Dialogue Development Group

Spring 2012 Dialogue Participant Application

Download DDG Participant Application.

Apply by Monday, February 6, 2012!

What is Dialogue?

While dialogue can mean many things, DDG defines DIALOGUE as a sustained, collaboratively structured conversation where participants from one, two, or more "social identity groups," speak from their personal experience, and explore both the differences and the common ground that exist among them. 

In dialogue we are interested in listening to understand rather than serial monologuing (which can happen in discussion) or listening to gain advantage (which typically happens in debate.) In dialogue we do not try to convince others of our points of view. There is no emphasis on winning, but rather on learning, collaborating and creating new and shared understanding.

Groups meet for two and a half hours for 7 weekly sessions beginning the week of February 20, 2012. Dialogues are facilitated by trained AU students and alumni under faculty supervision.

Spring 2012 DDG Dialogue Groups

February 20th - April 19th

Groups do not meet the week of Spring Break: March 12th - March 15th

Please not the specific meeting dates of each group

(A) Beyond Belief: A Dialogue on Religion, Faith and Secularism

How have you come to identify with particular beliefs and not others? How do religion, secularism, and morality relate to one another in your daily life? Do you ever feel judged unfairly because of your religious or non-religious beliefs? Has a difference of belief affected your relationships with family members, friends, coworkers, classmates, or others? Join us for a frank and open dialogue about htese and other questions concerning faith, religion, and secularism.

(B) Born This Way ... Or Wasn't I? An Exploration of Gender

What does "wearing the pants" really mean in terms of gender relations and power dynamics? What do you fell are the cultural expectations for your gender? How has this affected your relationships at work, at home, or with a partner? Are men and women naturally different, or do differences arise from socialization? This mixed gender dialogue aims to create a safe and open space for engaging these questions and others about how the gender lens impacts your our daily lives and interactions, and is open to participants of ALL gender identities.

(C) The Color of Politics: Black, Red, Brown, Blue, White, Yellow, Purple? A Dialogue on Race and Politics

The political focus within the US has raised questions that would suggest a connection between racial identity and political affiliation. Do you think your racial identity has determined or impacted your political affiliation? Have you personally experienced shifting racial boundaries since the election of a black president? In the current campaign season, how does your community engage race? How often do you talk about race and politics in your own circles? This dialogue is open to anyone who would like an open and safe space to explore how how race and politics have shaped their lives, and to gain a deeper understanding of others and themselves.

(D) Interacting Identities: A Dialogue on Cultures in You and Around You

Are you American, international, both -- or something in between? Explore the various layers of cultural identities within you. How do your perceptions, assumptions, and stereotypes impact your relationships with the 'other'? Join us in a dialogue of participants from both the United States and around the world to explore intercultural interactions.

(E) Women & Religion: Believe It or Not

Do your gender and religious identities clash or complement each other? In your experience, does religion restrict or empower the role of women? Is it possible to be a feminist and a member of a faith community? This dialogue offers a safe space to explore the intersection of religion and gender in our lives by sharing memorable experiences and how they have shaped our perspectives. The dialogue is open to individuals who identify as women with personal experience in any religion(s) at any point in their lives.

(F) Religion & Sexuality: Exploring the Divide

With the national and global climate of GLBT rights and marriage equality, the media often portrays a clear divide between LGBT rights activists and religious communities. How valid is this divide? Is there room somewhere in the middle? Listen, reflect, and share as we begin an enriching weekly dialogue on this important topic.

Fall 2011 Dialogue Groups

Some of the topics that will be offered this fall are listed below. Stay tuned for more topics and the application itself!

Religion and Sexuality: Exploring the Divide

In the national and global climate of GLBT rights and marriage equality, the media often portrays a clear divide between LGBT rights activists and religious communities. How valid is this divide? Is there room somewhere:in the middle? This group seeks to bring together people from various-points on the intimate and sensitive spectrums of religion and sexuality. Come share your personal journeys and stories from these two spheres, how they weave together and how they clash. Listen to the personal experiences of others and in doing so enrich your own. Religion and sexuality are often considered taboo and inappropriate topics of discussion in most cultures. In this group, together, we will create and intentional space of both challenge and safety for all to dialogue on this key topic.

Unpacking the "Woman of Color" Box: What's in it for Me?

