From the emergence of self-portraiture in the early Renaissance to Instagram and TikTok, humans have contemplated, manipulated, and shared representations of the self in many forms. How and why do we portray ourselves? Communicate our identities? Represent our groups? What gets through and what gets lost? How do others “read” us and how do we “read” others? How do we communicate constructively across differences? This foundational course for Honors at CSU aims to foster socially competent communicators within the Honors community and beyond. In this course, we will examine how our own intersecting identities are reflected in our values, beliefs, assumptions, and communication behaviors. Through foundational texts, case studies, and student-led examples, we will focus on how diverse identities and worldviews create larger relational communities within broader social systems and contemporary contexts. We will learn about and practice skillfully-adaptive, constructive engagement across differences. We will undertake discussions and projects that enable students, as leaders of today and leaders of tomorrow, to cultivate curiosity about their surroundings and engage meaningfully and productively within their communities.