A Platform for Students to Learn, Lead, and Engage Across Differences
The Doyle Dialogue Fellows (DDF) program is designed to foster a culture of dialogue among Georgetown students, preparing them to engage, in and ultimately lead, constructive conversations on critical issues on campus and beyond.
Doyle Dialogue Fellows learn to participate and deeply engage in challenging conversations across political, ideological, religious, racial, social, and other lines of difference.
Fellows participate in workshops and dialogues that focus on experiencing dialogue across differences, ways to approach challenging conversations, as well as dialogue facilitation skills. Fellows receive mentorship while working towards designing and implementing creative, self-directed, campus-based projects aimed at cultivating dialogue across differences.
Throughout the spring semester, fellows take part in eight two-hour, biweekly sessions led by Doyle Program faculty and staff. The program draws on structured dialogue methodologies, including those developed by the In Your Shoes™ Research and Practice Center and Resetting the Table, which emphasize reflective listening, perspective-taking, and collaborative inquiry. Sessions are highly experiential, giving fellows the chance to practice skills in real time, reflect together, and integrate their learning into daily life. This approach equips students not only with knowledge about dialogue but with embodied habits of communication and leadership they can carry into diverse contexts.
Beyond the intensive spring semester, fellows receive mentorship and are expected to support dialogue at Georgetown in any number of creative ways: by co-facilitating campus dialogues, mentoring current fellows, collaborating with faculty to bring dialogue into classrooms and support inclusive teaching initiatives, serving as ambassadors who represent the Doyle Program across campus, promote dialogue in student communities, and/or assist with outreach and recruitment.
Fellows may have the opportunity to showcase their learnings to the campus community through venues such as the Teaching, Learning & Innovation Summer Institute (TLISI), as well as have opportunities for sustained involvement in dialogue initiatives throughout their academic careers via regular participation in events and activities through the Doyle Engaging Difference Program and other campus partners.
Participating students will:
Take part in eight two-hour, in-person sessions led by Doyle Program faculty and staff through the spring semester.
Engage in facilitated, meaningful dialogue with their peers across salient lines of difference and disagreement.
Receive training on dialogue skills, principles, and facilitation techniques.
Design and implement a campus-based project related to the theme of dialogue across difference.
Receive mentorship to support dialogue at Georgetown in a number of creative ways: as on-campus dialogue facilitators, leading campus-wide dialogue initiatives, collaboration with faculty on inclusive pedagogy, etc.
Receive a small financial award upon successful completion of the program.
The DDF program runs in the spring semester, from January to May. Beyond the program, fellows are expected to contribute to a more inclusive and engaged campus community and maintain involvement in dialogue initiatives on an ongoing basis.
The Doyle Dialogue Fellows program is open to all Georgetown University undergraduate students—including Hilltop Campus, Capitol Campus, and Georgetown University in Qatar students—studying in Washington, DC, during the spring 2026 semester who have an interest in engaging in meaningful dialogue across difference. While all students are welcome to apply, preference will be given to first-year and second-year students. This program offers a unique opportunity for those earlier in their academic journey to develop their dialogue skills and contribute to a more inclusive and engaged campus community.
Program Timeline
For more information, please contact bcstudentprograms@georgetown.edu.
The Doyle Dialogue Fellows program is jointly administered by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) at Georgetown University and integrated with the Georgetown Dialogues Initiative (GDI).
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Testimonials Slider
The Doyle Dialogue Fellows Program was an incredibly eye-opening experience that strengthened my ability to have constructive conversations on critical issues across political, ideological, and social divides by fostering dialogue and leading. Through biweekly participation in discussions to enhance leadership and bridge divides through effective dialogue, I grew strong relationships with the members of my cohort as well as the program leaders.
Sophia Urdinola
Doyle Dialogue Fellows Information Session 2025
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT Car Barn
Doyle Dialogue Fellows Information Session 2024
November 8, 2024
