Current Events in Perspective: A Civic Conversation Series

This six-week course offers participants a moderated, thoughtful space to explore current events through an educational lens. The series will begin with an open discussion to identify the topics of greatest interest to the group. Based on these interests, we’ll provide curated readings, relevant data, and research-based insights to help deepen our collective understanding for subsequent sessions. Our approach is not to debate but to inform; to bring clarity, context, and critical thinking to the complex issues shaping our communities and world.

Guided by a team of university professors, participants will engage in structured yet open conversations, supported by scholarship and moderated to ensure a respectful, nonpartisan environment.

Possible Themes (subject to participant interest):

• How news is framed and consumed: Media literacy in the modern age
• Key domestic issues: Health, education, elections, the economy
• Understanding global affairs: Conflict, cooperation, and diplomacy
• Demographic and social change in the U.S.: What the data show
• Governance and policy: What’s happening at the state and local levels

We're excited to co-create this course with participants and provide access to the kinds of analysis and interpretation often missing from day-to-day media coverage.