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Try to Love the Questions: From Debate to Dialogue in Classrooms and Life
An essential guide to dialogue in the college classroom and beyond
Try to Love the Questions gives college students a framework for understanding and practicing dialogue across difference in and out of the classroom. This invaluable guide explores the challenges facing students as they prepare to listen, speak, and learn in a college community and encourages students and faculty alike to consider inclusive, respectful communication as a skill—not as a limitation on freedom.
Among the most common challenges on college campuses today is figuring out how to navigate our politically charged culture and engage productively with opposing viewpoints. Lara Schwartz introduces the fundamental principles of free expression, academic freedom, and academic dialogue, showing how open expression is the engine of social progress, scholarship, and inclusion. She sheds light on the rules and norms that govern campus discourse—such as the First Amendment, campus expression policies, and academic standards—and encourages students to adopt a mindset of inquiry that embraces uncertainty and a love of questions.
Empowering students, scholars, and instructors to listen generously, explore questions with integrity, and communicate to be understood, Try to Love the Questions includes writing exercises and discussion questions in every chapter, making it an indispensable resource for anyone interested in practicing good-faith dialogue.
Try to Love the Questions gives college students a framework for understanding and practicing dialogue across difference in and out of the classroom. This invaluable guide explores the challenges facing students as they prepare to listen, speak, and learn in a college community and encourages students and faculty alike to consider inclusive, respectful communication as a skill—not as a limitation on freedom.
Among the most common challenges on college campuses today is figuring out how to navigate our politically charged culture and engage productively with opposing viewpoints. Lara Schwartz introduces the fundamental principles of free expression, academic freedom, and academic dialogue, showing how open expression is the engine of social progress, scholarship, and inclusion. She sheds light on the rules and norms that govern campus discourse—such as the First Amendment, campus expression policies, and academic standards—and encourages students to adopt a mindset of inquiry that embraces uncertainty and a love of questions.
Empowering students, scholars, and instructors to listen generously, explore questions with integrity, and communicate to be understood, Try to Love the Questions includes writing exercises and discussion questions in every chapter, making it an indispensable resource for anyone interested in practicing good-faith dialogue.
- GenresWomensNonfiction
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2024
11 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Lara Hope Schwartz
2 books1 followerUPDATE November 2023: an anonymous individual continues to impersonate me in web contact forms. If you think you heard from "me," it was this impersonator. I regret the harm this person is causing.
UPDATE March 2023
In January 2023, an anonymous individual started spamming my website using an email from someone else they were harassing. They now use my email addresses to write harassing comments on blogs and to sign petitions with which I disagree. In February 2023 they created a profile with my name and an unauthorized picture of me to harass me here. This account and three additional fraudulent harassing accounts have since been deleted. They are now spending their time using the anti-LGBTQ groomer libel, accusing me of preying on children because I am an ally to civil rights.
Their most recent profile uses the name of a beloved deceased friend.
In the context of stochastic terrorism against LGBTQ people, nationwide book bans, librarians being harassed for providing inclusive literature choices, and rising hate-motivated violence against trans people, particularly Black trans women, this is just a drop in the bucket- just a sad, lonely, troubled person being awful.
If you run across their hate, I encourage you to redouble your efforts to be an ally to trans people. Support the freedom to read, the freedom to live as one's true self, and the freedom to speak out against rising hate in our country.
***
Lara Schwartz teaches at American University, where she is founding Director of the Project on Civic Dialogue (formerly Project on Civil Discourse). Her areas of study include free expression, dialogue, constitutional law, civil liberties, politics, communications, and policy. Drawing on her experience as a legislative lawyer, lobbyist, and communications strategist in leading civil rights organizations, Lara encourages students apply their knowledge of law and policy to real-world challenges. Prior to joining the SPA faculty, Lara served as Director of Strategic Engagement at the American Constitution Society for Law & Policy. Previously she served as Courts Matter director at Media Matters, Legal Director at the Human Rights Campaign, and Vice President of External Affairs at the American Association of People with Disabilities. Lara worked in litigation at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom and Gilbert, Heintz, and Randolph. She also served as a law clerk to Judge Ronald Lee Gilman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Lara has appeared on national and local radio and television programs and written op-eds published in national papers and local papers of record.
Schwartz is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.
UPDATE March 2023
In January 2023, an anonymous individual started spamming my website using an email from someone else they were harassing. They now use my email addresses to write harassing comments on blogs and to sign petitions with which I disagree. In February 2023 they created a profile with my name and an unauthorized picture of me to harass me here. This account and three additional fraudulent harassing accounts have since been deleted. They are now spending their time using the anti-LGBTQ groomer libel, accusing me of preying on children because I am an ally to civil rights.
Their most recent profile uses the name of a beloved deceased friend.
In the context of stochastic terrorism against LGBTQ people, nationwide book bans, librarians being harassed for providing inclusive literature choices, and rising hate-motivated violence against trans people, particularly Black trans women, this is just a drop in the bucket- just a sad, lonely, troubled person being awful.
If you run across their hate, I encourage you to redouble your efforts to be an ally to trans people. Support the freedom to read, the freedom to live as one's true self, and the freedom to speak out against rising hate in our country.
***
Lara Schwartz teaches at American University, where she is founding Director of the Project on Civic Dialogue (formerly Project on Civil Discourse). Her areas of study include free expression, dialogue, constitutional law, civil liberties, politics, communications, and policy. Drawing on her experience as a legislative lawyer, lobbyist, and communications strategist in leading civil rights organizations, Lara encourages students apply their knowledge of law and policy to real-world challenges. Prior to joining the SPA faculty, Lara served as Director of Strategic Engagement at the American Constitution Society for Law & Policy. Previously she served as Courts Matter director at Media Matters, Legal Director at the Human Rights Campaign, and Vice President of External Affairs at the American Association of People with Disabilities. Lara worked in litigation at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom and Gilbert, Heintz, and Randolph. She also served as a law clerk to Judge Ronald Lee Gilman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Lara has appeared on national and local radio and television programs and written op-eds published in national papers and local papers of record.
Schwartz is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 30, 2024
A must read for all who serve on college boards in any capacity - the book highlights the pressing need of continuing to maintain academic freedom on college campuses in the US. The love for the questions is a mindset that requires work through its mere intentionality but the premise itself is arguably critical in maintaining the confidence that the world has in academic institutions.
February 7, 2025
I think this should be a must read for all those that go to college and especially, those who have roles in teaching!
October 20, 2025
really cool ideas! very thoughtful and nuanced. just repetitive. should’ve been half as long and it would’ve been perfect.
November 20, 2025
Book for work book club. Good advice for students starting (or continuing) college on freedom of speech and class discussions.
September 19, 2024
There were some insightful ideas that were interesting, but overall very repetitive. This book could have been summed up in 50 pages instead of the very long 200ish. I think it is helpful for college students, but not a super engaging or enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews