Competencies in Civil Discourse

Join our first virtual discussion as scholars Erec Smith and Jonathan Rauch discuss the art of “mutual persuasion” in a turbulent time.

This episode explores the role of comedy as a valuable tool in civil discourse. Erec Smith sits down with filmmaker Rob Feld, director of Jesters and Fools, a film that highlights the use of comedy during polarized times.

Competencies in Civil Discourse, a series on the effectiveness of civil discourse and the skills it requires, will feature an interview with Ian Rowe, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and cofounder of Vertex Partnership Academies in the Bronx.

In this episode of Competencies in Civil Discourse, Erec Smith welcomes William Deresiewicz to explore the mission of the Matthew Strother Center for the Examined Life. Together, they unpack the role of intellectual courage, liberal education, and moral seriousness in reviving thoughtful dialogue in an age of ideological conformity.

In this episode of Competencies in Civil Discourse, Erec Smith speaks with Chris Bush and Joia Houheneka, the co-founders of 1776 Forward and hosts of the Free Speech Forward Podcast.

In this episode of Competencies in Civil Discourse, Erec Smith speaks with attorney Kaitlin Puccio, Director at the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights.

In this episode, Erec Smith speaks with Andrew Hartz, a practicing clinical psychologist and Founder, President, and Executive Director of the Open Therapy Institute. Hartz and Smith discuss the detrimental effect that identity politics have had on talk therapy and how the Open Therapy Institute works to remedy that effect.

Our guest is Ildi Tillmann, a Hungary-born, New York–based photographer, author, and educator whose work spans art, documentary, narrative journalism, and commissioned photography, placing human stories in a global context. Tillmann will discuss the power of visual rhetoric to deliberate, convey ideas, and facilitate “multimodal” civil discourse.

Shira Hoffer is the founding Executive Director of The Viewpoints Project, a nonprofit fostering a culture of curious disagreement in education. A 2025 Harvard College graduate, she served on the school’s Intellectual Vitality Committee, advising on programs and policies related to civil discourse. She is trained as a mediator in Massachusetts small claims court, and wrote her undergraduate honors thesis on differences in campus speech culture between religious and secular undergraduates.