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Deliberative Citizenship Initiative

Building Democracy One Conversation at a Time

  • The Initiative
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      • Deliberation Across the Curriculum
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Main Content

Deliberative Citizenship Initiative

Building Democracy, One Conversation at a Time

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Spring 2023 D Teams are here! The deadline to register is January 23 — learn more here and sign up today!

The DCI is also pleased to share its 2021-2022 Annual Report, which highlights the people, programs, and events that were a part of the DCI’s second year of creating spaces for productive engagement in the Davidson community.

Keep scrolling to watch the DCI’s introductory video, and check out other videos on the Fellows, D Teams, Deliberative Forums, and Training pages!

 

Introducing the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akcjJUqD4bM

Responding to Our Current Moment

Our contemporary public sphere is in crisis. We have deep concerns about our society, and yet we feel unheard and unrecognized.  We want to understand the concerns of others, and yet we are anxious about interacting with those we disagree.  Our civic life has thus become fragmented and incapable of fostering deep engagement on the issues that most animate and trouble us.

Simultaneously, our conception of citizenship has become infected by provincialism and pettiness. Instead of bringing us together around a shared sense of identity, it has been subsumed by divisive debates about “who counts” as citizens. Rather than extending citizenship as an uplifting set of fundamental political rights and responsibilities that we hold in common, we have reduced it to questions of geography, ethnicity, and immigration status.

Against this backdrop, Davidson College has initiated the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative, a campus- and community-wide project focused on the uses of deliberation as an alternative to the non-constructive cross talk that has come to dominate our public discourse.

Such deliberation welcomes rather than fears productive disagreement and good argument, which lie at the heart of intellectual and democratic life. It is based in the belief that any real, long-term progress on our society’s challenges requires public discourse that is animated by key deliberative dispositions, including open-mindedness, empathy, and an action orientation.

To learn more about the work of the Initiative, click on the image below or keep scrolling to see our latest blog posts and recent and upcoming events.

DCI logo

Latest Blog Posts

Registration for Upcoming Deliberative Forum on Social Media is Open!

With Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter, the Supreme Court’s upcoming rulings on two cases (Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter …
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calendar

10 Minutes a Day!

Mae Corley ’25 (DCI Fellow) As a DCI Fellow this year, I have learned the power of a great facilitator …
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Diversity and Deliberation: Making the Connection

By Kayleigh Davies ’25 (DCI Fellow) Diversity is the practice of including and involving people from a range of different …
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zipper

Intellectual Humility and the Power of Questions

Heidi Meyer ’23 (DCI Fellow) “Do you know how a zipper works?” “Yes,” I quickly answered confidently on the survey, …
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Citizen University CEO Eric Liu Visits Davidson Monday – RSVP Today!

We are excited to share some information about two upcoming events co-sponsored by the Bonner Scholars Program and the Deliberative …
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Don’t Expect It, but Persuasion is Possible

By Brody Bassett ’25 (DCI Fellow) Going into my first semester as a facilitator with the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative, I …
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Spring 2023 D Teams are Here! Register Today!

Following our successful fall deliberations about elections, this spring the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) is hosting two tracks of discussions …
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Fall 2022 D Teams

Concerns surrounding elections have heightened in recent years as Americans worry about voter fraud and voter suppression, election security and …
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mother and son

Deliberation in African Homes: Gamechanger

Divin Dushimimana ’26 (DCI Fellow) I believe that one good conversation can shift the direction of change forever. When I …
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digging

Digging Deeper: On the Challenges of Agreement

Lauren Collver ’25 (DCI Fellow) There are many clear takeaways one expects from participating in a deliberation. New perspectives, deeper …
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Events

Upcoming Events

Past Events

Economic Mobility Forum

The Davidson College Deliberative Citizenship Initiative, Davidson College Center for Civic Engagement, and North Mecklenburg Economic Mobility Collaborative hosted an …
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Free Speech and Inclusion Forum

On Nov. 4, 2021, The Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) hosted an online Deliberative Forum to discuss Free Speech and Inclusion: Are …
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"Our Housing Future: Needs, Goals, and Solutions" Event Page

Our Housing Future: Needs, Goals, and Solutions

On Tuesday, March 30, 2021, the Davidson College Deliberative Citizenship Initiative and Center for Civic Engagement, in partnership with the North Mecklenburg Economic …
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"Guest Speaker Debra Hawhee" Event Page

Spring Deliberative Speaker Series: Debra Hawhee

The DCI and Davidson College Writing Program were pleased to host Debra Hawhee, McCourtney Professor of Civic Deliberation at Penn …
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"Reforming the Supreme Court" Event Page

Reforming the Supreme Court: An Expert Panel and Deliberative Forum

On Thursday, February 12, 2021, the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative and Department of Political Science at Davidson College hosted an online …
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