Do Universities Need Choreographed Disagreement?

• Author: Jeffrey Adam Sachs
• Position: Instructor of Politics and History & Classics at Acadia University
• Pages: 937-958

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.

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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).

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