COMMUNICATION IN A TIME OF RAPID SOCIAL EVOLUTION
The events of the last year-plus have prompted many of us to question how our society works and how it is changing. We are becoming aware of new perspectives on many issues—social justice, the political climate and education reform, to name just a few. It’s more important than ever to be open to different points of view, yet we’re seeing people struggling to connect.
In September, we gathered a panel of UBalt-affiliated thought leaders, moderated by University President Kurt Schmoke, for a wide-ranging conversation. We wondered what they are experiencing and how they are helping people communicate more effectively in the classroom, in community organizations, and with friends and family, when so many topics can be difficult to navigate.
Here are a few excerpts from their insightful discussion.

“The biggest issue right now, I think, is echo chambers. We have fallen into a place where we don’t get other points of view.”So the number one thing that I ask is, have you met someone today, if you talk to someone today, in your walk of life, whether it was when you got coffee, in a class, or whatever you’re doing, that may have been different than you? If so, try to connect. And that’s a challenge that I try to take up every day. Alicia Jones McLeod is the executive director of Challenging Racism, an organization whose focus is to empower and inspire people to disrupt racism one compassionate conversation at a time. She also founded the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce. She is currently pursuing a UBalt Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in nonprofit management.

“ Especially as a white person, racial trauma is something that is very complicated to teach.”Joshua Clark Davis, an associate professor in the Division of Legal, Ethical and Historical Studies, teaches and researches broadly in twentieth-century United States history with a focus on social movements, urban history and African American history. He is an author and contributor to multiple media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Slate and the PBS News Hour.

“Guided in-class debate is helpful to train critical thinking and motivate students to learn further.”I feel I’m very lucky to teach economics, because every day we open the newspaper, or just watch the news, and everything is related to economics. I asked every student to submit a short assignment using the economic knowledge they learn to apply it to their real life. In the pandemic there are all kinds of demand and supply shifts and externalities. Everybody has a point of view, often unique, including some fresh views from students with international backgrounds, and it’s very interesting; this kind of guided in-class debate is helpful to train critical thinking and motivate students to learn further. Ting Zhang is an associate professor in the Department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics and an associate director of the Jacob France Institute. Her research interests include entrepreneurship, human capital and workforce development. She has published extensively and her work has been quoted in popular media such as Forbes, Time, and Bloomberg Businessweek.

“Optimism is a choice. So I’m hopeful that what I’m able to share with my students is the arc of an experience.”Optimism is a choice. So I’m hopeful that what I’m able to share with my students is the arc of an experience, that there will be setbacks and they can be major, there will be things that occur that you are ashamed of having done, or failed at or quit. But if you persist, I think optimism is rewarded. C. Alan Lyles is a professor in both the School of Health and Human Services and the School of Public and International Affairs. His professional interests focus on pharmaceutical economics and health policy and he has published and lectured extensively in the United States and abroad.