Civil Discourse in Practice: Working Through Challenging Conversations

Public discourse is becoming harder to navigate. Conversations can break down quickly, and debates about what can be said, how it should be said, and where the line sits between expression, harm, and hate speech are increasingly contested. Facilitated by Professor Randy Boyagoda, this interactive workshop will give you practical tools for working through these challenges.

The workshop explores what civil discourse means, why it matters for universities and the wider community, and the challenges that make it hard to practise, including power dynamics, intergenerational perspectives, misinformation, and the role of emotions in difficult conversations.

Civil discourse is best learned through practice. You'll work through facilitated case studies based on realistic scenarios where civil discourse can be difficult to uphold. This will give you the chance to apply civil discourse principles, reflect on different perspectives, and practise engaging constructively across difference.

About the speaker

Randy Boyagoda is a novelist and professor of English at the University of Toronto, where he directors the Jackman Humanities Institute. From 2024-2026 he served as the university’s Advisor on Civil Discourse, the first such position in a Canadian university. As an academic, author, and contributor to public conversation, he has spent years researching and advancing civil discourse as a practice that supports trust, learning, and collaboration across differences.