Join us for an engaging series of election-year dialogues on some of the most pressing issues facing voters in 2024. In the spirit of the Socratic Dialogues—one of the organizing principles of our First Year Seminar—the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, along with faculty, staff, and administration around campus, are organizing open dialogues on several important election-year issues. We surveyed students to see which topics were of greatest interest in the lead up to the elections, and these topics reflect those results. Facilitated by faculty, come ask questions and engage in cooperative, question-driven discussions exploring complex issues in the run up to the election.

Dialogue 2: Gun Violence/Gun Control
Facilitated by John Barbieri, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Gary Berte, EdD, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice

Gun violence/gun control is a contentious issue, with both parties addressing public safety concerns, Second Amendment rights, and policy responses. In this dialogue, we will be pursuing lines of questioning, such as: Should there be a federal ban on assault weapons? Does our current system of background checks need changing? How should governments be addressing the root causes of gun violence? What role should the Second Amendment play in the gun control debate?

For questions, please contact Matt Ferrari at mferrari@springfield.edu or (413) 748-3818.