TEACHING STUDENTS TO DISAGREE: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach to Campus Civic Dialogue

Abstract

Universities in the United States are increasingly facing widespread self-censorship, avoidance of controversial topics, and breakdown in civic dialogue despite institutional efforts focused on speech policies, neutrality statements, and legal compliance. This thesis argues that these outcomes are sustained by the following individual-level cognitive and behavioral mechanisms: threat-based appraisal of disagreement, emotional dysregulation, automatic responding, and avoidance. Through an interdisciplinary literature synthesis spanning campus speech research, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) theory, and correctional program evaluation, this thesis identifies five core CBT components that produce measurable behavioral change across correctional and justice-adjacent settings and translates them into a structured curriculum designed to be required for first-year programming. This thesis recommends that state higher education boards require public universities to adopt CBT-informed civic dialogue training, that institutions begin voluntary pilot implementation, and that accrediting organizations incorporate civic dialogue competencies into institutional assessment standards.