Stay tuned for future events!

The Dialogue Institute is excited to announce our Virtual Alumni Engagement Program! This program will be a series of 6 virtual modules and will be open to all Dialogue Institute SUSI Religious Freedom cohorts. This virtual alumnae engagement is possible thanks to the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Meridian International Center.

Contact us! Send us any questions, comments or concerns.

Module Recaps

Module 1 Recap (Monday, August 31st, 2020, 9 - 11 A.M.)

Reunite with your SUSI cohort, meet with all SUSI Religious Freedom Alumnae from the Dialogue Institute, meet other students from your home country, hear about networking opportunities, and learn about our upcoming modules!

Module 2 Recap (Tuesday, September 29th, 2020, 9 - 11 A.M.)

A virtual Yellow Fever tour, and time to discuss “COVID-19 and Action Plans”. Students will be able to do their own virtual tours during future modules, contact info@dialogueinstitute.org with your ideas! Be sure to include time and context for your tour, personal vignettes that demonstrate diversity, why your choice is important to you, and a conclusion of what was learned.

Module 3 Recap (October 21st, 2020, 9-11 a.m.)

Group Discussion: Time to to get to know more participants (introductions), career questions.

Presentation: “Past Pandemics:  What We Can Learn” - Michael Rizkalla

Presentation: “The Three Bs of Religion”, “Faith and Belief” - Freedom Crossing Institute

Module 4 Recap (November 18, 2020 - 9-11 A.M.)

Our session featured the following presentations: Faiz Jiwani from India and our 2019 cohort presenting on "The Origins of Belief Systems in the Brain", Christelle Barakat from Lebanon and our 2018 cohort on "Conflict Transformation", Moh'd El Hafez from Jordan and our 2018 cohort on "Facing the Pandemic Long Term: Helping the spread of effective citizenship in spite of uncertainty".

Module 5 Recap (December 10th, 2020, 9 - 11 A.M. EST)

Media Literacy: Ethically Navigating Digital Landscapes

Objectives

• Discuss complex areas of media literacy beyond identification of false or misleading stories in the media (i.e; engagement, activism, etc.)

• Develop a deeper understanding of methods used to navigate social media responsibly

• Understand the impact of social media posting

• Understand models of online activism

Module 6 Recap (January 21st, 2021, 9 - 11 A.M. EST)

“Democracy and the Challenges of Authoritarianism”

Scholars have pointed to various indicators of authoritarian behavior among politicians, which include: 

• Rejection of (or weak commitment to) democratic rules of the game

• Denial of the legitimacy of political opponents

• Toleration or encouragement of violence

• Readiness to curtail civil liberties of opponents, including media 

Additionally, authoritarian leaders often appeal to conspiracy theories, us vs. them rhetoric, fears of threatened masculinity, and notions of a mythic past that must be restored, 

Engagement assignment: Prior to the event, you are invited to find examples of these behaviors or rhetorical references either in the U.S. or in your own national context. Our session will open with some definitions of terms and introductory reflections on authoritarianism. We will then have space for dialogue around what we have observed. The session will then transition to a presentation and discussion on ways to work through polarization and strengthen the culture of democracy in our own contexts by using the principles of dialogue.