Seventeenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

The election of President Donald Trump as President of the United States in 2016 has triggered worldwide debate over his Administration’s policies and actions both domestically and internationally. Moreover, the nontraditional approach and style embraced by this US President has been both criticized and applauded. Overall the implications of the President’s gruff style, repudiation of the popular media, castigation of opponents or contrary positions, and use of social media have all been said to have had a deleterious affect on the conduct of public life and politics. This workshop session will evaluate this proposition and encourage interaction between the presenter and participants around a dialogue about the loss of civility in politics and its implications for reasoned debate and perhaps democracy itself. The session will highlight substantial exchanges with and between audience members and consider the domestic and global context of the changing nature of political debate and discourse.