The Intellectual Square: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Civic Discourse and Engagement on Campus

Join us for a dynamic panel conversation exploring how civic learning and civic discourse can be embedded across disciplines and integrated into student pathways. This timely discussion aligns with SUNY’s Civic Discourse General Education requirement and Farmingdale’s continued commitment to advancing democratic engagement across curriculum and co-curriculum.

Featured Speakers
John Draeger, Ph.D.
Professor of Philosophy, SUNY Buffalo State
Dr. Draeger teaches moral and political philosophy and previously served for 16 years as Director of the Teaching & Learning Center. An inaugural fellow at the Institute for Citizens & Scholars and co-founder of the award-winning Improve with Metacognition project, his work spans public discourse, conflicting values, moral integrity, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. His research on thoughtful habits has been supported by three National Science Foundation grants.

Chris Keegan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Director of the Institute for Civil Society and Democracy, and Coordinator of the American Democracy Project at SUNY Oneonta. Dr. Keegan specializes in ethics, political philosophy, and philosophical psychology. He served as scholar-in-residence at the Historic Santa Fe Foundation (2022–2023) and brings deep expertise in democratic engagement and civil society.

Moderator

Dr. Bahar Zoghi holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (2006), Master of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (2004), and Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering (2002) from the City University of New York, along with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (1996) from Polytechnic University of Tehran. She is a registered professional engineer in New York and Connecticut with over nine years of private sector experience. Dr. Zoghi is currently the Associate Dean and a professor in the Civil Engineering Technology program at Farmingdale State College. She played a key role in the development and growth of the Civil Engineering Technology program and served as Chair of the program from 2020 to 2025, during which time the program achieved its first ABET accreditation. Previously, she served as Acting Chair of the Automotive Technology Department (2019–2021) and Acting Assistant Dean of the School of Engineering Technology (2016–2019). She has also served as an ABET Program Evaluator (PEV) since 2018 and is a committee member of the Civic Discourse and the Intellectual Square initiative at Farmingdale State College.

Why Attend?
Explore institutional strategies for embedding civic learning across academic programs
Examine the role of dialogue, ethics, and democratic competencies in higher education
Connect civic discourse to student development and applied learning pathways
Engage with SUNY faculty leaders advancing democracy-focused education
This panel is part of Farmingdale State College’s broader Civic Discourse & Intellectual Square Initiative and reflects our institutional commitment to community and civic engagement.

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