The Arts of Dialogue. Five public lectures with five USI professors
Institutional Communication Service
From democratic processes to innovation drivers, from conflict management to migration, from online communication to literary discourse: dialogue is at the heart of human activity. The USI Faculty of Communication Sciences organises a series of public lectures to reveal – in different contexts – the arts of this important communication process, overcoming the setting based on the effectiveness of unilateral persuasion and affirming the value of an exploration of knowledge built between several actors.
“The Arts of Dialogue” is a series of five public lectures held on the Lugano campus, Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7pm. The approach is the dialogic one, based on the discussion between the lecturer, an expert in the different contexts discussed, and the audience.
The first in the series, on March 8, will be a lecture by Prof. Sara Greco (Institute of Argumentation, Linguistics and Semiotics), who will discuss with lawyer and mediator Kate Geary, in Italian, on “Dialogare per trasformare il conflitto” (Dialogue to transform the conflict). On March 22, Prof. Katharina Lobinger (Institute for Communication Technologies), will discuss – in English – the topic of “Visual dialogues online. Networks and Relationships”, together with Lugano-based photographer and graphic designer Virna Buda. Prof. Sara Garau (Institute of Italian Studies) will intervene on April 5 with her considerations, in Italian, on “Dialogare a distanza. Letteratura e lettere” (Long distance dialogue. Literature and letters). On May 3, Prof. Jeanne Mengis (Institute of Marketing and Communication Management) will interact with Silvia Panigone (CTI start-up coach and founder of start-up and SME consulting firm ADYA), in Italian, on “Dialogare per innovare” (Dialogue to innovate). Finally, on May 31, Prof. Jolanta Drzewiecka (Institute of Public Communication) will close the series with a lecture, in English, on “Self and Others: dialogue about migration”.
Prof. Andrea Rocci, Dean of the USI Faculty of Communication Sciences, believes that “the topic of dialogue enables a critical view on communication as an activity that requires a sense of sharing to be able to move forward. In other words, the very concept of dialogue highlights how communication is a dynamic practice that constantly links different meanings, orientations and interests. A practice that is therefore fed by the diversity and plurality of voices and points of view, which are not taken as “final words” but rather as a starting point for a deeper understanding and richer relationship between people. Ironically, this is an approach that is seldom considered in today’s frantic information society”.
