At the end of every one of his Wednesday evening classes, Peter John Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and 麻豆视频, asks students two questions: How many of you changed your mind about this topic? How many of you are less certain about your opinions after listening to this disagreement?
Many hands flit up after each question, and Loewen said his own opinions have shifted a bit as well. The class, Disagreement (GOVT 1109), brings speakers together each week for a discussion about one of today鈥檚 most contentious issues: immigration and family size, for example; or the merits of democracy, capitalism and progressivism. Students prepare for the discussions with related readings, and writing assignments include a final project requiring them to disagree with a classmate and reflect on the process.
The new class, developed by Loewen along with Davide Napoli, Klarman postdoctoral fellow in government, meets a deep need, Loewen said, for students to be able to confront and move through disagreements at work, at home, in their communities and in society.
鈥淔or many people, one of the greatest experiences they have at the university is exploring what they believe and coming to understand that others believe differently and see the world through different lenses,鈥 Loewen said. 鈥淪o, at a time when society is very polarized, when disagreement seems fraught and difficult, we shouldn鈥檛 run away from it, but take seriously our responsibility of introducing students to constructive disagreement.鈥
Evan Lieberman 鈥26, a government and French major in A&S, took the class to prepare for disagreements he鈥檒l inevitably encounter during his career.
鈥淧eople are very shy [in work environments] to express disagreement and they struggle to do so in a way that comes off as respectful,鈥 he said. 鈥淚n this class, I learned from the techniques the speakers used to disagree respectfully and have the opposing party understand that you really do mean good.鈥
Marco Martini 鈥27, a student in the ILR School and an Air Force cadet in Cornell鈥檚 ROTC, said he signed up for the class because he hopes to be an intelligence officer. 鈥淚 believe disagreement in the intelligence community is critically important,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou need to have people in the room who can talk with each other.鈥
One disagreement featured author and professor Michael Eric Dyson of Vanderbilt University and Musa al-Gharbi of Stony Brook University, to discuss progressivism; another put Ross Douthat, conservative columnist for The New York Times, and , professor of philosophy in A&S and author of the book 鈥淒own, Girl,鈥 in conversation about falling birth rates.
鈥淭he way that the things we value in human society are passed down 鈥 the culture, the beliefs, the worldview 鈥 is through our children鈥 Douthat said during that discussion, supporting the need for an increased U.S. birth rate. 鈥淪ocieties that don鈥檛 have children disappear in a more rapid way.鈥
Manne鈥檚 argument centered around a lack of support for girls and women, especially their reproductive choices. 鈥淒obbs and previous anti-choice policies have made it more difficult and dangerous to have a baby in the U.S.,鈥 she said. 鈥淧eople are underserved, there鈥檚 a lack of postpartum care, there鈥檚 no affordable child care. People are suffering, women are dying, pregnancy is a dangerous condition.鈥
Each week, the 120 students in the class also meet in 14 smaller discussion sections led by faculty in humanities, social sciences and sciences. The class, which will also be offered in fall 2026, is open to students from any college, any year and any major. The spring 2026 class included students from five of Cornell鈥檚 schools and colleges, and all current undergraduate class years.
鈥淥ur professors are experts at seeing issues from multiple viewpoints and can demonstrate to students that when you learn to think critically and clearly and comprehensively, then you鈥檙e able to look at issues from multiple perspectives,鈥 Loewen said.
In a discussion section after the disagreement on immigration, , the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies and Picket Family Chair in the Department of Literatures in English (A&S), asked students what they knew about past U.S. immigration policies such as the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and the National Origins Formula, established in 1921 to limit immigration.
She then invited students to write out questions they wished the debaters would have addressed. Among their questions: What do you think about the tactics ICE is using to increase deportations? What are changes you鈥檇 like to see in U.S. immigration policy? How is immigration beneficial or harmful to the U.S. economy? Students then spent the rest of the class period sharing their own views.
鈥淵ou tend to be friends with people who agree with you, so this class offers an avenue to have these kinds of disagreements,鈥 said Courtney Molina 鈥29, a psychology major in A&S. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very opinionated and passionate person and I want a better avenue to learn how to manage that without getting overly emotional.鈥
Eman Siddiqui 鈥26, a classics and government major in A&S, thought the class would help her to be 鈥渁 better communicator, a better arguer,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 appreciated the style of the debates and was able to tell what kind of messaging is more effective for people. I also appreciated how speakers were encouraging us to not take things at surface value but to consider the context and scale your arguments appropriately.鈥
Loewen ended the course with a session seeking feedback from students about topics and speakers to include in future semesters.
鈥淭his class makes me feel like a student again. Seeing people who have thought a lot about things disagree about them, it has challenged my own views,鈥 Loewen said. 鈥淥ne of the missions of the 麻豆视频 and 麻豆视频 is to create humans who are ready to go into the world more tolerant, more pluralistic, more curious about other people. We need to make our students ready, and even eager, to wrestle with uncertainty.鈥
Kathy Hovis is a writer for the 麻豆视频 and 麻豆视频.
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