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Harvard in the Political Spotlight: Faculty and Students Tackle ‘Why So Much Attention?’ at Intellectual Vitality Books Open, Gates Unbarred Event

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Harvard has always drawn national interest, but last year presented an especially challenging and emotional time for our students, faculty, and staff. As the community found itself at the forefront of national political conversations, the College’s Intellectual Vitality Initiative sought to create a space for meaningful discussion through the insights of Harvard’s own faculty. As…

Books Open, Gates Unbarred: Pursuing Reconciliation After Ethnic Conflict

Why do people fight along ethnic lines? How do scholars explain and study ethnic conflict? As the world continues to be shaken by ongoing ethnic conflicts, the College’s Intellectual Vitality Initiative brought students together for the fourth Books Open, Gates Unbarred, for an evening of interdisciplinary conversation with Government professor Melani Cammett and Psychology professor…

Intellectual Vitality Really Is Vital. Here’s How To Do It Right.

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Dice rolling in Harvard Yard. A training featuring roommates fighting over fruit. A cascade of emails from administrators. These and other efforts — some serious, some not — are part of Harvard’s recent push for “intellectual vitality,” through which the University has sought to answer some of the criticisms of the past year. Read more…

Harvard Is Doing Discourse Wrong

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Picture this: A student government president resigns after public backlash to his recently uncovered anti-immigrant views. But deep down, he’s really just a thoughtful guy with an open mind. Read more on The Harvard Crimson…

Embrace Intellectual Vitality, Don’t Dismiss It

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Harvard has a discourse problem. Just look at last year’s senior survey, which reported that only 36 percent of students felt comfortable expressing opposing views on controversial topics in courses. There’s no quick way to create a culture where students feel comfortable engaging in open, honest dialogue. But Harvard’s new intellectual vitality initiative is a good start….

What is at stake in Intellectual Vitality?

  • Publication date July 8, 2024
  • Categories: Op-Ed
The image shows a classroom or lecture hall filled with students. The students are seated in tiered rows, typically found in large lecture halls. Most of the students have laptops open in front of them and appear to be taking notes or following along with a lecture. The setting suggests it is a higher education environment, such as a university or college. The students are dressed casually, and the atmosphere seems focused and studious.

In April 2024, 200 students (across all class years) joined a town hall in Quincy dining hall to talk about their experience at Harvard: what is going well and what could be better? Brilliantly moderated by dedicated graduating seniors, students engaged in some “think, pair, shares” and flash polls. The results: students feel overwhelmingly fortunate…

The Missing Middle

This image shows a large building with speech bubble-shaped holes on the green lawn in front of it. There is a person standing alone near the holes. Groups of people holding signs are gathered on both sides, suggesting a protest or demonstration. The image implies themes of communication and public discourse.

How overheated political attention warps campus life This academic year, Harvard’s campus has been a political powder keg. Many commentators are rightly concerned about free speech at this University and others, but the current national discussion has overlooked the harmful effects of its own presence. A disproportionate focus on our campus can exacerbate the effects of…