Detroit's Heidelberg Project is one stop for students enrolled in the
inaugural civil discourse class this fall.
Students in civil discourse class will travel to Detroit
Jul 8, 2014
Students who enroll in the inaugural civil discourse class this fall
will have a unique opportunity to meet Detroiters who are working at
the grassroots level to revitalize their neighborhoods.
“Detroit’s Public Dialogues” will be taught by Lisa M. Perhamus,
assistant professor of education. Perhamus is the first Padnos/Sarosik
Endowed Professor of Civil Discourse, housed in the Brooks College of
Interdisciplinary Studies.
Perhamus said she designed the course to show students how
language and civil discourse are tied to social justice. “I would like
the students to see how people use the narratives of their lives to
create social justice,” she said.
The course includes two days in Detroit, spending time with
leaders like Grace Lee Boggs, the 99-year-old activist who remains
active after seven decades of working for labor and civil rights, and
Richard Feldman, labor activist and board member of the James and
Grace Lee Boggs Center for Nurturing Community Leadership. Students
will also tour urban gardens, the Heidelberg Project and other
initiatives created by Detroiters.
Perhamus said it’s important for students to know they are not
headed to Michigan’s largest city to rescue it. “We’re partners with
the people who are living in Detroit. We will learn from them, and
learn how people are committed to each other as neighbors,” she said.
Others in the campus and West Michigan community will have an
opportunity to meet Feldman and other Detroiters at a symposium,
“Civil Discourse for Civic Engagement,” set for November 3 at the L.
William Seidman Center.
Perhamus said she chose the day before Election Day to hold the
symposium to recognize the importance of civil discourse in
decision-making. The symposium will run from 5-8:30 p.m., including a
light dinner, film screening and panel discussion. The film, “We Are
Not Ghosts,” tells the stories behind Detroit’s revitalization.
RSVP
for the symposium online by clicking here.
Click here to read more
about the professorship, course, and symposium.
Subscribe
Sign up and receive the latest Grand Valley headlines delivered to your email inbox each morning.
