Deliberative Citizenship Initiative

Building Democracy One Conversation at a Time

Graham Bullock

DCI Fellows to Host Commons Conversations!

by Leave a Comment

commons conversations flyer

Commons Conversations are opportunities for Davidson students to hang out and talk about both fun and challenging issues facing our community and society. Hosted by students trained in facilitation by the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI), these conversations are designed to be low-key, informal spaces that enable students to engage with one another in productive and rewarding ways on important social and political topics. 

Commons Conversations are held every Friday at Vail Commons between 11:30 to 1:30 pm. To accommodate students’ class schedules, there will be three Conversation Tables hosted, one from 11:40 to 12:20, one from 12 pm to 1 pm, and one from 12:40 to 1:20. Students can get their food and start gathering a few minutes beforehand as they arrive from class and elsewhere, and the conversations will start at the times listed. 

We’ll talk about some fun topics and some serious ones, but all in the spirit of learning, sharing, and getting to know one another better. The student facilitators are there to help keep the conversation on track and make sure everyone has a chance to contribute. Every Conversation Table will have a couple open seats available for those who want to join in the moment, but you can also reserve a seat below as well. There are only a few seats at each Table, so we encourage you to sign-up in advance.

Students, we hope you can join us for some good conversation!

Transitions: Seeking a New Assistant Director of the DCI

by Leave a Comment

The work of the DCI over the past year has been in large part due to the exceptional efforts of our DCI Coordinator, Carla Cole.  Carla has been both in charge of managing our logistics, scheduling and planning throughout the year as well as contributing significantly to our work with our Fellows, our strategic planning, and the design of our programs. But alas, Carla will be leaving us soon to begin a full-time faculty position at Central Piedmont Community College. Her departure is bitter-sweet – we are excited for her as she takes on this new opportunity but are sad that it will take her away from us.

In light of Carla’s critical contributions to the DCI, we have initiated a search for an Assistant Director of the DCI. Priority review of applications will begin on September 26, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled. If you know anyone who might be interested, please forward the job description for the position on to them. The Assistant Director reports to the DCI Faculty Director and is responsible for the development, implementation, and assessment of the initiative’s programs and components. These include efforts to create opportunities for productive dialogue and deliberation in diverse classroom settings, outside of the classroom, and in the community.

DCI Kicks Off a New Year!

by Leave a Comment

It has been a busy week for the DCI as the 2022-23 academic year gets started here at Davidson. Monday night several of our new DCI Fellows represented the DCI at the Political Clubs Fair organized by the Center for Political Engagement. They were able to connect with other organizations interested in political issues and share information about the DCI with students curious about its various activities, from D Teams to Deliberative Forums and more.

Tuesday during Common Hour we had our first cohort meeting of the DCI’s fifteen new 2022-23 Fellows. They include first years through seniors, several international students, and several scholar-athletes, and all of them are passionate about deliberation and excited about getting involved in the DCI. We got to know each other a bit and reviewed our plans for the year, which are extensive and we’re looking forward to sharing more with you about them soon.

Then on Wednesday, several Fellows shared information with interested students about the DCI at a table in front of the College Union. Through this outreach, several students signed up for D Teams (the final deadline is this Friday!) and for updates from the DCI.

We are rounding out the week tomorrow with our Semester Kickoff Party, which will be held in the 900 Room from 12 pm to 2 pm. Students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members are all invited to come learn more the DCI, pick up some tips on how to engage in difficult conversations on contentious topics, and enjoy some pizza, prizes, and deliberative activities. We hope you can join us!

Friday (9/2) is also the final deadline to sign up for the DCI’s fall D Teams, which is open to everyone and meets three times during the semester. Our fall topics are election accessibility, security, and fairness. Learn more here and register here by tomorrow!

A Light in the Darkness

by Leave a Comment

picture of US Capitol

 

The events of the past several days have been deeply disturbing wounds to the already troubling era we are witnessing in American history. What happened at the U.S. Capitol has catalyzed many to demand immediate action to protect and repair our democratic institutions that were under assault on Wednesday and have been threatened in ever-evolving ways since our nation’s founding. This action inclination, a key deliberative disposition, is necessary and vital to the future of our society.

Equally as important is a renewed commitment to thoughtful and respectful deliberation about what actions we should indeed take. Such deliberative engagement will help ensure that the change inspired by the events of this week outlives the violent and anti-democratic messages of the insurrectionists who besieged and desecrated the Capitol. And it can serve as a beacon of light in the darkness of polarization that we currently find ourselves in.

Given recent events, the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative is more dedicated than ever to the work of building democracy, one conversation a time. Our society is fragmented and in need of the real, long-term progress on our collective challenges that can be born out of good deliberation. Deliberation that welcomes rather than fears productive disagreement; deliberation that fosters the transformational dispositions of open-mindedness, evidential emphasis, humility, empathy, and generosity.

For those looking for a way to proactively respond to the violence and hyper-partisanship that we witnessed in Washington, DC, the DCI’s Skillbuilder and Bridgebuilder D Teams are great options. If you haven’t already, we highly encourage you to join a D Team, and ask your friends and family to do the same, in order to start building the bridges and skills necessary to heal our republic’s wounds, find our common ground, and take effective, fair, and humane action. But even if you don’t choose to join a D Team, we implore you to find some way to activate your civic voice in the service of our democracy.

The deadline to sign-up for D Teams has been extended to Monday, January 18th. More information about this opportunity is available on the DCI website (including a short video) and forms for new and returning D Team participants can be found on WildcatSync. You can contact dci@davidson.edu with any questions or receive further information.

Deliberation Nation?

by Leave a Comment

THIS afternoon (9/21/20) at 4:30 pm EST, the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative is hosting a virtual event with Professor Dan Layman on “robust deliberative democracy!”  Registration is free and open to the public — see below for more details (and feel free to share with others)…

Deliberation Nation_Flyer

 

Deliberative democracy aspires to secure political liberty by making citizens the authors of their laws. But how can it achieve this end in the face of deep disagreement, imperfect knowledge and limited altruism? Dr. Layman, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Davidson College, will address this question by distinguishing between two forms of deliberative democracy and arguing that one of these forms can indeed overcome these three challenges, and does so in ways that are morally preferable to political systems based on voting or markets without deliberation.

This talk is based on a paper published by Dr. Layman on “Robust Deliberative Democracy” in Critical Review.  In that article, Dr. Layman takes up and responds to critiques of the deliberative democracy project by Mark Pennington and others, and he concludes that there is indeed a “place for deliberative democracy in a robust political economy.”  In this talk hosted by Davidson College’s Deliberative Citizenship Initiative, Dr. Layman will discuss the insights from his paper and address questions from the online audience.

Please join us at 4:30 pm EST for what promises to be a stimulating discussion.  Register now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/deliberation-nation-why-deliberative-democracy-is-our-best-option-tickets-120213661297.