Peter Coleman and Pearce Godwin: How to Have Depolarizing Conversations

Peter Coleman, Ph.D. ’98, Professor of Psychology & Education
Pearce Godwin, Listen First Project

TC’s Peter Coleman, Professor of Psychology and Education, has dedicated his career to examining the political divide and the human propensity for destructive conflict. At the helm of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, Coleman researches evidence-based solutions to entrenched conflicts.

“If the events of the last week that have taken place in Israel and Gaza and the political reactions and divisions — here on campus, in Washington, across the country — have not provided sufficient evidence, I’m here to assure you that this country is deeply divided and on something of a bleak precipice,” Coleman said to an audience at Teachers College last week.

“So we want to give you some evidence-based ideas on how to begin to continue to stand for what you believe in while bringing the temperature down so that we can avoid the worst, because we certainly don’t want to tip into more political violence than we’re already seeing.”