Learning to Disagree

Professor John Inazu

Location TBD, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 9:00 am - 9:50 am

Spring 2027 (3 credits)

Description 

This course explores how people with deeply different beliefs can live, learn, and argue together in a diverse democracy. The course begins with the premise that no one approaches public life or interpersonal relationships from a neutral standpoint: our convictions are shaped by family, culture, habit, and experience. Students will examine their own formative influences and then confront the reality of pluralism in our country — persistent and often profound disagreements about moral, political, and religious questions.

From that foundation, the course develops practical skills for engaging across differences with intellectual humility, empathy, and clarity. Students will analyze why disagreements escalate, how better arguments can be made and heard, and why constitutional protections for speech, assembly, and religious liberty are essential for a society marked by deep disagreement.

Through readings, structured dialogue, and case studies involving contested issues such as religious freedom, free speech, protests, and other flashpoints in public life, the course will better equip students to argue effectively without dehumanizing those with whom they disagree.

Objectives 

  • Understand the formation of beliefs: Identify how personal background, communities, traditions, and experiences shape moral and political commitments, and explain why claims of complete neutrality or objectivity in public debates are often illusory.

  • Analyze the reality of pluralism: Describe the sources and persistence of deep disagreement in democratic societies and evaluate why these differences cannot simply be resolved through more information or better reasoning alone.

  • Develop constructive argument skills: Practice making clear, principled arguments while engaging opposing views with intellectual humility, empathy, and charitable interpretation.

  • Explain the role of civil liberties: Understand how constitutional protections—especially freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion—create space for people with conflicting worldviews to coexist and contest ideas.

  • Apply principles to contested issues: Use analytical and dialogical tools from the course to evaluate real-world conflicts.

Course Listing

The following cross-listings and course designations are pending approval: This is an interdisciplinary course cross-listed with religion and politics, political science, American Culture Studies, legal studies, and religious studies. It qualifies for the Humanities (HUM) curriculum area attribute and the Social Contrasts (SC) curriculum core attribute.

Texts

Our core intellectual work will be based upon selections from the following texts as well as judicial decisions in the public domain:

  • Sigal R. Ben-Porath, Cancel Wars: How Universities Can Foster Free Speech, Promote Inclusion, and Renew Democracy (University of Chicago Press, 2023)

  • Nicholas Carr, Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart (Norton, 2025)

  • Kurt Gray, Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground (Pantheon, 2025)

  • Hugh Heclo, On Thinking Institutionally (Oxford University Press, 2011)

  • John Inazu, Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference (University of Chicago Press, 2018 (paperback edition))

  • John Inazu, Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect (Zondervan, 2024)

  • Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (3rd Edition) (Notre Dame, 2007)

  • Eboo Patel, We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy (Beacon Press, 2022)

  • Rachel Wahl, Keeping Our Enemies Closer (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2026)

Most of the course materials are selections provided under the academic fair use exception to copyright law. I will also give you copies of my books, Confident Pluralism and Learning to Disagree. You are welcome to acquire the other texts if you wish to read them on your own, but I will provide copies of the relevant excerpts for purposes of our class.

Attendance and Class Participation 

The class participation component will be based on my evaluation of your interactions, preparedness, and thoughtfulness. That includes attendance, promptness, and active participation. I recognize that many of you will have foreseen and unforeseen conflicts, and I will accommodate those at the margins. But you should not take this course if you think you will miss a significant number of classes.

If you are unable to attend class on a given day (or you are unprepared but would still like to attend class), you will need to email your teaching assistant in advance of class. Emailing your teaching assistant in advance of class will result in being marked for one absence (and if you are in attendance, I won’t call on you). Absent extenuating circumstances, failing to email in advance of a class for which you are absent or in which you demonstrate a clear lack of preparedness will result in being marked for two absences. You may have up to four absences for any reason. (This means four absences with advance notice to me, two unexcused absences, or some combination of these.) In most cases, exceeding four absences will adversely affect your final grade.

Course Requirements and Grading

Your course grade will be based on reflections papers (20%), in-class exams (60%), interviews (15%), and class participation (5%). Be sure to my writing guidelines for any written submissions.

Reflection papers (20%)

  • You will write brief reflections for your discussion sections. These are due by 5pm CT on Thursday.

Exams (60%)

  • There will be two closed book in-class exams during the semester. Each exam will include multiple choice and short-answer questions, and each exam will be worth 10% of your grade. The second exam will include a question requiring you to identify by name every other student in your discussion section.

Interviews and Peer Interviews (15%)

  • You will be required to complete three 45-minute interviews: (1) an initial interview with your TA at the beginning of the semester; (2) a peer-to-peer interview with a classmate during the semester; and (3) an exit interview with your TA during the final exam week. You will write and submit to your TA a 1-2 page summary of the second interview. Each interview contributes 5% of your course grade. Your TA will grade you based on your effort and engagement in the first and third interview and your summary of the second interview. These interviews are intended to help you reflect more deeply on the course materials. We will also use your (anonymized) responses to create broader evaluations of the course’s content and goals.

Class participation (5%)

  • The class participation component of your grade is based on instructor and teaching assistant evaluations of your interactions, preparedness, and thoughtfulness. That evaluation includes attendance, promptness, and active participation. In addition to the component of your grade based on you the participation in your weekly discussion sections, I may make slight adjustments upward or downward for class participation. Distraction or inattentiveness due to online engagement may lower your course grade.

You may not use electronic devices during the class absent an approved accommodation. If you have an urgent matter that requires you to check a text, catch up on social media, or shop online, please step outside of the classroom to do so. Even if you think you are checking your phone discretely, you usually are not.

