To learn more about deliberation, democracy, and citizenship, check out the readings and resources listed below.
General Resources:
DCI Tips for Contentious Conversations: Based on its experience hosting difficult discussions on a wide range of challenging issues, Davidson College’s Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) has some tips on how best to engage in these conversations.
DCI Guide to Different Forms of Discourse: What exactly is deliberation? How is it different and similar to discussion? To debate and dialogue? To just simple conversation? This document provides a framework for thinking about the differences between different forms of discourse.
Discovering What’s at Issue: Using the Stases to Locate the Nature of Controversies: First used in ancient Greek rhetoric, the stases provide a systematic way to ask questions of any issue in order to identify likely points of disagreement. This short guide introduces the four stases that can help us identify and explore both our differences and areas of agreement.
How to Disagree: Deliberation welcomes, rather than fears, productive disagreement and good argument. But how to argue well is easier said than done. Check out this guide for some quick tips from the DCI on how to deliberate — and sometimes disagree — productively.
DCI Guide to Difficult One-on-One Conversations: This guide is designed to help you and your conversation partner navigate through this opportunity to re-connect with one another and deepen your relationship – by listening and sharing honestly and respectfully. It pulls from insights from Braver Angels, Open Minds, the Dialogue Company, Living Room Conversations, and more.
DCI Deliberation Guides and Pathways Guides
To access the DCI’s Deliberation Guides and Pathways Guides, please become a member. (Not compatible with Safari, but works with other browsers such as Chrome and Firefox)
Online Learning
OpenMind: This is an interactive platform that introduces a “set of practical tools to think clearly and communicate constructively across differences.” Used in DCI training workshops, it discusses the roots of our political polarization and ideological differences drivers as well as mechanisms to cultivate intellectual humility, discover the value of diverse perspectives, and prepare for constructive disagreement.
Videos
“Facilitation Styles: How to Navigate a Challenging Role.” Demonstration by Steve Kaliski, Davidson College Theatre faculty member for the 2021 Verna Miller Case Research and Creative Works Symposium.
“Citizens, Assemble! Deliberative Democracy in 3 Minutes.” Heinrich Böll Foundation North America and Central European University School of Public Policy.
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“Cornel West and Robert George on Civil Discourse Today.” Conversation between Cornel West and Robert George, moderated by L. Song Richardson.
White Papers
“Partnering for Inclusion: Recruitment Strategies for Deliberative Conversations” (Kalie McMonagle, Center for Public Deliberation, Colorado State University)
“Inclusion around the Cycle: Applying strategies of sufficient inclusion throughout the cycle of deliberative inquiry.” (Samantha Maldonado, Center for Public Deliberation, Colorado State University)
Articles
“Rethinking Civic Engagement on Campus: The Overarching Potential of Deliberative Practice.” Martin Carcasson.
“The Philosophy of Conversation: We Owe It to Our Students to Teach Them How to Disagree.” Bertha Alvarez Manninen and Jack Mulder Jr.
Books
The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education. Diana E. Hess and Paula McAvoy.
Why Deliberative Democracy. Amy Guttman and Dennis Thompson.
Statements
Truth Seeking, Democracy, and Freedom of Thought and Expression. A Statement by Robert P. George and Cornel West
Reports
Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century. Commission the Practice of Democratic Citizenship.
Civic Prompts: Making Civic Learning Routine across the Disciplines. Caryn McTighe Musil.
A Crucible Moment: College Learning & Democracy’s Future. National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement.
We’ll be adding more links in the coming weeks and months. To learn more about other organizations that are doing deliberation-related work on campus, in the community, and elsewhere in the United States and internationally, click here.
