Summer 2026 - World in Conversation Dialogues
World in Conversation (WinC) is a Center for Public Diplomacy that facilitates dialogues for Penn State students by Penn State students. These dialogues are meant to expand perspectives and invite greater understanding on topics that are relevant, complex and often contentious, such as the ones discussed in this class. No one will tell you what you should think; instead they will ask you to express what you actually think.
You will have the opportunity to participate in online facilitated dialogues.
During this time, you will engage in conversation with a small number of your classmates in an informal, online setting. Because of the nature of the material (and online nature of the class), the group will provide an open forum for you to express yourself as well as to listen carefully to others. One World in Conversation Facilitator will lead each group. These facilitators are trained to foster open dialogue about the issues of race and ethnic relations. If you take the risk to be honest with yourself and others during this conversation, you will undoubtedly leave the group having learned something.
Each dialogue session is 75 minutes in duration and will occur outside of your regular class meeting times. You can register for your first World in Conversation dialogue by following the directions in the email that will be sent to your PSU account. If you don’t receive an email before Block One starts, contact staff@soc119.org.
Only those registered in Web (001) OR in-person (002 and 003) with the four credit option will do two dialogues. If you’re in section 002 and 003 but taking the three credit option, you do not do any World in Conversation dialogues.
BLOCK ONE: Web (001) and In-person (002 - 003) with four credits will complete ONE dialogue between July 6 to 17.
(You will receive the invitation to register for this first dialogue around July 4).
BLOCK TWO: Web (001) and In-person (002 - 003) with four credits will complete the second dialogue between July 20 to 31.
(You will receive the invitation to register for this second dialogue around July 16).
YOU CAN ONLY DO ONE DIALOGUE IN BLOCK ONE, THEN ONE DIALOGUE IN BLOCK TWO.
In order to receive credit, your attendance will be recorded. But keep in mind: You will not be able to attend the program (or receive credit) if you are more than 10 minutes late. To ease any nerves about recording the dialogues: the recordings are for internal use only (including training). We would never share these recordings with the public without your explicit approval.
Upon registering for a dialogue, you will be sent a confirmation email with instructions about how to attend and log in to this virtual dialogue. Please be sure that you are in a quiet space with a strong internet connection when you participate in the dialogue. We recommend wearing headphones, checking your microphone, and having lights on so everyone can see you.
The conversations are as open and awesome as the group makes them.
Recording will not be looked at for your grade.
WinC participation is worth a total of:
36 points toward your grade in this class (18 points/dialogue), for the Web Section (001)
36 points toward your grade in this class (18 points/dialogue), for the In-person sections (002 and 003) with four credits.
However, points will be deducted from this grade if you miss the in-person meeting portion of the class (-3 points per missed in-person meeting).0 points towards your grade in this class, for the In-person sections (002 and 003) with three credits.
If you have any questions or issues regarding your World in Conversation account, scheduling, or about the dialogues themselves, please contact the WinC team via staff@worldinconversation.org, but be sure to check out the FAQ section first. After you send an email, someone will get back to you within 24 hours.
FAQs:
How do I register for a dialogue if I didn’t receive the invitation email?
1. Go to this page: https://winc.la.psu.edu/
2. Sign-in: Use your PSU credentials
3. You will enter a dashboard and see all of the dialogues available to you. Find a dialogue that is open.
4. If you still cannot sign-in, email staff@worldinconversation.org
How do I unregister for a dialogue?
1. Log back into the registration system: https://winc.la.psu.edu/
2. Check your registration history to see which dialogue is upcoming
3. Click on Schedule Now next to that dialogue
4. Click on View (next to the one you're registered for)
5. Click on Unregister for this Conversation (big red button)