How might we perfect an ethical means of communication? Since Plato’s time, rhetoricians have sought to answer this question by concentrating on our speaking or writing, and too few of us consider the vital role of listening, of listeners. We rhetoricians have not been trained in rhetorical listening, nor have we done much to research or theorize listening and what (we) listeners might do. Fewer of us still have considered listening when it’s hard, when the speaker’s words are painful, upsetting, even threatening. I will speak to the three categories of hard listening that I’ve taxonomized so far: listening with empathy, listening with understanding, and listening with patience–all of which can signal, invite, and sustain ethical communication. I will describe and illustrate each category, anticipating audience questions and comments that might help us expand those categories as we consider the elements of ethical communication.

About the Speaker

Cheryl Glenn is Penn State University Distinguished Professor of English and Director of the Program in Writing and Rhetoric (PWR), Emerita. An award-winning scholar, teacher, and mentor, she has served as president of The Conference of College Composition and Communication (CCCC), the largest group of university writing instructors in the world. She has published widely and lectured worldwide. In 2009, she received the Young Rhetoricians’ Rhetorician of the Year Award; in 2015, she received an honorary doctorate from Orebro University in Sweden; in 2019, she received the Conference on College Composition and Communication Exemplar Award; and in 2024, she was inducted as a Rhetoric Society of America Fellow.

About DRBU Symposium 

DRBU Symposium is a lecture and workshop series designed to complement DRBU’s academic curriculum by connecting with scholars and experts, extending conversations outside the classroom, and applying what we learn from the classical texts to the modern world. Our guests in the past have spanned a wide range—from renowned professors in various fields, to accomplished translators, to civil rights activists. We also host Faculty Lunch Talks, where DRBU faculty present their ongoing research, and the annual Spring Student Symposium, featuring paper presentations and recitations by current DRBU students. For info about many of our past events, see the Symposium Lecture Archive. 

More exciting lectures are in the works for the remainder of this school year! 

Effective January 2026, the name “Symposium” will be changed to “Colloquium” to better reflect the format of our events. In academia, “a symposium” is usually a single event with multiple talks on the same topic, whereas “colloquium” is a broader term, usually featuring a different lecturer on a different topic at each event. (Colloquium, from Latin, from colloqui ‘to converse’:  from col- ‘together’ + loqui ‘to talk’.)

Hybrid Lecture 

You can enjoy this event in person at Dharma Realm Buddhist University, Southwing Upstairs Lounge, 1991 Virtue Way, Ukiah, CA. Or register on the link below to get access to the Zoom link.