Doing Civility : Breaking the Cycle of Incivility on the Campus

Doing Civility: Breaking the Cycle of Incivility on the Campus, by Kent M. Weeks, encourages students, faculty, and staff to take proactive steps to become more civil. Civility involves extending mutual respect to others, especially people with different values, beliefs, and ideas. It also involves a civic responsibility to strengthen the community. Weeks notes that changing structures or policies can be an important first step, but only individuals, sometimes acting in a collective capacity, can mediate the conflicting passions of the moment. Doing Civility uses real-life stories involving students and faculty to illustrate how to overcome the complex societal norms that trigger incivility on campus. Each chapter also includes interactive tools and exercises to help readers personally engage the subject of civility.

Doing Civility: Breaking the Cycle of Incivility on the Campus, explores ways in which members of the college community can take proactive steps to break the cycle of incivility. Civility requires extending mutual respect to others, especially people with different values, beliefs, and ideas. It also involves a civic responsibility to strengthen the community.

Doing Civility dives into how civility can be applied in practical ways using real-life student stories.

Doing Civility is a companion book to In Search of Civility. Together, the two books provide sharp analysis for understanding civility on campus and in the workplace. Doing Civility incorporates interactive tools and exercises at the end of each chapter designed to help readers apply the concepts covered in the chapter. The tools and exercises are perfect for self-reflection or small group discussions.

Americans are trouble by the growing incivility they see in public life and in their interpersonal relationships. The modern college and university may offer the best and most effective forum for providing an education in civility for our future leaders. It’s time to do civility.