Join us online or in-person for an Afternoon Light Live with Professor Leila Brammer and Georgina Downer.

Professor Brammer is Director of Outreach and Instructional Development of the Parrhesia Program for Public Discourse at the University of Chicago.

The University of Chicago’s Parrhesia Program for Public Discourse aims to foster “vigorous, inclusive, and productive public discourse” through its undergraduate curriculum, live events, and support for principles of free expression.

We invite you to join us online OR attend in person (if you are in Melbourne) at the Robert Menzies Institute by registering via Eventbrite.

Event Details

Date: Thursday 26 March 2026
Time: 2 – 3pm (AEDT)
Venue: Live Online over Zoom/ Robert Menzies Institute, Old Quad, East Wing, University of Melbourne, Parkville (for live audience).
Tickets: FREE registration to join online available HERE / To attend in person, register HERE (limited seating)

This is a non-catered event.

Leila and Georgina will talk for the first 30 min, and the next 30 min will be audience Q&A.

Professor Brammer’s academic work focuses on rhetoric — how arguments are made, how persuasion works, and how public disagreement shapes democratic life. She studies not just what people argue about, but how they argue — which goes directly to the heart of respectful disagreement.

Based at the University of Chicago, an institution known for its strong commitment to free expression and open inquiry, she operates within a culture that takes debate seriously. That grounding gives her a principled framework for thinking about disagreement without silencing.

At a time of heightened polarisation, learning the art of disagreeing well has become urgent in liberal democracies – and we are delighted to bring Professor Leila to you to unpack this art.