The Faculty of Arts and Office of Research are convening this international, interdisciplinary conference to explore and underline how we engage in cooperative and valuable academic conversations, share tools or approaches that are working well, and cultivate critical thinking, openness, and freedom of expression. Conference participants will discuss ways in which we can foster productive debate with those who defend opposing views. Within and alongside these common themes, attention will be given to the issue of trust and the role it plays in higher education, in government, and in other associated spheres.
The conference and the speaker series held in fall and winter 2023-24 are part of the University of Waterloo’s commitment and actions for a campus culture that values both freedom of expression and the safety and wellbeing of our community members.
Featuring keynote addresses by
Dr. Kalwant Bhopal
Professor, Education and Social Justice, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
and
Dr. Richard Moon
Distinguished University Professor, Law Professor, University of Windsor, Canada
Conference panel themes include
- From Antagonism in Academic, Social and Digital Environments to Fostering Constructive Discourses and Communities of Care
- Fostering Critical Pedagogies during Times of Disinformation, Anti-Science Rhetoric, and Global Conflict
- Promoting Safety, Inclusivity, and Resilience: Creating Cultures of Trust and Spaces of Dialogue
- Setting the Stage for Brave, Co-creative, and Effective Dialogues
- From Hate Speech and Human Rights Violations to Free Speech and Academic Freedom