The Better Conversations Together: Deliberation program provides students the skills and experiences for thoughtful, reasoned discussions across ideological and cultural divides on complex and divisive issues.
The First Year Orientation Program
The ability to listen, question curiously, and engage with ideas you disagree with is a vital 21st century skill.
As part of the first year orientation program, Better Conversations Together: Deliberation is a required experience for all first year and new transfer students. Prior to arriving on campus, students will complete the first two modules of the Constructive Dialogue Institute’s Perspectives e-learning program which explores “the inner working of our minds,” including how our brains process information and how people form values and beliefs.
Once on campus, students build on this foundation by participating in a 90-minute small group, facilitated, deliberative forum, where they learn to navigate complex issues, foster mutual understanding, recognize the value of differing opinions, and find common ground. The program emphasizes curiosity, critical thinking, and civic responsibility, equipping students with 21st century skills essential within and beyond the classroom.
By encouraging students to listen to different perspectives and weigh possibilities against consequences, Better Conversations Together: Deliberation aims to cultivate a more deliberative and collaborative campus environment, preparing future leaders to bridge divides and work together to find common ground.
Learning Objectives
After participating in a Better Conversations Together: Deliberation event, students will:
- Be more willing to listen to persons who hold different perspectives on issues and fairly consider their views and reasoning
- Have a better understanding of the issue itself, different perspectives on the issue, the factors affecting their own perspective, and the rationale behind different perspectives
- Feel more confident in their ability to have conversations about difficult issues with others and perceive those discussions more positively
- Better understand the complexity of social issues and the need for compromise to arrive at workable solutions for all persons
Steps of the Better Conversations Together: Deliberation program
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Complete Pre-Survey
Students will first complete a pre-survey, linked through the virtual JMU OneBook. -
Complete Perspectives Program
On January 2, 2025, first year students will receive an invitation in their JMU email to create an account in Perspectives. After creating their account, students will complete the two lessons in Perspectives.Deadline to complete Perspectives: January 25, 2025
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Complete Post-Survey & Deliberative Forum Signup
At the end of the Perspectives program, students will be prompted to complete a post-survey and select a date to attend their required deliberative forum, which puts the ideas learned in Perspectives into real practice. -
Attend Deliberative Forum
Students will then attend their chosen deliberative forum to fulfill the Better Conversations Together: Deliberation requirement. A confirmation email will be sent prior to the deliberative forum, reminding students of the date, time, and location.
Frequently Asked Questions
Participating in this program will equip you with valuable skills for handling difficult conversations, a key ability in both your academic and professional life. You'll learn how to navigate complex, often contentious topics with respect and open-mindedness, helping you build stronger soft skills. The program also offers an opportunity to engage with diverse perspectives, expanding your understanding of issues from multiple viewpoints.
The Better Conversations Together: Deliberation program is required for all first year students as part of their new student orientation experience.
Perspectives is an e-learning program from the Constructive Dialogue Institute which explores “the inner working of our minds,” including how brains process information and how people form values and beliefs. Students will complete two lessons in Perspectives, one on how our minds process information and our moral foundations; the other on where our differences in moral and political beliefs come from and how to connect better with people who think differently than you.
On January 2, 2025, first year and new transfer students enrolling for the first time will receive an invitation in their JMU email to create an account in Perspectives. If you have already created your Perspectives account but need to log in again, simply log in.
Completion of the Perspectives program is due by January 25th, 2025.
The deliberative forum will be a 90 minute, small group facilitated discussion using nonpartisan, pre-framed material from the National Issues Forums Institute. Each forum will be facilitated by a Madison Center Facilitation Fellow who are undergraduate students trained to help their peers have better conversations about difficult, real-world issues.
At the end of the ‘Conclusion’ module in Perspectives, you will be prompted to click an external link, which will take you back to Qualtrics to complete a brief post-survey. After the survey, you'll be directed to BeInvolved, where you will select the date and time for your deliberative forum.
If you have any issues choosing your deliberative forum, email jmubct@jmu.edu.
When you select your deliberative forum in BeInvolved, the session details will include the date, time, and location of the event. Additionally, you will receive confirmation and reminder emails before your scheduled forum, which will provide you with the date, time, and location again.
To reschedule your deliberative forum, email jmubct@jmu.edu.
After attending your 90-minute deliberative forum, congratulations, you have finished the Better Conversations Together: Deliberation orientation requirement!
If you have any questions or issues, email jmubct@jmu.edu.
Yes! Please email jmubct@jmu.edu for access to Perspectives.
We’re glad you liked it! You can declare the civic leadership minor and continue building your civic discourse skills and knowledge.
