Dr. Watt has over 25 years of experience designing and leading workshops that engage participants in dialogue that is meaningful, self-awakening, and imperative to have in academic spaces. Dr. Watt’s research centers on engagement and responses to difficult conversations, including social issues regarding race, identity, and diversity.

Title: Introducing the Theory of Being for Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education

When? April 26, 2022 Tuesday 1:30-4:30 PM

Where? This is a virtual event. Participants can register at no cost at the following link:

https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3IWt8sHv29LErSm

Although this is a virtual event, it is a highly interactive session where participants will actively learn skills with each other.

Description: In this session, participants will learn about The Theory of Being as a transformative and humanizing framework for organizational change efforts. Participants will practice skills that can help them engage meaningfully when exploring systemic sociopolitical issues. Participants will also learn about defense mechanisms displayed in the Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE) model and identify practical strategies for engaging in difficult dialogues at the university and within the community.

We would love for you to join and learn with us. We think this is important work because we believe social change starts with individuals. It can be difficult to know how to approach topics of race, identity, exclusion, and racism in academia. This workshop aims to give tools to those wanting to start engaging in those conversations. We hope this workshop provides a space for learning, growing, and connecting with other students, post-doctoral fellows, faculty, and staff.

Please contact Dr. Lisa Arendt (lmarendt@wisc.edu) with any questions about the event.