KARE-ing about Civil Discourse in Higher Education: A Practical Framework for Cultivating Virtues to Sustain It

Purpose: Although civil discourse is widely endorsed as an important practice for life in a democracy, faculty often lack practical tools for designing courses that cultivate the virtues required to sustain engagement across disagreement. This article introduces and applies the KARE-ing about Character framework as a course-level design tool for cultivating civil discourse. Approach: Drawing on a developmentally grounded account of virtue formation, the article translates theory into a practical design heuristic organized around four components: Know, Act, Realign, and Encourage (KARE). The framework is illustrated through a table of course-level practices focused on four virtues central to civil discourse and through two discipline-specific case studies. A faculty-facing worksheet is also introduced to support its application. Findings: Civil discourse is best understood as sustained by a constellation of virtues, such as intellectual humility, charitable listening, patience in discomfort, and fair-mindedness to address distinct challenges that arise during disagreement. Designing education to develop and sustain civil discourse requires repeated opportunities for learning, practice, reflection, and reinforcement embedded in routine course structures. Originality: This article contributes a design tool that helps faculty translate their commitment to civil discourse into course design. Practical implications: The KARE framework and worksheet provide faculty with a structured method for strengthening civil discourse through small, context-sensitive adjustments to existing courses. By supporting sustained engagement across deep differences, this work contributes to broader efforts to foster respectful dialogue and democratic participation in higher education.