On Tuesday, February 7th, host of PBS’ (Public Broadcasting System) Open Mind, Alexander Heffner, joined students at Ohio State’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs to speak about “Civil Discourse in An Uncivil Age.” Heffner discussed the importance of empathetic and effective dialogue between Republicans and Democrats, and he expressed his desire for more civil discourse between these parties. Additionally, Heffner also mentioned that he sees bigotry as one of the most insidious forces that cause dysfunction in the American political process. Furthermore, Heffner believes we should describe the current state of politics as “decent” rather than “civil”, as productive conversations between political parties have now become rare and hostile. Heffner’s talk concluded with insightful questions from the audience regarding how to reward cooperation for fostering civil discourse in an era of polarization.