Deliberative Citizenship Initiative

Building Democracy One Conversation at a Time

DCI Posts

“Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion:” An On-the-Street Deliberative Video Series

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Image of face speaking some words flyer

Every spring, DCI Fellows implement their own personal deliberation project on a topic of their choice. DCI Fellow Fatima Mukasa ’28 wanted to use her project to reach a wide group of people who may not know much about deliberation or the DCI. She called her project, Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion, and it was inspired by the Tiktok page, “Read a Secret, Leave a Secret.”

Designed to foster open dialogue and critical thinking, the project invited students and faculty to anonymously share their perspectives on thought-provoking topics, which others then read and responded to. These responses were recorded and will be shared online, creating a broader platform for engagement. By encouraging open-mindedness and empathetic communication, the project aims to cultivate a space where diverse viewpoints can be expressed without stigma and aims to strengthen the Davidson community’s ability to navigate complex discussions with curiosity and respect.

She set up a table and camera near the flagpole outside Chambers, the main classroom building on campus, and asked students passing by in between classes to share their perspective on a topic by writing it down on a piece of paper and leaving it on the table. They could also pick up an opinion that was left by someone else and respond to it — on camera for 30-60 seconds. Fatima then compiled these recordings into a short video that we’ve shared below and will also be shared on social media for the broader community to view and engage with. Fatima’s hope is that her project will foster a space where people feel as though they can share their opinions and can engage with other viewpoints, allowing them to be more open-minded, more engaged, and more effective communicators.

The topics that Fatima chose were the same topics being discussed by the DCI’s D Teams, and she hosted her table a week or so after each set of D Team discussions were completed. She and other DCI Fellows included some opinions that D Team participants raised (without attribution) on the table for her visitors to respond to, creating a nice connection between these two DCI programs. Students who were on a D Team could also stop by and share their perspectives that might have come up during their discussions.

Check out Fatima’s three “Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion” videos below — the topics are the opioid epidemic, lessons learned from COVID, and healthcare reform, the compilations feature the voices of numerous Davidson students…

The Opioid Epidemic: A DCI “Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion” Video Compilation

Lessons Learned from COVID: A DCI “Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion” Video Compilation

Healthcare Reform: A DCI “Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion” Video Compilation

A Deliberative Forum on Free Expression at Davidson

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In a recent email to students, faculty, staff, alumni, family, and friends of Davidson, President Hicks highlighted how “determining where the specific boundaries and tensions between the freedom to speak and the responsibilities associated with mutual respect is one of the hardest questions that we as a college community confront—in this moment and in all moments.” In order to identify, explore, and understand those boundaries and tensions, the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative is co-hosting a Deliberative Forum on “Free Expression at Davidson: Rights and Responsibilities during an Uncertain Time” (click here to register).

Planned for April 23 from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Lilly Gallery and online, the forum will begin with remarks by several speakers who will address this topic. The speakers include Ike Bailey ’95 (Professor of the Practice in Communication Studies), Melissa Gonzalez (Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Latin American Studies), Dan Layman (Associate Professor of Philosophy), Jim Martin ’57 (Former Davidson Associate Professor of Chemistry and Former Governor of North Carolina), Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill (Director of the Campus Free Expression Project, Council of Independent Colleges) and Stacey Riemer (Interim Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students). The event will be moderated by Graham Bullock, Associate Professor of Political Science and Faculty Director of the DCI.

The speakers will explore three related themes and questions:

  1. The Nature and Importance of Freedom of Expression: Why do we value it in a democratic society and in higher education?
  2. The Nature of Responsible Freedom of Expression: What are reasonable limits on our right to “free speech?”
  3. Davidson College’s Approach to Freedom of Expression and the Student Code of Responsibility: How does and how should the College respond to concerns about the expression of particular viewpoints on campus?

They will be followed by an opportunity for audience members to explore these topics with one another in roundtable and breakout room discussions, guided by the DCI’s trained facilitators and a deliberation guide developed for this event.

Food will be provided, and everyone is welcome to join. We only ask that participants stay for the full two hours and both listen to the speakers as well as participate in the audience conversations. Seats are limited so sign up today to reserve your spot and receive a copy of the deliberation guide in advance of the forum.

Register Here!

Freedom-of-Expression-Forum-Poster

Check out the Free Expression at Davidson Deliberation Guide that we have developed for this forum below:

DCI-Free-Expression-Deliberation-Guide

Apply Today to Become a 2025-26 DCI Student Felllow!

