In his role as North Carolina’s secretary for health and human services, Kody Kinsley would often plead his case for health care equity.But not with those words.Instead, Kinsley would often use a compelling anecdote or factoid – like pointing out that Black women are twice as likely to die during childbirth than white women. He knew technocratic language was off-putting to some audiences – which he couldn’t afford given his position as a Democratic appointee working with a majority-Republican state legislature.“Certain… read more about All Beliefs Welcome »
Associate Research Professor Patty van Cappellen, one of Transformative Ideas' faculty, has her work on happiness featured in the latest issue of Duke Magazine. read more about The Science of Happiness »
In this lecture, David Wong explores the themes of pluralism and free inquiry from a comparative philosophical standpoint. He addresses how diverse perspectives can coexist, and how open intellectual exchange contributes to deeper understanding across cultures and belief systems. read more about David Wong provides Lecture for Transformative Ideas Welcome Dinner »
"Histories of the Future" | Hist 204S | 10:05AM-11:20AMProf. John MartinThis class explores the ways in which people have imagined the future from Antiquity to the present. We begin with a study of the prophetic traditions in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and the spread of apocalyptic ideas in medieval and Renaissance Europe. Then, we turn to the emergence of the Idea of Progress in the Enlightenment and beyond before tracing the interplay of apocalypticism and progressivism down to the contemporary… read more about Announcement: New Fall Classes »
Roosevelt Montás explores the liberating impact of a liberal arts education and the enduring value of timeless texts in addressing life’s most profound questions read more about Roosevelt Montas Provides Keynote for Duke Centennial Spring Ball »
“Transformative ideas,” explained keynote speaker Roosevelt Montás, “are ideas that have the power to transform the world and transform you.”Hundreds of Duke students and faculty were listening and engaging. The first evening of the Transformative Ideas and POLIS Symposium kicked off in style last Thursday evening with a “Spring in the 20s” ball. Think suits, long dresses and live jazz.“We wanted to inspire our students and bring people together to reflect back and think forward at Duke’s centennial. Live jazz seemed to… read more about Transformative Ideas and Polis Programs Bring Serious Fun »
Duke is equipping students to respect differing viewpoints in a variety of ways. This Duke Today series examines the decline in civil discourse and Duke’s efforts to improve campus dialogue.Across this polarized country, college professors are grappling with the same dilemma: how to create a classroom environment where students feel free to speak their minds.Nasser Hussain has an answer, and you’ll forgive him if he sounds like a throwback to another era.“I establish ground rules,” says Hussain, associate director of the… read more about Encouraging Civility »
“You become like how you study.” This is one of the pedagogical philosophies that Polly Ha hopes to transmit as the new director of Transformative Ideas. The Divinity School and History professor exudes enthusiasm when describing the program, launched by the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences in 2022. “Transformative Ideas is really raising a new generation of leaders,” she said. “Students complete the program and carve a — sometimes new! — career path based on creativity, engagement and a desire to enrich the… read more about Meet Polly Ha, Transformative Ideas’ New Director »
John Vervaeke, professor of psychology, cognitive science, and Buddhist psychology at the University of Toronto, discusses the contemporary crisis of meaning: The widely documented prevalence of depression, loneliness, isolation, and listlessness in society today. He identifies the causes of this crisis in the changes in attitudes and social structures accompanying modernity. He proposes community, extra-personal purposes, and a deeper rediscovery of ethical-… read more about Meaning in Life and Why It Matters with Dr. John Vervaeke »
Christianity and Islam, the world’s two largest religions, are both implicated in the origins and fate of modernity. What is the relationship between each religion and liberal modernity? What new light does this attention to these relationships shed on liberalism? What does the future hold for Christianity, Islam, and the liberal order given the expected decline of the religiously unaffiliated and increase in the percentage of religious believers as shares of the global population in… read more about Transformative Ideas Addresses Islam and Modernity »
John Rose teaches about freedom of expression in a polarized era. He doesn't expect us to agree. But he wants us to listen, with respect. read more about John Rose Teaches Freedom of Expression in a Polarized Era »
Duke students with a desire to live outside their own political and cultural bubbles will have a new housing option this fall. A new Living-Learning Community for Transformative Ideas will house about 35 students with meeting spaces that can host up to 75. Headquartered in Kilgo Quad on Duke’s West Campus, this new program will bring students together who are actively looking to explore ideas different from their own, said its faculty sponsor, Jed Atkins. “This is about having students take the lead in creating a space… read more about Coming Soon: A Duke Dorm for Transformative Ideas »
Set deep within the Blue Ridge mountains, far from Duke’s campus, a group of almost 40 campers huddled around the campfire ready to discuss the day’s activities. Archery, board games and hiking had kept them busy. But now it was evening, and they were tired and ready to eat s’mores and share typical campfire stories — like dealing with academic stress and deciding on a career path.Well, maybe not so typical, as these weren’t just any campers, but Duke sophomores on a meditative retreat.Soon, they would go back to their… read more about Students Explore Life’s Most Important Questions Through New Program for Sophomores »
As a double major in Chemistry and Classical Languages, senior Sophia Dort realized that though she had taken many courses in both the sciences and the humanities, they rarely overlapped. “When I saw an opportunity to take a class that was focused on medicine, but looking at it from a humanities point of view, I was pretty excited,” she said, explaining how she ended up taking a new course on Medicine and Human Flourishing this spring. The course, cross-listed between Classical Studies, Global Health and Ethics, is part… read more about Class of 2022: Sophia Dort, Reflecting on her Study of ‘Medicine and Human Flourishing’ »