Abstract
This showcase focuses on how a creative thinking curriculum can promote civil discourse among college students. College students are facing increasing mental health challenges, leading to a sense of isolation, pessimism about the future and a withdrawal from society. Civil discourse is the practice of acknowledging diverse viewpoints, an essential skill for young people to develop in their career trajectory. The practice of civil discourse is an urgent public need as we find ourselves polarized in multiple ways in our society. Civil discourse empowers students to engage with different perspectives, expands collaborative skills, empathy and problem solving, all essential tools for participation in a pluralistic democracy. Creative Thinking is an interdisciplinary field of study that integrates concepts from multiple fields—the arts, education, psychology, and design thinking–to generate original ideas and develop solutions to society’s problems. Our creative thinking pedagogy focuses on open mindedness, optimism, and tolerating uncertainty, attributes that are key elements of civil discourse. Scholarly research supports the link between open mindedness, optimism and the ability to engage with different points of view. Our session includes discussion and exercises that illustrate how creative thinking can promote these attributes and strengthen students’ ability to engage in respectful dialogue and acknowledge the complexity of various issues while accepting differences and maintaining connection. Our findings thus far demonstrate that a creative thinking curriculum supports and strengthens these necessary skills. Regarding future directions, we hope to devise a research tool to evaluate whether these anecdotal findings are confirmed by empirical data.
Presenters
David StrobbeProducer, Office of the President, The Juilliard School, New York, United States Phoebe Farber
Adjunct Professor, Creative Thinking, Department of Theater and Dance, Montclair State University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Civil Discourse, Creative Thinking, College Students, Open-mindedness, Optimism, Arts
