common ground
Drinks & Dialogue: Bridging the Divide
Tues. Feb. 6, 2018 6 p.m.
Central Cinema
Tired of those uncomfortable silences at family gatherings? Worried about the lack of dialogue in our country? Think we should learn how to talk to each other — even if we have different political beliefs?
Whether you vote red or blue, together we represent Husky purple. Join us for drinks and dialogue as we explore civil discourse, politically diverse friendships and how to have better political conversations. After we watch a selection of TED Talks on these topics, UW Tacoma Professor Riki Thompson will lead an interactive conversation on the challenges — and rewards — of having conversations with those who hold opposing views.
A drink and light refreshments are included, with more food available for purchase.
UWAA members: $5
General admission: $7
Online registration has closed, but we will accept walk-ups at the door
Hosted by UW Impact, the UW Alumni Association’s legislative advocacy program. Drinks & Dialogue is a Common Ground event.
Dr. Riki Thompson, ’96, ’02, ’07, is associate professor of writing studies at UW Tacoma. She earned her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the UW, focusing on language and rhetoric. Her work reflects an interest in the problems generated by the dynamic nature of language, technology and ideological formations — how people negotiate identity and communities of practice through language and technology.
Her research explores how people gain acceptance into (or are excluded from) communities of practice through know-how of technology, language ideologies and shared understandings about visual representations. Research on the scholarship of teaching and learning also focuses on how we teaching writing from Pre-K to college, as well as how we teach with technology.
She teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses on research and argument, as well as special topics in Writing Studies. Her classes take an active-learning approach, providing students with tools to evaluate and employ language effectively.
On Nov. 10, 2017, she authored the Seattle Times op-ed “College campuses are vital for critical conversations.”
