1.1 Fear and Loathing in the Classroom: student voices from the Provost’s Working Group on Civil Discourse

Alison Thompson, Associate Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Nasim Niknafs, Associate Dean, Research; Associate Professor, Music Education, Faculty of Music Student Members of the Provost’s Working Group on Civil Discourse: Lydia Dillenbeck, Undergraduate Student, Haidy Giratallah, Recent Graduate Student, Hugh Considine, Undergraduate Student, Valentina Bravo, Graduate Student

In this session, student members of the Provost’s Working Group on Civil Discourse explore the student experience of classroom discourse including how they perceive risk, power dynamics, and social pressures when participating in discussion-based learning. This conversation will center student experiences and ask: How can we better support students in engaging with difficult ideas, listening with curiosity, and speaking without fear?

Students often hesitate to engage in open, exploratory discussions, fearing judgment, misinterpretation, or social consequences. Many feel they are not truly free to “think out loud, together” in the classroom, leading to a learning dilemma: how can students develop critical thinking and communication skills when they feel constrained in what they can say or how they can engage?

In this student-led, story-sharing session, students will recount real classroom experiences where civil discourse worked well or failed, highlighting the factors that influenced these outcomes. Through guided reflection and faculty- moderator insights, we will explore:

• What makes a discussion feel productive, and engaging?
• What discourages participation in constructive discourse?
• How can faculty foster conditions where students can “think out loud” together?

Audience members will be invited to contribute observations, ask questions, and suggest approaches for improving classroom discussions. By the end of the session, participants will leave with student-informed strategies to promote inclusive, curiosity-driven, and respectful civil discourse. This session provides an opportunity for faculty to listen directly to student perspectives, reflect on their own practices, and co-create solutions to one of the most pressing challenges on campus today.