social Studies C3 Frameworks for Religious Studies
▸ College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, “Religious Studies Companion Document for the C3 Framework.” Silver Spring, MD: National Council for the Social Studies, 2017.
We also apply the following Utah State Learning Standards
▸ U.S. Government and Citizenship, Standard 2.1 (High School): Students will use historic and modern case studies, including Supreme Court cases, amendment initiatives, and legislation to trace the application of civil liberties, civil rights, and responsibilities spelled out in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other amendments.
▸ U.S. History II, Standard 7.5 (High School): Students will use evidence to demonstrate how technological developments (such as television and social media), government policies (such as Supreme Court decisions), trends (such as rock ‘n’ roll or environmental conservation), and/or demographic changes (such as the growth of suburbs and modern immigration) have influenced American culture.
