If you are an undergraduate, graduate student, faculty, or staff member interested in joining MSU Dialogues in fall 2021, please fill out this interest form and you will receive more information in August.
MSU Dialogues is an intergroup dialogue program for students, faculty and staff at Michigan State. It is a face-to-face learning experience that brings together people from different identity groups over a sustained period of time to:
In MSU Dialogues, you will:
Learn more from past participant and facilitator, Briana Bohannan, in the article MSU Dialogues Online: Connecting Humanity through Conversation Even at a Distance.
Past participants say...
“Intercultural dialogue made me aware of huge gaps in my knowledge that I had as a result of growing up in a very segregated community. It not only taught me so much about myself and where I fit into society but also what I can do to help change society for the better.” —MSU Dialogues facilitator
“MSU Dialogues changed my life.” —MSU Dialogues participant
“We rarely take time for reflection of our own identity, biases, and/or ways to improve. If anything, this gives you the brave space to do this, confront them, and begin to grow. As a business student, understanding privilege, bias, and how you can interrupt them will be a critical way to make changes within the business world. This could span from breaking down bias and/or improving recruitment and development opportunities to include diversity initiatives.” —MSU Dialogues participant
“In my experience as an African American woman, race is so often talked about that it gets tiring. However, being in a race dialogue is a special place. You get to know more about your own identity, and also learn about the identities of your peers.” —MSU Dialogues facilitator
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to MSU Dialogues Program Coordinator, Jackie Heymann.
Photo: Fall 2018 Facilitator Cohort
If you are an undergraduate, graduate student, faculty or staff interested in joining MSU Dialogues in fall 2021, please fill out this interest form and you will receive more information in August.
Spring 2021 is an online intergroup dialogue
Based on your availability, you will be placed in a group with whom you will meet each week. Throughout the semester, you will engage in dialogue with people from a wide range of identities and backgrounds, learn about historical and present-day social injustice, and collectively explore ways of working toward greater equity and inclusion. Learn more about MSU Dialogues from facilitator and graduate program intern, Briana Bohannon.
Currently, we offer three topics for our identity-focused dialogues: race, gender, and religion. All dialogues, though, examine the range of social identities we hold and the intersections of those identities.
In Spring 2021, we will offer race and religion dialogues for students. For faculty/staff we will offer race dialogues.
Our society feels more divided now than in previous decades. MSU Dialogues allow you to:
Participants say:
"I have gained communication skills that allow me to talk about hard topics and interrupt bias as I hear it."
"I realized how little interaction I have with people who are different from me. At the same time, I learned a lot about people are different from me. I also feel I am better able to discuss systems of privilege and oppression now."
"This space provides a needed outlet for people of color and aspiring allies alike."
"This is a transformative, self-reflective experience that helped me develop a greater sensitivity to the oppression that others may face due to their social identities."
“As a person of color dialogue helped me learn how to be a better ally for others. I honestly never thought about the work it takes to be a good ally.”
Donations will go directly to training facilitators, materials to run dialogues, stipends for facilitators, and awards for participants: DONATE TO MSU DIALOGUES
What your donation supports:
Yes! Please fill out this contact form and we will be in touch shortly to schedule a time to meet with you and further discuss your group’s needs.
Alternatively, you can reach out to the Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Educational Coordinator, heymannj@msu.edu