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Special Event

Sphere@WVU: The Beauty of Experimentation

Society, Civic Culture, and Your Classroom

Dates and Times
Location
West Virginia University Campus
Reynolds Hall
83 Beechurst Avenue, Morgantown, WV 26505
Featured Speakers
Deirdre McCloskey
Deirdre McCloskey

Distinguished Scholar, Isaiah Berlin Chair in Liberal Thought, Cato Institute

Jonathan Rauch headshot
Jonathan Rauch

Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution

Alicia Plemmons
Alicia Plemmons

Assistant Professor, Department of General Business, Research Fellow and Coordinator of Scope of Practice Research, Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation, and Resident Scholar of Data Driven West Virginia West Virginia University

Cathleen Johnson
Cathleen Johnson

Kendrick Chair of Economics, Director of the Center for an Ethical Economy, and Assistant Professor, Economics, West Virginia University

Joshua Hall
Joshua Hall

Milan Puskar Dean of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics and Professor of Economics, West Virginia University

Nadine Strossen
Nadine Strossen

Former President, American Civil Liberties Union; and John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School

Nicholas Buccola
Nicholas Buccola

Author and Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair in Political Science, Linfield University

Robert Brant Hammer
Robert Brant Hammer

Teaching Assistant Professor and Student Managed Investment Fund Faculty Advisor, West Virginia University

Robert Talisse
Robert Talisse

W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy, Vanderbilt University

Sarah Harris
Sarah Harris

National Constitution Center

About

What roles do experimentation and innovation play in society? How does a commitment to free speech and civil discourse promote a healthy and flourishing democracy? How can teachers bring and model these critical ideas in their classrooms?

Join Sphere@WVU on March 31st and April 1st for an engaging, hands‐​on professional development experience like no other. You will learn the answers to these questions and work with colleagues to practice how to bring these concepts to life for your students.

A collaboration between Sphere Education Initiatives and the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University, Sphere@WVU brings together world‐​class scholars and academics in an intimate conversation with high school teachers and administrators. Hosted on the beautiful campus of WVU in the brand‐​new Reynolds Hall, this free event offers the following benefits:

  • 8 hours of professional development
  • Free classroom resources and books
  • 3 meals included
  • $250 stipend upon completion

Schedule

Friday, March 31
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REGISTRATION AND COCKTAIL RECEPTION

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DINNER

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WELCOME REMARKS

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
“Experimentation, Innovation, and Society”

Deirdre McCloskey
​Distinguished Scholar and Isaiah Berlin Chari in Liberal Thought, Cato Institute

Saturday, April 1
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BREAKFAST AND REGISTRATION

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OPENING PANEL CONVERSATION:
“Free Speech, Civil Discourse, and the Role of Teachers.”

Jonathan Rauch
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution

Nadine Strossen
Former President, American Civil Liberties Union; and John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School

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FIRESIDE CHAT:
“Civil Discourse and Social Change”

Nicholas Buccola
Author and Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair in Political Science, Linfield University

Joshua Hall
Milan Puskar Dean of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics and Professor of Economics, West Virginia University

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BREAK

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WORKSHOPS

“Bringing Civil Discourse to Your Classroom”
Sphere Education Initiatives

“Helping Economic Concepts Come Alive Through Non‐​Traditional Methods”

Cathleen Johnson
Kendrick Chair of Economics, Director of the Center for an Ethical Economy, and Assistant Professor, Economics, West Virginia University

“Creating a Society in Your Classroom”

Alicia Plemmons
Assistant Professor, Department of General Business, Research Fellow and Coordinator of Scope of Practice Research, Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation, and Resident Scholar of Data Driven West Virginia West Virginia University

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LUNCH

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS
“The Health of Our Democracy”

Robert Talisse
W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy, Vanderbilt University

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BREAK

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WORKSHOPS

“Real‐​World History and Financial Literacy: The Story of the Democratization of the Credit Market”

Robert Brant Hammer
Teaching Assistant Professor and Student Managed Investment Fund Faculty Advisor, West Virginia University

“Democracy and the Constitution”

Sarah Harris
National Constitution Center

“Getting Your Admin to Say “Yes” to Experimenting in Your Classroom”

David Schmidtz
Professor, Presidential Chair of Moral Science, West Virginia University

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CLOSING REMARKS