Integrating Civil Discourse into the Curriculum
ICDC introduces a fundamentally new model for strengthening civil discourse in higher education by treating sound reasoning and civil dialogue not as separate pedagogical goals, but as interdependent cognitive skills that must be taught together.
With support from FIPSE, we will implement this integrated approach on 125 campuses—including R1 universities, HBCUs, community colleges, and civic institutes—reaching tens of thousands of students and training 375 faculty members to reform General Education Requirements nationwide.
Why Civil Discourse Matters
In recent years, a rise in protest tactics has disrupted dialogue on U.S. college campuses. Controversial topics are discussed in an atmosphere of perceived—or real—violence. Traditional responses have fallen short of addressing the root causes.
The Critical Thinking Gap
Nearly half of U.S. college graduates lack proficiency in critical thinking. This persistent deficit particularly affects first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students who often lack the confidence to evaluate arguments constructively.
The Dialogue Disconnect
Most discourse programs focus on encouraging students to talk across differences, but they rarely ensure students have the analytical tools needed to generate well-reasoned claims before entering conversation.
The Missing Link
Critical-thinking curricula teach logic and argument analysis in isolation, without structured opportunities to practice applying those skills in live dialogue with those who hold opposing views.
Epistemic Humility
Students encounter polarized discourse and algorithmic echo chambers. Many learn to defend inherited views rather than evaluate evidence impartially, eroding their openness to revision and capacity for intellectual collaboration.
The root causes of polarization are not just incivility, but the widespread inability to distinguish sound from unsound reasoning and to revise one's views in light of evidence. ICDC addresses both.
Our Integrated Approach
ICDC's innovation is to link rigorous argument analysis and guided civil dialogue through validated pedagogies and AI-assisted tools, enabling students to form better arguments and then test those arguments responsibly in structured conversations.
Developing Intellectual Character
Civil discourse instruction is most successful when clearly focused on forming the student's habits of mind. Our central objective is to cultivate two intellectual virtues: the confidence to think for oneself, and epistemic humility about what one knows and does not know. We do not aim to provide students with more information—we aim to develop their character.
Project Goals
Scale Student Reach
Enroll 95,064 students in the experiment, with 71,298 receiving intensive, targeted civil discourse education.
Train Faculty
Train 375 faculty members to integrate civil discourse instruction into the curriculum across three summer workshops.
Rigorous Research
Conduct a quasi-randomized controlled three-year longitudinal study testing the effectiveness of AI civil discourse tools.
Model Programs
Create a model program in civil discourse reform on 125 college campuses across all sectors of higher education.
National Replication
Produce a handbook and online hub to guide replication at institutions nationwide, including HBCUs and community colleges.
AI-Assisted Learning Tools
To speak in a civil way one must know how to reason in a fair way. ICDC leverages two innovative, proven platforms that together provide instruction in argument analysis and real-time practice in civil dialogue.
thinkARGUMENTS
An online asynchronous course centered on argument mapping—a research-backed framework for teaching students to analyze, visualize, and evaluate arguments with clarity, rigor, and intellectual humility.
- Guides students through 35+ reasoning skills
- Automatic feedback until mastery is demonstrated
- Proven 10-22% improvement in critical thinking
- Used at 70+ colleges with 40,000+ users
- 93% faculty retention rate
Sway
A civil discourse practice community—an AI-supported platform proven to teach respectful dialogue about controversial issues by pairing students who disagree and facilitating their conversations in real time.
- Pairs students with opposing viewpoints
- AI agent guides, prompts, and de-escalates
- Won the 2024 Tools Competition (Post-Secondary)
- 80+ colleges, 8,000+ students
- 90% feel comfortable sharing sincere views
thinkARGUMENTS + Sway
Together, these tools provide the foundation for ICDC's integrated approach: thinkARGUMENTS provides the instruction; Sway provides the lab. Students learn to decompose arguments, identify assumptions, and generate counterarguments—then practice applying those skills in real-time debates with peers who hold opposing views.
A new feature, ChatMaps, will create a real-time argument visualization bridge between thinkARGUMENTS's asynchronous instruction and Sway's synchronous dialogue practice.
Our Partners
ICDC brings together Civic Institutes, leading universities, and proven nonprofits to create a national coalition capable of teaching civil discourse at scale and reforming General Education Requirements.
Civic Institute Partner
School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL)
Nationally known for its comprehensive, university-wide initiative to rebuild civic literacy through integrated coursework, faculty development, and public programming.
University Partners
University of Notre Dame
Primary fiscal agent and grantee. Large private university with established civil discourse programs.