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Each year, the DCI selects 12-15 students to serve as Deliberative Citizenship Fellows. These fellows spend the year playing a leadership role in the initiative. They immerse themselves in deliberative theory and methods, help choose the issues for the year’s focus, facilitate robust deliberations on those issues, and reflect on and document their experiences as sponsors of these discussions.

Applications for the 2025-26 Fellowship Program are now open. All Davidson students are welcome to apply. To submit your application, please complete the ‘Deliberative Citizenship Initiative – Fellows Application’ form on WildcatSync. The priority application deadline is May 9. Applications will remain open and new submissions accepted on a rolling basis until all positions have been filled by qualified candidates. To learn more and apply for this opportunity, check out the short videos about the program that features several of the DCI’s past fellows and the additional information below.

2025-25 Fellows Share Their Thoughts on the DCI Fellows Program

2023-24 Fellows Share Their Thoughts on the DCI Fellows Program

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DCI-Fellows-2025-26-Job-Description

Event Recap: The DCI’s Fourth Deliberative Pedagogy Faculty Panel

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photo of faculty panel

Faculty members with wide range of backgrounds and expertise have participated in the DCI’s Deliberative Pedagogy (DeeP) Collaborative, and this diversity was highlighted in our recent DeeP Faculty Panel and Lunch. Professors who have embedded deliberation on difficult topics in courses on contemporary economic issues, sports communication, the philosophy of love and sex, and race on film all shared their deliberative pedagogy approaches and discussed both their successes and where they want to continue to improve in the future.

On Thursday, March 20 from 11:05 am to 12:15 pm, Professors Maggie McCarthy (German Studies, Davidson College), Rebecca Alt (Communications, Lenoir-Rhyne College), Rebecca Harrison (Philosophy, Vassar College), and Shyam Gouri Suresh (Economics, Davidson College) shared their work as members of the Deliberative Pedagogy (DeeP) Collaborative. Over 60 faculty members from 18 different institutions have participated in the Collaborative, which enables professors from across the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences to work together on developing and implementing innovative ways to stimulate deeper discussions in their courses. 

photo of in-person and virtual panelists

Nearly 40 people (22 online and 15 in-person) attended the panel and were able to ask questions of the panelists about their courses. You can watch the video below of the panel discussion moderated by Professor Graham Bullock, Faculty Director of the DCI. To learn more about the Deliberative Pedagogy Collaborative, the DCI’s Deliberation Across the Curriculum Program, and the upcoming panel, check out the attached flyer, this webpage, and these blog posts by faculty members who have participated in the Collaborative over the past two years.

You can start with these blog posts by the four faculty members who participated in this panel discussion:

Deliberative Discussions in Class “Bridge the Gap between Film and Reality”

Maggie McCarthy, Davidson College

Deliberative Discussions in Class “Bridge the Gap between Film and Reality”

From Skeptic to Advocate: The Power of Deliberation in Economics Education

Shyam Gouri Suresh

From Skeptic to Advocate: The Power of Deliberation in Economics Education

From “Small Group Discussions” to Micro-Deliberations: Transforming Everyday Student-Centered Discussion

Rebecca Harrison,  Vassar College

From “Small Group Discussions” to Micro-Deliberations: Transforming Everyday Student-Centered Discussion

Tackling Difficult Conversations in the Classroom: Sport as a Barrier-Breaker

Rebecca Alt, Lenoir-Rhyne University

Tackling Difficult Conversations in the Classroom: Sport as a Barrier-Breaker

Event Recap: Campus Conversation on the Honor Code

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discussion tables at event

Honor and academic integrity were the focus of a campus conversation co-hosted by the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI), Honor Council, Student Government Association (SGA), and the Office of the Vice President of Student Life. Over 50 students, faculty, and staff gathered to deliberate about how a more robust culture of academic integrity can be created at Davidson. Held on Thursday, March 27 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in the Lilly Gallery, the event complemented the Celebration of Honor held earlier in the month.

As participants got their plates of food provided by Much Ado Catering, the forum began with a presentation about the honor code from the Chair and Vice Chair of the Honor Council. Participants were quickly invited to dive into roundtable discussions guided by the DCI’s fellows and a deliberation guide written by the event’s student organizers, DCI Senior Fellow and Co-Convener LJ Phillips ’25 and DCI Fellows Isabella Neri ’27 and Cavan Klein ’27 (shown left).

You can check out the deliberation guide below, which provides some useful background about the nature of academic integrity, Davidson’s Honor Code, current perceptions of campus academic culture, and ideas for improving that culture in the future.

Honor-Code-Deliberation-Guide

Check out some more photos of the event below…