Teaching the Professors: SCiLL seminars help faculty lead classes that cover controversial topics
July 24, 2025
Imagine a “typical” Carolina classroom, and you might picture students, mostly 18-22 years old, wearing hoodies or t-shirts with a UNC logo, listening to a professor who is several years their senior. The UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL) is changing that typical scene this summer, turning college and university faculty from around the country into students as 40 professors visit campus to learn how to teach civil discourse in their own classrooms. The faculty seminars, with...
Fact Checking or Pursuing the Truth: A Reflection on Civil Discourse with Abdullah Antepli and Greg Jones
May 23, 2025
Wednesday evening at Belmont University, I had the privilege of witnessing something increasingly rare: a genuine friendship navigating discourse with soul and grace. Watching Abdullah T. Antepli—Director of Polis: Center for Politics at Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy and co-founder of the groundbreaking Muslim Leadership Initiative at the Shilom Hartman Institute.
'A Battlefield of Ideas': Students Promote Civil Discourse Through Peer-Driven Magazine, Events
April 18, 2025
Here’s a novel idea in 2025: You disagree with your friend’s political views. You could: a) Cancel the friend on social media b) End the friendship in real life c) Start a magazine where classmates with opposing views share their essays to better understand each other
Duke Students Tackle Immigration Policy in a Civil Discourse Project Roundtable
March 6, 2025
Duke students gathered for a thought-provoking Civil Discourse Roundtable on immigration, co-hosted by Polis: Center for Politics, the Civil Discourse Project, Duke College Republicans, and Duke Democrats. Moderated by Professor Abdullah Antepli and Hannah Postel, the discussion provided a space for students from across the political spectrum to share personal experiences, challenge perspectives, and engage in a constructive debate on one of today’s most pressing issues.

