Marquette University is requiring a civil discourse course for many first-year students, aiming to teach students how to debate and engage with challenging topics rather than avoid conflict. The university’s approach includes structured small-group discussions and instructor-provided context, with students practicing skills related to free expression and disagreement. The course emerges amid broader campus and policy disputes over which kinds of speech, events, or discussions universities should permit. The story highlights that administrators, lawmakers, student groups, and critics have all contributed to a climate where speakers and classroom debates can face restrictions or escalations. For leaders focused on student learning and campus climate, the program is framed as a curriculum-based way to reduce “intimidation” and equip students to argue, listen, and reconsider—skills treated as necessary for work and civic life.