DePaul was star-struck when actor Penn Badgley, star of "Gossip Girl" and Netflix's "You," visited campus along with Nura Mowzoon, an instructor at Arizona State University, to present their discourse series "Can We Talk?," on March 28. The event at the Lincoln Park Student Center engaged students in a constructive dialogue that explored how to shift our style of discourse from one of contention to one of cohesion and collaboration.
A buzzing crowd of DePaul students lined up more than two hours early to get the best seats in Room 120 of the Lincoln Park Student Center. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Educator Nura Mowzoon and actor Penn Badgley led a constructive dialogue with students, exploring how to shift discourse from one of contention to one of collaboration. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Audience members show their excitement as they welcome Penn Badgley and Nura Mowzoon to DePaul. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Abdul-Malik Ryan and Jen Goldberg of the Division of Mission and Ministry introduced the event. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Badgley has worked in the entertainment industry for 25 years, giving him a particular grasp of the influences of mass storytelling, media and social dialogue and encouraging him to change the tone from disunity to collaboration. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Mowzoon holds a doctorate in marriage and family therapy, teaches at Arizona State University and specializes in the field of human relationships. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
"Personal transformation is intimately linked with social transformation," Badgley said. "Problems of great social challenges have the same dynamic as the smallest interpersonal relationships." (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Audience questions, reactions and feedback were an integral part of the interactive discussion. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Each question that Badgley and Mowzoon posed to the audience was met with many enthusiastic responses. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
One of the key takeaways from the presentation was "Social change happens when we learn how to have meaningful conversations with the other." (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
During the discussion, Mowzoon asked, "How do we learn how to be with each other and communicate purposefully? How does that create change and achieve societal goals?" (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Before the event, Badgley and Mowzoon were interviewed backstage about their "Can We Talk?" tour. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
More than 500 participants attended the "Can We Talk?" presentation. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)