In Fall 2019, we formed both a Working and Advisory Group from departments and programs across the college to begin discussing and designing the specific programs and activities of the DCI. The Co-Conveners met regularly to develop specific plans for the following semester and school year.
In Spring 2020, we hosted a pilot deliberation facilitators training program that involved four two-hour sessions and nearly 30 participants. Participants who completed the training earned a Level I Deliberation Facilitator Certificate of Achievement. We had planned to host several pilot deliberative forums, but these plans were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
In Summer 2020, we hired our DCI Coordinator (Clare Magee) and recruited our 2020-21 Student Co-Conveners, Deliberative Citizenship Fellows, and Advisory Council. We also launched the DCI website and began planning our activities for the coming year.
In Fall 2020, we organized a range of deliberative activities, including both Deliberative “D” Teams and Deliberative Forums. We also hosted two guest speakers, Professor Day Layman from Davidson and Professor Martin Carcasson from Colorado State, who spoke about the value of robust deliberative democracy and deliberation-in-action, respectively. The DCI’s 13 Fellows completed their facilitation training and served as facilitators throughout the year for DCI events.
In Spring 2021, a new round of D Teams and Deliberative Forums were organized. This semester the Forums featured ideologically-diverse panels of experts on the topics that preceded participants breaking into small groups to discuss the topics on their own. Professor Debra Hawhee delivered two guest lectures on “Imagining our Shared Future” and the connections between deliberation, rhetoric, and athletics in Ancient Greece. The DCI Fellows dove more deeply into the deliberation literature as they continued their D Team and Forum facilitation work.
To learn more about the work of the DCI in its first year, check out our 2020-2021 Annual Report.
In Summer 2021, the DCI team focused on assessing progress during its first year and plans for its second year of operation. With Clare Magee’s departure for law school, we hired a new DCI Coordinator, Carla Cole, and recruited a new cohort of DCI Fellows. We also updated the website with new videos and content, and began development of a DCI Membership Program.
In Fall 2021, we held the second series of Deliberation Facilitator Training Workshops, which was attended by Davidson faculty, staff, alumni, community members, the 2021-22 DCI Fellows cohort, and DeeP Collaborative members. The DeeP Collaborative met for a full day workshop led by Davidson Professor Graham Bullock and Davidson Professor Dan Layman to begin their work on embedding deliberation into their courses. We also hosted 10 D Teams and a Deliberative Forum on“Free Speech and Inclusion” featuring panelists Pareena Lawrence, Susan Brison, and Kieth Whittington and moderated by Davidson Professor Dan Layman.
In Spring 2022, we organized 17 D Teams and in collaboration with the Davidson College Center for Civic Engagement and North Mecklenburg Economic Mobility Collaborative, hosted a Deliberative Forum on “Economic Mobility: How Can the American Dream Be More Achievable for Everyone?” featuring panelists Sherri Chisholm, Keith Cockrell, and Patrick Garry and moderated by Davidson Professor Graham Bullock. We also hosted Leila Brammer, Director of the Parrhesia Program for Public Discourse at the University of Chicago for a lecture entitled “Democracy and Freedom of Expression: Revitalizing Public Discourse on Campus and Beyond.” DCI Fellows continued their immersion into deliberative theory and practice and completed their personal deliberation projects, while DeeP Collaborative faculty members embedded deliberation into their spring courses.
