Try to Love the Questions - (Skills for Scholars) by Lara Schwartz (Paperback)

About the Book

"Among the most common challenges from faculty in higher education today is how to navigate our politically charged culture. Most books on campus discussion address rights (e.g., free speech) or the failures of one side to engage with opposing arguments and in reasonable debate (e.g., due to political silos and social bubbles or extreme polarization), but there is no real guidance that teaches students - and instructors - how to actually engage in productive, civil, dialogue and inquiry. Try to Love the Questions is a guide to civil discourse that offers a framework for understanding and practicing dialogue across difference in and out of the classroom. It explores the challenges facing college students as they prepare to listen, speak, and learn in a college community. It maps a path through the intersection of free speech and inclusion, viewing free inquiry and expression as engines of social progress and scholarship, while demonstrating how inclusive, respectful communication is a skill - not a limitation on freedom. Schwartz articulates a vision for civil discourse in the classroom, on campus, and beyond, that centers on productive conversations and a mindset of inquiry that embraces uncertainty and "explores the beauty of questions, which form the core of the college experience." Schwartz develops 5 key ideas to serve this purpose, which are (1) learning to love questions while seeking answers with integrity; (2) understanding the rules and norms that apply to conversations; (3) listening and reading with a mindset of generosity and grace; (4) communicating to be understood; and (5) engaging in self-reflection. This book is structured as a handbook for helping students, teachers, and scholars to understand that their role in college is to actively engage both appealing and not-so-appealing ideas, to learn how to "love the questions" raised by other students and faculty, and to participate in an exchange that is respectful and productive. Each chapter includes discussion questions and writing exercises"--

Book Synopsis

An essential guide to dialogue in the college classroom and beyond

Try to Love the Questions gives college students a framework for understanding and practicing dialogue across difference in and out of the classroom. This invaluable guide explores the challenges facing students as they prepare to listen, speak, and learn in a college community and encourages students and faculty alike to consider inclusive, respectful communication as a skill--not as a limitation on freedom.

Among the most common challenges on college campuses today is figuring out how to navigate our politically charged culture and engage productively with opposing viewpoints. Lara Schwartz introduces the fundamental principles of free expression, academic freedom, and academic dialogue, showing how open expression is the engine of social progress, scholarship, and inclusion. She sheds light on the rules and norms that govern campus discourse--such as the First Amendment, campus expression policies, and academic standards--and encourages students to adopt a mindset of inquiry that embraces uncertainty and a love of questions.

Empowering students, scholars, and instructors to listen generously, explore questions with integrity, and communicate to be understood, Try to Love the Questions includes writing exercises and discussion questions in every chapter, making it an indispensable resource for anyone interested in practicing good-faith dialogue.

About the Author

Lara Hope Schwartz teaches in the School of Public Affairs at American University, where she is founding director of the Project on Civic Dialogue (formerly the Project on Civil Discourse). A lawyer and former civil rights strategist, she is the author (with Andrea Malkin Brenner) of How to College: What to Know before You Go (and When You're There).