Annual symposium will focus on building skills for civil conversations

The sixth annual Padnos/Sarosik Civil Discourse Symposium at Grand Valley will focus on building the skills needed for civil conversations.

"Civil Discourse Café: Complicated Conversations" will be November 19, 6-8 p.m., at the Eberhard Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The event is free and open to the public, light refreshments will be served. RSVP online at gvsu.edu/civildiscourse.

Elizabeth Arnold is an associate professor of anthropology and holds the Padnos/Sarosik endowed professorship for civil discourse. Arnold said guest speakers will share stories about civil discourse around environmental issues like water equity and climate change.

"Story telling can be an effective means of civil discourse because it helps establish both rapport and empathy," Arnold said. "Storytelling is the fundamental communication skill that we have learned is missing from climate change communication."

Speakers include Peter Sinclair, videographer who specializes in climate change and renewable energy issues, and Lin Bardwell, Grand Rapids Community Relations commissioner and project coordinator for GVSU's Division of Inclusion and Equity.

The event, which is approved for LIB 100/201 courses, ties with Grand Valley's two-year initiative, Making Waves About Water, which creates opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, resources and activities surrounding the natural resource.

The Padnos/Sarosik endowed professorship is housed in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies and was a gift to Grand Valley from longtime supporters Shelley Padnos and Carol Sarosik. 

Learn more information about the symposium online at gvsu.edu/civildiscourse or by calling (616) 331-8655.