UW Dialogue Initiative

Autumn Quarter

Seattle: Thursday, 3:30-4:20, Kane 130. One credit hybrid course, combination of online asynchronous and four in-person sessions

Bothell: Thursday, 3:30-5:30, Discovery 162. Two credit hybrid course, combination of online asynchronous and six in-person sessions

Tacoma: Thursday, 3:40-5:40, Cherry Parkes 108. Two credit hybrid course, combination of online asynchronous and six in-person sessions

Register: Bothell (SLN: 23404) - Seattle (SLN: 23229) - Tacoma (SLN: 23524)

Deep disagreement pervades our democracy today. We hear or are a part of fierce arguments about elections, public policy, free speech, university policies, and what constitutes truth in an era of misinformation and disinformation. Open-mindedness, humility, and critical thinking seem in short supply among politicians, citizens, and other residents alike. Yet constructive disagreement is an essential feature of a democratic society. This class explores and models productive, civil disagreement. Each week features scholars who offer a perspective or disagree about major policy issues. Students will have the opportunity to probe those disagreements, understand why they persist, improve their own understanding of the facts and values that underlie them, and think about their own positions on the issues discussed. Each class will be focused on a different topic and will feature guest speakers. Some of the discussions will be online in an asynchronous format. Four in-person sessions will be held on the Seattle campus.

Learn more about the 2024 course.

Offered Next: Winter 2026 (Seattle Campus)

SLN: 18716

Examines the psychology of persuasion through an ethical lens. Answers questions such as: When is persuasion effective? When is it respectful versus immoral? Is using psychological insight manipulative or just good people skills? How do biases shape persuasion, and how should we navigate them? Assessments focus on real-world applications, helping students improve as persuaders.

A report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows that employers want job candidates with strong communication skills. Similarly, educational success also requires the ability to articulate your thoughts clearly. This class goes over the principles of public speaking and encourages students to critically examine theirs others' speeches through interactive practice.

This class gives students space compose, practice, and deliver clear and compelling speeches. Students will study the principles of prosody, narrative, and argumentation, and critically examine their own speeches/the speeches of others.

Learning outcomes:

• Design and deliver basic arguments clearly.
• Design and deliver commemorative presentations movingly.
• Design and deliver complex arguments persuasively.
• Speak confidently with appropriate rate, projection, movement, and vocal variety.
• Evaluate and critique speeches insightfully.

This course takes a rhetorical approach to argumentation and debate and examines how arguments operate within specific contexts, where they’re successful, and where they fail.

The course uses recorded debates on public issues to anchor discussions throughout the quarter.

By the end of the course, a student will be able to:

• Explain how both sides in a debate relate to the topic and one another.
• Identify, describe, create, and evaluate arguments and argument structures.
• Evaluate evidence.
• Identify, describe, and refute argumentative fallacies.
• Design, evaluate, attack, and defend cases.
• Describe how arguments occur within and across argumentative spheres.

This course applies rhetorical theory, persuasion, and public communication to public artifacts, and then asks, “How are these things guiding us to think and act?”

The course touches on the following theories and authors: rhetorical theory, theories of public communication and persuasion, Aristotle, Walter Fisher, Kenneth Burke, critical theory, feminist criticism, ideology criticism, Marx, Laura Mulvey, Deanna Sellnow, and Thomas Endres. In this class, a student will learn how to engage in critical consumption of popular artifacts and participate in argumentation and synthesis through peer interaction and essay writing.

Introduces basic social processes within and between human groups, along with the scientific methods behind their discoveries. Promotes analyzation and mindfulness skills of students so they may better understand the psychological mechanisims involved in communication.

This is an upper-division theory/method seminar for undergraduate students. It explores interpersonal communication and personal relationships, with a particular emphasis on four social scientific approaches: social exchange approach, social network approach, social psychological approach, and relational-communication approach. These approaches address key factors and processes across the life cycle of personal relationships. The seminar features minimal lectures, emphasizing collaborative learning through group discussions.