Graham Bullock

Watch our Informational Webinar about the DCN

April 3, 2026 by Graham Bullock

On April 1, 2026, Graham Bullock, Faculty Director of the DCI and PI/Project Director of the Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN) hosted an informational webinar about the DCN. He discussed the motivations for creating both the DCI and DCN, the meaning of deliberative citizenship, and the experience of the DCI over the past six years. He also walked through the design of the DCN, what participating institutions will receive as DCN members, and the application process to join the network. Dr. Bullock also addressed a wide range of questions that came in from audience members who joined the webinar.

If you are interested in learning more about the DCN, please check out the recording of the webinar below. We welcome all accredited higher education institutions to apply, including liberal arts colleges, public and private universities, community colleges, minority-serving institutions, religiously affiliated institutions, tribal colleges, and military academies. Institutions do not need to have existing civil discourse programs in order to apply. The DCN is designed to support both institutions that are launching new initiatives and those seeking to expand existing work.

Questions about the application process may be directed to Graham Bullock at grbullock@davidson.edu or dci@davidson.edu.

An Invitation to Join the Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN)

March 20, 2026 by Graham Bullock

Colleges and universities play a vital role in preparing students to engage thoughtfully with complex ideas and with people who hold different perspectives. Yet many campuses today are searching for ways to better support meaningful dialogue across differences. The Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN) is a new national initiative designed to help meet that need.

Led by the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) and housed within the Martin Institute for Public Good at Davidson College, the DCN will support a diverse cohort of institutions as they build or expand campus programs focused on civil discourse and deliberative learning. Participating institutions will receive training, resources, and first-year funding to support faculty development, student leadership, and public-facing dialogue initiatives, while joining a national community of peers working to strengthen these efforts across higher education. The network is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).

We invite institutions of higher education across the United States to apply to join the DCN. The full invitation, which outlines the program, expectations, and timeline, is available below. You can also learn more about the Deliberative Pedagogy (DeeP) Collaborative, a core component of the network’s faculty development work, at the link below.

DeeP-Collaborative-Invitation-2026-27

Applications to be a member of the first cohort of institutions are due April 13, 2026. We encourage you to share this opportunity with colleagues who may be interested in advancing civil discourse and deliberative learning on their campuses. An informational webinar and Q&A session was held April 1 for anyone who would like to learn more about the DCN (click this link to watch a recording of the webinar).

DCN Application Link

Informational Webinar Registration

More Info about the Deliberative Pedagogy (DeeP) Collaborative

Duke University to Host Fourth Expert Roundtable on Justice and the Rule of Law

March 12, 2026 by Graham Bullock

Poster for fourth forum in American Values Series hosted at Duke University

If you are ready to RSVP to attend the DCI’s Watch Party in Davidson’s Hance Auditorium, please click here. If you would like to register to join the event either online or in person at Duke University, click here.

As the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence approaches, the American Values Deliberative Forum Series continues with its fourth and final Expert Roundtable hosted by Duke University. This roundtable discussion brings together four leading voices to grapple with the principles of justice and the rule of law, core American values that often complement each other but that also have exposed deep tensions during moments of national change.

This public event follows roundtables hosted by Davidson College and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, co-organizers of the deliberative forum series that engages with the foundational ideals of our republic. The panel will consider the role that justice and rule of law have played in shaping the nation’s founding and the significance of these values as we think about our society today and the society that we hope to see in the future.

Through dialogue grounded in history and informed by current policy challenges, especially as they relate to constitutional rights and judicial interpretation of cases related to justice and the rule of law, this featured panelists will model thoughtful deliberation about how best to uphold and balance these enduring commitments in an ever-changing democracy.

“Justice and the Rule of Law: The Case of Constitutional Rights and Judicial Interpretation”
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 from 6:00-7:30pm
Location: Penn Pavilion, Duke University

Featured Panelists:

Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., 2026 Senior Fellow for Divinity and Interdisciplinary Studies, Duke Divinity School

Jeanette Doran, I. Beverly Lake, Jr. Chair in Constitutional Studies and Senior Counsel, John Locke Foundation

Professor Thavolia Glymph, Peabody Family Distinguished Professor of History; Professor of Gender, Sexuality, & Feminist Studies, Duke University

John Hood, President of the John William Pope Foundation

Duke Law School Dean Kerry Abrams will moderate the roundtable conversation.

All members of the Duke University, Davidson College, UNC-Chapel Hill communities, alumni, and the general public are invited to attend this special event. The event is free, but registration is required. For questions, please contact Carolyn Mackman at carolyn.mackman@duke.edu.

To attend virtually or in person at Duke, please register here. Davidson College students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to join a Watch Party in Hance Auditorium — we’ll have beverages and a popcorn bar to enjoy as we listen to the roundtable deliberate. Please RSVP for the watch party here; it is optional but helpful to us as we plan the event. Hope you can join us, or enjoy the event virtually or in person!

