Book review: How to talk about hot topics on campus: from polarization to moral conversation (Nash, R.J., Bradley, D.L. &amp; Chickering, A.W.; 2008; Jossey-Bass)

James Piecowye

doi:10.18538/lthe.v14.n1.269

Abstract

Book review: <i>How to talk about hot topics on campus: from polarization to moral conversation</i> (Nash, R.J., Bradley, D.L. & Chickering, A.W.; 2008; Jossey-Bass)

Highlights

The modern university finds itself influenced by competing interests that challenge the very role of the university in a modern society
While there is an increasing trend to see the modern university more as a vocational training school, graduating students that are job ready, there are still those who consider the true role of the university to be to develop a well rounded individual who can both think and do
Many academics still see the role of the the university to be to foster an environment where it is possible, but encouraged, to have conversations about difficult, even controversial issues at all levels of the university from the classroom to the student commons

Summary

Introduction

The modern university finds itself influenced by competing interests that challenge the very role of the university in a modern society. In their book How to Talk About Hot Topics on Campus, Robert Nash, Demethra Bradley and Arthur Chickering hope to do something that has been spoken about for many years on a national level in the United States of America, but never achieved at any scale: to draw out a clear, concise and actionable plan to facilitate the creation of an environment where the university can be a home for educated debate but more importantly for educated pluralistic conversation.

Results

Conclusion