"Woman of color" describes a large group of diverse individuals in the United States. Do you notice differences among women of color in terms of relationships, family, choices made, or self-esteem? Do you know women of color who have been negatively impacted by racial stereotypes? What do you feel drives racism against women of color? How serious is women-on-women racism/ In this dialogue you will have an opportunity to speak openly to these issues through personal experiences. Can understanding the impact of racism on women of color have a positive effect/ This dialogue is open to women of color who want to tackle

Under the Rug or Out of the Box: Interactions within and across Faiths

Do you express your faith in relationships with others, or is it a private affair? How does your religion shape expectations of family, work, social ans gender roles? Does your faith shape your style of handling conflicts? This dialogue will explore how faith informs our daily interactions with partners,family members, colleagues, classmates, and others. Join us to share your personal experiences with faith and relationships and work together toward a deeper understanding of this important aspect of interfaith dynamics.

What DO Women Want: A Dialogue on Feminine Identity

How does being a woman influence your daily life? As a woman, do society and culture create certain expectations for beauty, career choice, and lifestyle? In what contexts do you find yourself in competition or in solidarity with other women?  Do you find that you relate to men and women differently? In this dialogue, you will have the opportunity to explore the layers of your identity, both masculine and feminine. Discover how your own experiences have shaped your sexual standards, expectations and behaviors. We welcome everyone who self-identifies as a woman.

Elephants, Donkeys and... Hippopotami? A Dialogue on the American Political Spectrum

Do you find it difficult to have a political conversation rather than a debate? Do you find yourself discussing politics only with those who share your views, and are you tired of preaching to the choir? What experiences have shaped your political identity, and have you questioned them since then?  What does patriotism mean to you, and how is this related to your political affiliation? Join this dialogue to explore how election issues personally impact yourself and others. This group will give you the opportunity to share your experiences of American politics while escaping the either/or language typically associated with elections. As we unpack our assumptions of the other, we will work together toward finding common ground and gaining a deeper understanding of others and ourselves.

Acting our Color: Revealing the Role of Race in our Everyday Lives

Are there things about other races that are mysterious to you? Do you hesitate to explore these mysteries out of fear that you will be seen as insensitive? How has the race you were born with shaped the person you are today? This dialogue will explore racial identity and our questions around it. We will also explore how our perceptions and self expression are influenced by the color of our skin. Join us to ask and be asked questions that will give us the opportunity to consider the roots of stereotypes and learn more about other races. Through this process we will challenge each other to examine how race has shaped our experiences and racial identities.

Between Home and Abroad: A Dialogue on Life in a Foreign Country

What does home mean to you? What is different about home from the culture where you are "abroad"? What challenges do you face adapting to a new environment? Does it affect your understanding of friendship and family values? Do you feel that your identity has changed, or that others perceive you differently? This dialogue will offer the opportunity to consider the layers of your identity through the sharing of personal experiences. Join us as we explore the transformations, challenges, and opportunities that come with being an international student living in the US or an American student having lived or studied abroad for at least a semester.

“Dialogue is a way of relating genuinely with others whom you might not otherwise take time to know and understand. The result is personal growth, an expanded sense of community, and a deeper commitment to social justice.” ~ Maria Jessop, DDG's Founder

What is the Dialogue Development Group?

The Dialogue Development Group (DDG) is a student-led, joint program of the Office of Campus Life and the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Program at American University whose membership is composed of students, faculty, and alumni with education, training and/or experience in dialogue, and who are committed to the mission, vision and goals of DDG.

DDG's Mission

DDG’s mission is to build community, heal divisions, create new knowledge, and promote civic engagement (local, national and international), through the development, application, and institutionalization of dialogue programs at AU. A second and equally important aim of DDG is to provide dialogue facilitation, skill-building, education, and research opportunities to American University graduate students. While the university campus is its primary focus, DDG designs programs in ways that support interdependence and connection with the wider community locally, nationally and internationally.

DDG's Goals

• Identify and surface issues that matter to our community and/or that divide our community which dialogue could impact positively.

• Create a culture of dialogue on campus through the institutionalization and development of both curricular and extra-curricular dialogue programs.

• Provide education, training and practical experience in dialogue facilitation to students.

• Develop new approaches and applications for dialogue.

• Provide research opportunities on dialogue.

• Be a model, bridge, resource and support to AU and the wider community on how to overcome alienation, fragmentation, polarization, division and civic disengagement.

For a list of past dialogue topics offered by DDG, click here.

To learn about the history of the Dialogue Development Group, click here.