Do Universities Need Choreographed Disagreement?

AuthorJeffrey Adam Sachs
PositionInstructor of Politics and History & Classics at Acadia University
Pages937-958
FREEDOM OF SPEECH ON COLLEGE
CAMPUSES
Do Universities Need Choreographed
Disagreement?
JEFFREY ADAM SACHS*
ABSTRACT
Alarmed by a supposed decline in civil debate and increased polarization on
campus, colleges and universities are establishing programs committed to the
promotion of choreographed disagreement.This is a highly stylized and rule-
based form of disagreement, one that proponents believe will help students to
better engage in civil and constructive debate. However, these programs come
with apparent risks that are rarely acknowledged, let alone discussed. This arti-
cle considers these risks and argues that choreographed disagreement is ill-
suited to accomplish the objectives it is meant to secure.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938
II. LEARNING TO DISAGREE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 939
III. WHAT IS CHOREOGRAPHED DISAGREEMENT? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942
IV. THE CASE FOR CHOREOGRAPHED DISAGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 944
V. AGAINST CHOREOGRAPHED DISAGREEMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 948
A. Rules of the Game: The Challenge to Student Autonomy. . . . . 948
B. The Outside World: The Challenge of Student Safety . . . . . . . 953
C. Intellectual Charity: The Challenge to Student Knowledge. . . 955
VI. CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 957
* Jeffrey Adam Sachs is an Instructor of Politics and History & Classics at Acadia University. He
specializes in free speech in education and the legal politics of authoritarian regimes. © 2022, Jeffrey
Adam Sachs.
937
I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this article is to describe and offer some critical thoughts on a
phenomenon I call choreographed disagreement.Simply defined (a fuller defi-
nition is offered below), choreographed disagreement is a type of amicable dis-
agreement whose expression is structured according to highly rigid and often
explicitly stated rules. The general function of these rules is to make disagree-
ment clearer, more civil, and more evidence-based. Choreographed disagreement
has many goals (e.g., developing critical thinking skills and promoting tolerance),
but above all, it is a response to a perceived increase in political polarization and
decline in civil discourse and viewpoint diversity, especially within colleges
and universities. Typically, it is also quite public in nature, performed in front of
and for the enjoyment of an audience. Because choreographed disagreement pre-
sumes and even welcomes disagreement, it differs from other structured forms of
expression common on university campuses, such as political correctness. But
because it is amicable and collaborative, it is also distinct from the structured dis-
agreement found in a courtroom or presidential debate.
Some examples of what I have in mind:
1. As part of Civil Discourse Week, a college organizes and hosts a public
debate between two well-known political activists. A moderator is on hand
to referee the debate and steer it in productive directions. Afterward, mem-
bers of the audience have an opportunity to ask questions or issue chal-
lenges to the speakers.
2. The student chapter of a Free Speech Society meets monthly for civil dis-
cussion on controversial topics. Students begin by reciting a brief pledge to
treat one another with respect and courtesy, after which they break into
small groups. With help from their faculty advisor, they run through a se-
ries of exercises and trainings intended to promote fruitful disagreement.
3. At a small liberal arts college, all incoming students are assigned two books
offering contrasting views on American race relations. As part of their
Freshman Orientation, the students are divided into groups and asked to dis-
cuss each book’s argument. The purpose of the exercise is both to generate
respectful discourse and to foster feelings of camaraderie and friendship.
None of these sorts of events is new to the American college campus, but in
recent years they have exploded in popularity. It is no secret why. For at least the
past decade, a growing chorus of voices has been raising alarm over a supposed
decline in support for free speech and civil discourse, especially in higher educa-
tion.
1
College students are accused of seeking to prohibit the expression of certain
1. BRADLEY CAMPBELL & JASON MANNING, THE RISE OF VICTIMHOOD CULTURE: MICROAGGRESSIONS,
SAFE SPACES, AND THE NEW CULTURE WARS (2018); GREG LUKIANOFF & JONATHAN HAIDT, THE CODDLING
OF THE AMERICAN MIND: HOW GOOD INTENTIONS AND BAD IDEAS ARE SETTING UP A GENERATION FOR
FAILURE (2018); UNSAFE SPACE: THE CRISIS OF FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS (Tom Slater ed., 2016); ROBBY
SOAVE, PANIC ATTACK: YOUNG RADICALS IN THE AGE OF TRUMP (2019).
938 THE GEORGETOWN JOURNAL OF LAW & PUBLIC POLICY [Vol. 20:937

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