On October 10 in the William Pitt Student Union Lower Lounge, the All Angles program will address the topic of polarization, which has been identified in the most recent student survey as a major concern about today’s society. Regardless of their political affiliation or level of political engagement, Pitt students indicated that society’s struggle with deep divisions needs to be addressed.
As a spotlight event of the Year of Discourse and Dialogue, and in partnership with the Center for Markets and Governance in the Graduate School of Public & International Affairs and the Institute of Politics’ Elsie Hillman Civic Forum, this All Angles session will explore ways to overcome polarization by hearing from Dr. Ilana Redstone, Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Illinois and author of a newly published book called, “The Certainty Trap: Why We Need to Question Ourselves More and How We Can Judge Others Less.”
In her book, Redstone states, “…avoiding the Certainty Trap is a necessary first step toward having the conversations that we so desperately need. It is how we move toward seeing each other as fellow citizens rather than enemies to destroy – something that democracy itself requires us to do.”
This program agenda begins with a special session reserved only for students beginning at 3:45 p.m. This is an opportunity for students to grab a bite to eat, meet the speaker, receive a free copy of her book, have chance to meet classmates who share this concern about society, and delve into thought-provoking and challenging roundtable, student-focused exercises.
The second half of the agenda begins at 5:10 p.m. and is open to everyone including students, faculty, staff, and the public and will feature a fireside discussion with Dr. Redstone about her approach to overcoming polarization through the avoidance of the Certainty Trap.
Seats are limited, so early registration is encouraged.
Earn Outside the Classroom Curriculum (OCC) credit - Civic and Social Engagement
3:45 – 5:00 p.m. - Student engagement and meet the author session. Food will be served for students.
5:00 – 6:45 p.m. - Open to Students, Faculty, Staff, and Public for fireside chat with Dr. Redstone
Featured Speaker
Ilana Redstone, PhD
Associate Professor of Sociology, Center for Social & Behavioral Sciences, University of Illinois
Author, The Certainty Trap: Why We Need to Question Ourselves More and How We Can Judge Others Less
By tackling problems in how we think, Dr. Redstone does what she can to transform the way we see the world and one another—especially when it comes to heated political issues. As she sees it, democracy depends on our ability to question, clarify, and challenge our thinking.
Moderator
Jennifer Murtazashvili
Founding Director, Center for Governance and Markets, University of Pittsburgh
Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh
Nonresident Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili is the founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets and a professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She serves as a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a distinguished scholar of peace and international order at the Institute for Humane Studies, and is a contributing editor at National Interest magazine. She has been recognized as one of the world's top thinkers by Prospect Magazine. At the University of Pittsburgh, she received the Donald Goldstein Professor of the Year Award and the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement.