Polarization: Civil Conversations Across Divides

This week’s “Polarization: A Civic Crisis” discussion features judge Michael Mukasey and Nadine Strossen have a conversation that models a civil, mutually respectful and vigorous exchange of ideas on issues that challenge American society. These speakers, intellectually and politically opposed on many of the issues, will demonstrate that lively civil discourse is possible, even when we deeply disagree about the issues.

About the Speakers

Michael B. Mukasey served as the 81st attorney general of the United States, the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, from November 2007 to January 2009. During that time, he oversaw the U.S. Justice Department and advised on critical issues of domestic and international law. From 1988 to 2006, he served as a district judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, becoming chief judge in 2000.

Nadine Strossen, a chaired professor at New York Law School, is a widely recognized expert on constitutional law and civil liberties. The former president of the American Civil Liberties Union (1991 to 2008), she now serves on the ACLU’s National Advisory Council, as well as the Advisory Boards of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and Heterodox Academy.

About the Series

The polarized and compartmentalized intellectual climate on American campuses both mirrors and contributes to similar maladies in American civic life.

To examine the problem and begin to discuss possible solutions both at the level of the campus and society, Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, together with its partners in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, is hosting a lecture series and conference, “Polarization and Civil Disagreement: Confronting America’s Civic Crisis.” You can also watch discussions and join the conversation on Facebook.

WATCH: See the full list of episodes of “Polarization: A Civic Crisis”

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