S6A Managing an American Classroom after a Polarizing Election: A Conflict Resolution Approach

Presenters

Dr. Vitus Ozoke, Conflict Analysis & Dispute Resolution

Abstract

The just concluded 2024 U.S. election season has further worsened and widened the ideological splits among Americans. Although political polarization is not new in America, the party platforms and candidates’ (and surrogates’) rhetoric in the 2024 electioneering campaigns took these divisions and differences to frightening new levels. It is no longer just good old policy and ideological contestations between friends and neighbors, it is also now extreme hateful, malicious, and malevolent demonization and dehumanization of partisan, ideological, and cultural opposites. The American college classroom, as a microcosm of the larger American society, and a legitimate space for idea contestation, is also a potential arena for the manifestation and expression of this polarization. Is the American college instructor ready and equipped to deal with a politically, ideologically, and culturally divided classroom – with its attendant conflicts? This presentation will provide tips and tools for managing classroom conflicts arising from a deeply polarizing election season.

Session Recording