Sigal R. Ben-Porath

Mar 22, 2024 | democracyjournal.org | Erwin Chemerinsky |Delphine d'Amora |Sigal R. Ben-Porath

Much of the debate around the rights of students to protest and of universities to enforce rules of conduct has become repetitive and frustrating. The well-worn arguments over who ought to be platformed or deplatformed, who was canceled or allowed to foment hate, haven’t gotten us anywhere. We need a better conversation, one that illuminates the deeper issues underlying our daily screaming matches.

Jan 28, 2024 | nature.com | Sigal R. Ben-Porath

Political polarization leads to distrust. In universities, this can lead to conflict or silence in classes and hinder learning and engagement. Faculty members and leaders can promote depolarization by encouraging constructive dialogue in and out of class, cultivating viewpoint diversity within boundaries and expanding civic spaces. To depolarize, colleges need not search for a middle ground. Rather, they should cultivate common ground through a shared search for knowledge rooted in evidence.

Jul 9, 2023 | onlinelibrary.wiley.com | Sigal R. Ben-Porath

Abstract Democracies are calling on schools to respond to a rise in extremist ideologies and actions. In this article Sigal Ben-Porath situates the rise in extremism within the broader context of political polarization. She suggests that the latter is a more appropriate target for school intervention than the former.