Apply Today!
Applications due by February 6, 2022
Eligibility:
Students of all majors at the graduate or undergraduate level
Event Date:
Thursday evening, April 21, 2022 - Friday evening, April 22, 2022 (This is an onsite event, adhering to COVID risk mitigation per UCLA, Los Angeles County, and California guidelines in place at the time of the event.)
Location:
On or near the UCLA campus, Los Angeles, CA
About the Event:
In today’s politically polarized society, it is more important than ever to aim to understand those with whom we disagree. This forum will bring together students and professionals representing diverse viewpoints to discuss their perspectives on policy and technical questions surrounding innovations in big tech, social media policy, and the future of AI. The goal of this event is to enable a small group of twenty students and four academics or professionals in the field (to be announced soon) to engage in substantive conversation about these issues and build skills for engaging in complicated issues with nuance and civility. During the event, students will engage with the speakers and other students during panel discussions, large and small group sessions, and reading and writing exercises with the aim to understand a diverse set of viewpoints surrounding tech policy. This event is co-hosted by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law and Policy.There is no cost to attend this event. Meals Thursday night through Friday night will be provided. Travel and lodging will be arranged and provided as needed.The forum is part of the Mercatus Center's larger Pluralist Lab, an effort to foster open mindedness and mutual forbearance while actively demonstrating how we can exchange ideas and coexist with our fellow citizens across deep divides. The Pluralist Lab hosts forums like this one in order to encourage experimentation and development of new tools for improving civil discourse in professional and everyday life. We are hopeful that this series of conversations on the core values and current challenges to a free, open, and equal society will yield the understanding and tools necessary for rejuvenating them.