Expert to discuss civility in politics at Hauenstein Center keynote

Cable news talk shows and sound bites from the internet often paint politicians as rude, cutthroat and uncompromising. Other times, the actions they take back up those perceptions. But Deborah Mower, an expert on civility and conditions of civil disagreement in politics and education, says it doesn’t have to be this way.

Mower will explain her philosophy that civility is essential to all aspects of public life, along with the importance of teaching civility to others, during a keynote presentation at the next American Conversations event hosted by Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies and the university’s department of philosophy.

Deborah Mower: Civility in Politics and Education

February 13, 7 p.m.

Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

401 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI

Mower will examine the concept of civility and the conditions of civil disagreement in politics and education. Although many assume that civility is merely polite behavior, it functions to aid rational discourse. She will offer several examples of civility and its contribution to citizenship, deliberative democracy, and education. 

Mower teaches at Youngstown State University, including courses in philosophy and moral psychology. She earned a doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For more information or to RSVP, visit hauensteincenter.org