North Carolina State University
Land-Grant university leading the National Critical Thinking Initiative and thinkPACK program.
University of Texas-Austin
Large flagship university with established civic leadership programs.
Harvard University
Elite private university contributing philosophical expertise to the initiative.
Edward Waters University
Historically Black university ensuring representation and reach to underserved communities.
Camden County College
Two-year institution ensuring the model works across all sectors of higher education.
Nonprofit Partners
ThinkerAnalytix
Develops and maintains thinkARGUMENTS, providing scalable instruction in argument mapping and critical thinking.
Disagree Wisely
Provides and supports Sway, the AI-assisted platform for practicing civil dialogue across disagreement.
Heterodox Academy
Provides broader network support and helps promote viewpoint diversity in higher education.
Longitudinal Study Design
ICDC will conduct a large, three-year longitudinal study measuring the effectiveness of training faculty to integrate civil discourse and critical thinking into required courses at scale.
Participant Structure
Teams of three faculty "Civil Discourse Fellows" from each of 125 institutions will participate in summer workshops, then implement the program reaching 34 students per treatment group, per Fellow, per year.
Quasi-Randomized Design
Four treatment groups enable rigorous comparison: Control, Sway-only, thinkARGUMENTS-only, and thinkARGUMENTS + Sway combined. Staggered rollout enables difference-in-differences analysis.
Outcome Measures
Primary outcomes include CRIT (Critical Reasoning and Inference Test) scores, thinkARGUMENTS mastery checks, and Sway dialogue analysis measuring clarity, accuracy, and belief-updating.
Three-Year Tracking
Students complete CRIT at entry, end of semester, and graduation—enabling measurement of long-term retention and transfer of civil discourse skills beyond the intervention period.
Study Groups
Group A
Control
(No intervention)
Group B
Sway Only
(Dialogue practice)
Group C
thinkARGUMENTS Only
(Reasoning instruction)
Group D
TA + Sway
(Integrated approach)
Project Timeline
Planning & Development
Initial planning, workshop design, Call for Applications, and development of the Foundations of American Democracy (FAD) course customization for thinkARGUMENTS.
Workshop 1 at UNC-Chapel Hill
First summer workshop at SCiLL with ~100 Fellows (33 campus teams). Cohort 1 begins implementation, enrolling first students in the study.
Workshop 2 at Civic Institute TBD
Second workshop with ~125 Fellows (42 campus teams). Cohorts 1 and 2 implementing. Data analysis begins.
Workshop 3 & Synthesis
Final workshop with ~150 Fellows (50 campus teams). All cohorts active. Final data collection, analysis, publications, and dissemination of handbook and online hub.
Expected Impact
The magnitude of outcomes likely to be attained by this effort is unprecedented. ICDC is on track to become the largest study of its kind.
Immediate Reach
Over 4 years, ICDC will engage more than 70,000 students in civic discourse structured and led by 375 faculty members at 125 institutions across all sectors of higher education.
Long-Term Scale
A conservative estimate of students reached over the next decade—even without renewed funding—is more than half a million undergraduates. With continued funding, we will reach millions of students.
Curriculum Reform
By building teams of Civil Discourse Fellows on each campus, we prompt a nationwide, faculty-led movement to reform General Education Requirements to include sound-reasoning-plus-dialogue pedagogy.
Generalizable Knowledge
The project will generate data, publications, and implementation tools freely available to other institutions, contributing to generalizable knowledge through multi-institution, multilevel, longitudinal study.
ICDC promises to transform standard approaches to teaching civil discourse and dramatically improve student learning and achievement. Involving institutions from all sectors of higher education, the initiative will restore on a vast scale campus cultures where all individuals peacefully pursue the truth in the face of disagreement.
Get Involved
We are seeking partners to help bring ICDC to scale. Whether you represent a university, civic institute, or are a faculty member interested in becoming a Civil Discourse Fellow, we'd like to explore how we might work together.
Faculty Fellows
Apply to become a Civil Discourse Fellow. Attend a summer workshop, receive training in thinkARGUMENTS and Sway, and implement the program at your institution.
Institution Partners
Join our network of 125 campuses. We seek R1 universities, HBCUs, community colleges, and civic institutes committed to civil discourse reform.
Civic Institutes
Partner with us to host future workshops. We are seeking two additional Civic Institutes to join SCiLL in hosting Years 3 and 4 workshops.
Research Collaborators
Contribute to the largest longitudinal study of civil discourse education. Access our data, instruments, and findings for independent replication.
Ready to transform civil discourse education?
Contact us to learn more about partnership opportunities, the Civil Discourse Fellows program, or how to bring ICDC's integrated approach to your campus.
Contact Us