Claire Whitlinger, an associate professor of sociology at Furman, teaches courses on social movements, qualitative methods, and intergroup dialogue. As the co-founder of Furman\u2019s Dins Dialogue program, Whitlinger spoke with Furman magazine about fostering productive conversation and Furman\u2019s role in facilitating that dialogue.<\/p>\n
CW: I think the most important, and often under-utilized, skill when engaging in difficult conversations is question asking. Too often, people \u2013 including myself! \u2013 enter conversations with the goal of convincing others of their position. By asking questions that illuminate the experiences of one\u2019s conversation partner, we can better understand how someone has come to their deeply held beliefs. Seeking to understand rather than convince facilitates social interactions that clarify thinking and foster connection. This is especially critical for conversations about politics where building relationships serves as a critical buffer against the potentially negative side effects of intergroup contact. In Furman\u2019s Intergroup Dialogue Program, we refer to this principle as \u201cconnect before content\u201d \u2013 an approach that is equally as critical in one-on-one conversations as it is in larger group settings.<\/p>\n
CW: This is an important question and one that requires a multi-faceted explanation. While social scientists have long documented the ways in which American society is spatially segregated by race and class, political scientists have begun to observe what (award-winning author) Bill Bishop calls, \u201cThe Big Sort,\u201d describing how lifestyle choices are leading like-minded folks to self-segregate in states, cities and even neighborhoods. This, in turn, diminishes opportunities to connect across the political divide, reinforcing us-versus-them dynamics. But this is only part of the story. In her book, \u201cUncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity,\u201d political scientist Lilliana Mason demonstrates how political affiliation has increasingly merged with social identities like race and religion to transform policy disagreements into identity-based conflict. The affective polarization of the general public can then be exploited by those in positions of power who can benefit from the conflict. And, of course, social media. Algorithms have constructed echo chambers where people are isolated from opposing viewpoints or where opposing voices are actively discredited.<\/p>\n
CW: Given the prevailing social segregation by a range of democratic factors including race, class and, increasingly, political affiliation, colleges and universities offer a unique opportunity for students to live and learn alongside people whose experiences and perspectives may be very different from their own. An education in the liberal arts with its focus on critical thinking, intellectual curiosity and civic mindedness does much to prepare students for the challenging conversations they will inevitably encounter. Now, more than ever, institutions of higher education need to provide opportunities beyond traditional classroom settings for students, faculty and staff to exercise the dispositions and skills that produce fruitful encounters across social divisions.<\/p>\n
CW: There are lots of hard conversations to be had after the election. Certainly, intergroup conversations between those who voted for different candidates will be critical going forward. Such encounters are needed to challenge the assumptions underlying political polarization, to identify points of commonality and to craft innovative policy solutions. After all, studies show that voters tend to wildly overestimate how extreme members of the opposing political party are, a phenomenon referred to as the perception gap. But I think intragroup conversations between likeminded folks are equally \u2013 if not more \u2013 important. The social sanctioning of dissent within political groups is a major driver of polarization. Actively challenging the echo chambers evident among political friends is as critical as engaging political foes.emergent health concerns in our community.<\/p>\n
CW: Furman has a number of programs that could position the university as a leader in this space. Furman\u2019s Intergroup Dialogue Program, provides students, faculty and staff with a wide range of dialogue opportunities. This includes credit-bearing intergroup dialogue courses, professional development workshops for faculty and staff, and the Dins Dialogue program where student facilitators receive ongoing development in dialogic pedagogy and facilitation skills that prepare them to be conversation leaders on campus and beyond. Additionally, Furman\u2019s Cultural Life Program (CLP), offers upward of 200 events each year that enable our campus and community to collectively consider challenging and timely topics. The On Discourse initiative, launched by President Elizabeth Davis in 2024, amplifies these efforts with renewed energy and focus. I\u2019m excited for what is to come!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the co-founder of Furman\u2019s Dins Dialogue program, Claire Whitlinger, an associate professor of sociology, spoke with Furman magazine about fostering productive conversation and Furman\u2019s role in facilitating that dialogue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":389,"featured_media":37686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3343,1963,3342],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-around-the-lake-spring-2025","category-furman-magazine","category-spring-2025"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37524"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37905,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37524\/revisions\/37905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}