Oct 2
Convocation with Alexander Heffner
Alexander Heffner is the host of “The Open Mind” on PBS, a weekly excursion into the world of ideas across politics, media, technology, the arts and all realms of civic life. He has covered American politics, civic life and Millennials since the 2008 presidential campaign, and is co-author of the book A Documentary History of the United States. Heffner explores the increasing divisiveness in American discourse, the toxic climate of political rhetoric and violence, and offers steps to correct this plague on our democracy. Heffner says it is critical to consider how we together as citizens, officeholders, journalists and digital platforms can work together to reverse the disunity. The title of his presentation is “Civil Discourse in an Uncivil Age: The Quest for a Post-Partisan Citizenship.”