Forum-4-Poster-1

Introducing the Davidson Deliberates Radio Show and Podcast

March 12, 2026 by Graham Bullock

Davidson Deliberates cartoon image with four students sitting around a table talking to microphones.

Ezra Minard ’28 (DCI Fellow)

Davidson Deliberates is a new podcast and radio show dedicated to exemplifying the DCI’s deliberative spirit while offering members of the Davidson community a space to thoughtfully engage with contentious issues. The show, which airs from 1 pm to 2 pwm on Tuesdays on the Davidson student radio station (WALT 1610), aims to be a platform for examining challenging questions as close to home as campus and Davidson politics and as global as foreign affairs. At its core, the podcast is both a forum for serious discussion and an introduction to the DCI itself, highlighting its mission and events while also modeling good argument and deliberation.

The topics of deliberation have ranged from the low-stakes yet controversial “is a hotdog a sandwich?” question (see the February 3rd Episode below) to examinations of the benefits, shortcomings, and potential reforms to contemporary American society safety nets, such as Social Security (See the February 21st Episode below). The first pilot episode was hosted by DCI Fellows Grace Zagoria ’27 and Zach Abdulahi ’27 last spring, and then Zak and I continued the series this past fall as Grace is studying abroad this year. With Zak off campus as well this spring, DCI Fellow Bolling Lewis ’28 has stepped up to co-host the show with me this spring.

Rather than following a traditional question-and-answer interview format, Davidson Deliberates is more interested in the genuine exchange of ideas. Bolling and I have and will continue to alternate between modeling deliberation in conversation with one another and serving as facilitators whenever we host guests. Also, we perform the role of the devil’s advocate when necessary to promote productive dialogue. Intellectual diversity is paramount to the show’s purpose, as reflected by our desire to bring differing perspectives and experiences to the WALT studio table. By doing so, we hope to encourage open and rigorous participation from any and all groups that may be interested in participating in productive dialogue.

Questions surrounding the issue of platforming inevitably arise from this work. As I argue in my recent blog post, “The Case Against Denunciation,” condemnation often hardens opposition to one’s position, producing the very resistance that persuasion seeks to overcome. Persuasion, on the other hand, better preserves the possibility of changing minds because it invites its interlocutor to engage in good faith. Furthermore, I argue that deplatforming rarely prohibits conversation from occurring, but instead relocates those conversions to spaces where they are less likely to be challenged, thereby encouraging echo chambers.

Davidson Deliberates functions as a location where those conversations are not only allowed but encouraged and sought out. Finally, I do not assert that there is not a time nor a place for denunciation or for deplatforming. In fact, these practices may be justified in certain circumstances. But, here, in this moment marked by polarization and cynicism against good faith conversation, Davidson Deliberates seeks to meet the need for productive dialogue.

Check out some of our shows below…

“Davidson Deliberates” Radio Show and Podcast (Feb. 3, 2026 Episode)

“Davidson Deliberates” Radio Show and Podcast (Feb. 21, 2026 Episode)

Davidson Represented at Leadership Symposium on Civil Discourse

March 2, 2026 by Graham Bullock

people sitting around a large conference table

By Graham Bullock (DCI Faculty Director)

On November 13–14, 2025, I had the opportunity to participate in a Leadership Symposium on Civil Discourse: Conversations in the Classroom, Quad, and Community, hosted by Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill and the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) in partnership with Emory University.

Dr. Merrill, CIC’s Senior Director for Civic Learning and Free Expression Projects, used the symposium to bring together faculty members and higher education leaders from across the country to share ideas and strategies for strengthening civil discourse on our campuses. The gathering, held in Emory’s Student Center, focused on how institutions can foster thoughtful dialogue in classrooms, co-curricular programming, and the broader campus community.

I was honored to have the opportunity to co-lead Session III, “Civil Discourse Co-Curriculars,” with Daryl Lowe, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at Spelman College. Our session explored how colleges can build meaningful opportunities outside the classroom that equip students to engage across difference with curiosity, respect, and intellectual rigor.

Wide angle view of conference attendees at main table

The symposium featured an impressive range of institutions and perspectives. Participants and session leaders represented colleges and universities including Emory University, Spelman College, Trinity University, Dickinson College, Hartwick College, Agnes Scott College, Oglethorpe University, Dalton State College, The University of the South, Carnegie Mellon University, Presbyterian College, The College of Wooster, Goshen College, and the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.

Throughout the two days, discussions emphasized practical approaches to navigating disagreement, supporting faculty and student development, and embedding civil discourse into the fabric of campus life. I was grateful for the chance to share insights from Davidson’s Deliberative Citizenship Initiative and to learn from colleagues who are leading innovative programs in dialogue, free expression, and student engagement at their institutions. At a moment when many in higher education feel under siege from multiple fronts, the symposium offered a powerful reminder that colleges and universities remain vital spaces for rigorous inquiry, principled disagreement, and meaningful community-building. I look forward to continuing the conversations that we started in Atlanta and following up on the great ideas we discussed together. The more we can share, the more we can make our own work better.