CECI News
Spotlight on Civil Discourse with Lisa Perhamus, Ph.D.
March 24, 2022
GVSU recently released a YouTube video spotlight for the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse. The Center is directed by Lisa Perhamus (Ph.D.), an Associate Professor of Educational Foundations in the College of Education and Community Innovation.
“Civil discourse is engaged, purposeful conversation or dialogue, usually around solving a social problem or something that’s for the common good,” Perhamus states. Through civil discourse, we recognize that every individual has the right to be understood, and that we can learn something from other people. As the Center’s homepage explains, civil discourse is an exchange of ideas that simultaneously:
- Holds individuals accountable for their voice (how we talk);
- Remains curious about other people’s perspectives (how we hear),
- Respects multiple realities (how we honor personhood).
Shelley E. Padnos and Carol Sarosik founded the Center at GVSU following a 2011 visit to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. They recognized the importance of addressing intolerance and finding ways to discuss the differences that make us human. Housed in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Center has developed over the last decade to include faculty and staff from around GVSU.
Perhamus has been actively involved with civil discourse at GVSU throughout her time at the university. She served as GVSU’s first endowed professor of civil discourse during a two-year term in 2014-2015, and has taught courses designed to address civil discourse and Education.
Explore the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse website for more information and resources.
Watch the Video Spotlight for the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse
Article photo is a portrait of Lisa Perhamus.
Article edited by Alex Jacobsson. For more information on this story, contact the Office of Certification and Accreditation - (616) 331-6650.