Finally, keep in mind that the classroom is a learning environment. We are tackling some intellectually and emotionally difficult material, and people in this class are going to make mistakes. Listen well, speak kindly, and be patient with one another other. Unless otherwise specified, our class discussions are intended for students enrolled in the course not for sharing publicly with attribution.

Grading Scale:

A+ 97-100
A 93-96.9
A- 90-92.9
B+ 87-89.9
B 83-86.9
B- 80-82.9
C+ 77-79.9
C 73-76.9
D+ 67-69.9
D 63-66.9
D- 60-62.9
F < 60

Communication

I will hold office hours by appointment (in my law school office (AB 547) or over zoom). You can schedule an appointment here. You can also email me to schedule a different time. You should feel free to come individually or as a group.

You can also email me with questions or concerns. I will make every effort to respond to your emails within one day of your having sent them, with the exception of emails sent over the weekend or holidays, which I will answer by the following business day. You should feel free to use office hours not only to discuss our substantive readings but also to obtain help on your writing, to ask questions about law school or graduate school, or to talk about other academic or career interests.

Schedule

Each class module below links to the assignment and a description of the class and its goals. You can also find the full list of course assignments at this link.

Jan 20: Introduction
Jan 22: Who Are You? (Discussion Sections)

Jan 25: Where You’re From
Jan 27: Where You Are
Jan 29: NO CLASS

Week of Jan 25-29: Initial interview with Teaching Assistant

Feb 1: The Fact of Pluralism
Feb 3: Responding to Pluralism
Feb 5: Discussion Sections

Feb 8: How Things Are Going
Feb 10: Why This is So Hard
Feb 12: Discussion Sections

Feb 15: How to Think About Thinking
Feb 17: Traditions and Social Practices
Feb 19: Discussion Sections

Feb 22: Social Media
Feb 24: News and Information
Feb 26: Discussion Sections

Mar 1: Institutions and Expertise
Mar 3: Cancel Culture
Mar 5: First Exam (in Discussion Sections)

Mar 8: How to Talk About Talking
Mar 10: The Possibilities and Limits of Dialogue
Mar 12: Peer-to-Peer Interviews (Discussion Sections)

Week of Mar 15-19: Spring Break

Mar 22: The First Amendment
Mar 24: Words and Context: Free Speech
Mar 26: Discussion Sections

Mar 29: Belonging and Excluding: Freedom of Association
Mar 31: Church and State: Free Exercise and Establishment
Apr 2: Discussion Sections

Apr 5: Campuses and Classrooms
Apr 7: Campus Protests
Apr 9: Discussion Sections

Apr 12: Case Study: Punishment
Apr 14: Case Study: Self-Defense
Apr 16: Discussion Sections

Apr 19: Case Study: Religious Exemptions
Apr 21: Case Study: Public Education
Apr 23: Discussion Sections

Apr 26: Next Steps
Apr 28: Second Exam
Apr 30: Discussion Sections

May 3: Final Thoughts

Week of May 6-12: Final interview with Teaching Assistant (during exam week)

Other Matters

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

In all academic work, the ideas and contributions of others (including generative artificial intelligence) must be appropriately acknowledged and work that is presented as original must be, in fact, original. You should familiarize yourself with the appropriate academic integrity policies of your academic program(s). You should not use Generative AI for any exams or writing assignments in this course.

UNAUTHORIZED RECORDING AND DISTRIBUTION OF CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES & MATERIALS

The following applies to all students in my class: “Except as otherwise expressly authorized by the instructor or the university, students may not record, stream, reproduce, display, publish or further distribute any classroom activities or course materials. This includes lectures, class discussions, advising meetings, office hours, assessments, problems, answers, presentations, slides, screenshots or other materials presented as part of the course.  If a student with a disability wishes to request the use of assistive technology as a reasonable accommodation, the student must first contact the Office of Disability Resources to seek approval. If recording is permitted, unauthorized use or distribution of recordings is also prohibited.”

DISABILITY RESOURCES (DR)

WashU supports the right of all enrolled students to an equitable educational opportunity and strives to create an inclusive learning environment. In the event a physical or online environment, learning activity, or learning interaction results in barriers to your inclusion due to a disability, please contact WashU’s Disability Resources (DR) to engage in a process for determining and communicating approved accommodations. As soon as possible after receiving an accommodation from DR, send me your WashU Accommodation Letter.  Because accommodations are not applied retroactively, initiate your request to DR prior to, or at the beginning of, the academic term to avoid delays in accessing accommodations once classes begin. You can find more information here.

I will also share Accommodation Letters with our Teaching Assistants.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT

If you have experienced sex discrimination, sexual harassment or violence, we encourage you to speak with someone as soon as possible. If you choose to share this information with me,  as an instructor I am required to report your disclosure to my department chair, dean, or the Gender Equity and Title IX Compliance Office.You may also reach out to the Relationship & Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) Center to receive confidential support and discuss your options. You can find more information here.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

To ensure that accommodations may be made for students who miss class, assignments, or exams to observe a religious holiday, you must inform me in writing before the end of the third week of class, or as soon as possible if the holiday occurs during the first three weeks of the semester. For more information, please see the university's Religious Holiday Class Absence Policy.

Provide details to students regarding how you would like them to notify you of any religious accommodations needed. 

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Before an emergency affects our class, students can take steps to be prepared by downloading the WashU SAFE App.  In addition, each classroom contains a “Quick Guide for Emergencies” near the door.

RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS

WashU provides a wealth of support services that address academic, personal, and professional needs.  To start exploring resources that can help you along the way, please visit: Resources for Students.