Barnard College was one of 26 higher education institutions to
receive $100,000 for academic programs to promote campus
environments where sensitive subjects can be discussed in a
spirit of open scholarly inquiry, academic freedom and with
respect for different viewpoints. The Ford Foundation made the
awards in its "Difficult Dialogues" initiative in New York City
on Dec. 12, 2005. The Difficult Dialogues initiative was created
in response to reports of growing intolerance and efforts to
curb academic freedom at colleges and universities. The goal is
to help institutions address this challenge through academic and
campus programs that enrich learning, encourage new scholarship
and engage students and faculty in constructive dialogue about
contentious political, religious, racial and cultural issues. A
key component of the Difficult Dialogues initiative at Barnard
was the development of a new "Reacting to the Past" game, The
Struggle for Palestine, under the direction of Natasha Gill
(Research Associate) and M