The George Mason University Dialogue Across Differences (DxD) initiative promotes curricular and co-curricular opportunities to focus on freedom of expression, civil discourse, and debate.  The initiative aligns with George Mason’s call to be All Together Different by: 

• Leveraging the demographic and intellectual diversity of the George Mason community 

• Promoting inclusivity by fostering communication across identities and differences  

• Demonstrating our audacity to engage in challenging, but necessary, dialogue on sensitive topics 

• Developing the grit, leadership and life-skills necessary for our students to navigate complex times on campus and in society beyond George Mason 

The DxD initiative facilitates spaces for our community to learn and grow from dialogue about interpersonal, university-community, political and global topics. Through conversation, we seek to find common ground, clarify differences and treat conflicts as educational opportunities.   

According to the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL)

“Socio-cultural conversations with peers are the single strongest predictor of socially responsible leadership capacity for students across demographic groups” (Dugan et al, 2013, p. 9)

Through the DxD initiative, George Mason students, faculty, and staff will build essential skills through engaging in constructive conversations 1:1, in small groups, as well as large debate-style forums both virtually and in-person in various spaces, including classrooms, residence halls, and common areas.  DxD discussion topics include:

• Lifestyles/customs
• Personal values
• Perspectives on major social issues such as peace, human rights, and justice
• Religious beliefs
• Multiculturalism & diversity
• Political opinions

The goal of each DxD event is to achieve one or more of the following learning outcomes:

• Listen for understanding to appreciate human differences
• Develop the capacity to interact effectively with others who differ in beliefs, behavior, values and worldview
• Proactively and constructively resolve interpersonal conflicts through dialogue
• Recognize how one's personal actions affect other people and communities
• Engage in principled dissent concerning unfair, unjust and uncivil systems, practices and behaviors
• Have an open mind when encountering new ideas, cultures, knowledge, skills and environments
• Present information clearly and effectively in verbal and written communications
• Develop the ability to self-regulate and be less reactive when engaging with others who challenge our way of thinking
• Understand student rights and responsibilities
• Independently and accurately evaluate information, data, and ideas from multiple perspectives