The UNC Program for Public Discourse

Program for Public Discourse•podcasters.spotify.com

The UNC Program for Public Discourse seeks to foster civic virtue and democratic citizenship by promoting the rhetorical dimensions of civic engagement, including speech, dialogue, argumentation, and debate. We utilize such tools as essential means of facilitating robust public deliberation. We host public events featuring speakers who demonstrate the transformative potential of agonistic dialogue, i.e., collaborative disagreement. Join the discourse: https://publicdiscourse.unc.edu/join-the-discourse

Last refreshed: July 13th, 2025 at 7:10 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Abbey Speaker Series: Journalism and Democracy

Join the discourse: https://go.unc.edu/JoinTheDiscourse We often hear that democracy requires a free press, but what exactly is the role of the media in 21st-century America? Should journalists strive to be objective? Is an internet connection the only requirement for the job? How has the decline of local news and the nationalization of media impacted American democracy? Can anything be done to reverse this trend? On April 5th at 5:30 p.m., the UNC Program for Public Discourse, General Alumni As...

Apr 08, 2022•1 hr 29 min

Abbey Speaker Series: Science and Democracy

Does politics belong in the laboratory? Is science inevitably political or does politics hinder good research? As the 12th largest research institution in North America, this discussion is paramount at UNC-Chapel Hill. On February 8th, the UNC Program for Public Discourse and General Alumni Association brought together scientists from academia and publishing for Science and Democracy, an online Abbey Speaker Series event exploring the interplay of science and politics. Panelists: Holden Thorp ‘8...

Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 30 min

Abbey Speaker Series: Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide

Join the discourse: https://publicdiscourse.unc.edu/join-the-discourse Discussions of contemporary America often focus on the perceived differences between rural and urban residents. Are the lives and interests of rural and urban Americans really all that different? How can city-dwellers, suburbanites, and rural residents better understand each other? For this Abbey Speaker Series event, and as part of this year's Public Discourse and Democracy theme , the UNC Program for Public Discourse conven...

Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 22 min

Abbey Speaker Series: Social Media and Democracy – Helping or Hurting?

Join the discourse: https://publicdiscourse.unc.edu/join-the-discourse Is social media helpful or harmful to democracy? Especially after the Arab Spring, social media was hailed as a means of democratizing information and holding leaders accountable. More recently, however, social media has been depicted as a threat to democracy due to the ways in which online platforms appear to fuel polarization, limit and regulate speech, and accelerate the spread of disinformation and conspiracies. For this ...

Oct 19, 2021•1 hr 30 min

Debating Public Policy Series: Debating the Minimum Wage

Join the discourse: https://publicdiscourse.unc.edu/join-the-discourse For our inaugural Debating Public Policy Series event, the UNC Program for Public Discourse invites two UNC faculty members to debate the advantages and disadvantages of President Biden’s recent proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $15. Speakers: Luca Flabbi, Ph.D. (Panelist, Associate Professor @Department of Economics) : A 2004 graduate of New York University, Luca Flabbi is a labor economist interested in gender d...

Apr 20, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Abbey Speaker Series: The Future of Conservatism

Join the discourse: https://publicdiscourse.unc.edu/join-the-discourse This is a recording of our virtual event The Future of Conservatism hosted on March 23, 2021. Conservatism in America has an uncertain future. On a host of issues including populism, free trade, and nationalism, conservatives are no longer united. Now, perhaps more than ever, what it means to be a “conservative,” where conservatism is likely headed, and where, ideally, it should direct itself are open to debate. A panel of po...

Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 43 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Abbey Speaker Series: Defining Racial Justice in the 21st Century

Join the discourse: https://publicdiscourse.unc.edu/join-the-discourse This is a recording of our virtual event Defining Racial Justice in the 21st Century hosted on February 23, 2021. In the wake of a summer of protests against police brutality, the midst of an ongoing pandemic, and the aftermath of a contentious election, the UNC Program for Public Discourse and Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies brought together a panel of Black academic, journalistic, religious, an...

Feb 23, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Free Speech on Campus

Join the discourse: https://publicdiscourse.unc.edu/join-the-discourse This is a recording of our virtual event Free Speech on Campus hosted on October 20, 2020. A panel discussion about the current state of free expression on college campuses. A part of #UNCResearchWeek , our panelists discuss the "Free Expression and Constructive Dialogue at UNC-Chapel Hill" report composed by UNC Profs. Jennifer Larson, Mark McNeilly, and Timothy Ryan. You can read more about the study’s conclusions and find ...

Oct 20, 2020•1 hr 29 min

Robert P. George and Cornel West In Conversation

Join the discourse: https://publicdiscourse.unc.edu/join-the-discourse This is a recording of our virtual event, Robert P. George and Cornel West In Conversation, hosted on September 10, 2020, and moderated by Thomas Chatterton Williams. Cornel West : "What I mean by 'the left' is I am talking about the tradition, both secular and religious, that pushes back against the logic of the market, that pushes back against corporate power..." Robert P. George: "The form of American conservatism that I a...

Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 31 min

Hosted on Spotify for Creators (Anchor)

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android