Conversation Week 2007, March 25-30, was a week-long, world-wide, face-to-face dialogue initiative. Through the conversations, participants engaged with the important questions of our times, learned crucial speaking and listening skills and together celebrated the power of conversation to change the world. Conversation Week proposed this experiment: 'What if everyone in the world asked the same question at the same time and shared what they learned?' The goal was to empower people worldwide to convene a meaningful, respectful discussion in their community. (continue)

Political Communication and Deliberation takes a unique approach to the field of political communication by viewing key concepts and research through the lens of deliberative democratic theory. This is the first text to argue that communication is central to democratic self-governance primarily because of its potential to facilitate public deliberation. Thus, it offers political communication instructors a new perspective on familiar topics, and it provides those teaching courses on political deliberation with their first central textbook. This text offers students practical theory and experience, teaching them skills and giving them a more direct understanding of the various subtopics in public communication. (continue)

The Jury and Democracy Project aims to understand the impact that jury service has on citizens. Too often, people think of the jury as nothing more than a means of reaching verdicts. In fact, serving on a jury can change how citizens think of themselves and their society. Our purpose is to study those changes. The project's website provides access to the people behind the project, the writings they have produced, the data they have collected, general background on the project, and other links of interest. Principal investigators of this project are Perry Dees (Director of Institutional Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology), John Gastil (Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington), and Phil Weiser (Associate Professor in the School of Law at the University of Colorado). (continue)

This initiative was part of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in deliberative democracy to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of larger, collaborative media campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement.  Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see the articles written in association with this project. Published in the Portsmouth Herald on Sunday, December 14, 2008. Viewable at Seacoast Online at www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20081214-OPINION-812140316. Tapping citizen input: Setting priorities, solving problems December 14, 2008 The ... (continue)

This was the fourth topic of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in deliberative democracy to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of larger, collaborative media campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement.  Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see the articles  written in association with this project. In the aftermath of an historic election, the Obama Administration is poised to move from a new and more democratic style of campaigning to a new ... (continue)

The November 5th Coalition was a collaborative initiative dedicated to using the 2008 presidential election as an opportunity to foster deliberation about how we can collectively mobilize the energies and talents of ordinary citizens to address our challenges. Those involved believed the campaign could be a watershed, where citizens reclaim their standing as partners of a government that is truly “of, by, and for the people.” The Coalition was named for the day after the election, when we hoped a new chapter in our civic ... (continue)

This was the third topic of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in dialogue and deliberation to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of collaborative media campaigns that raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement. Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see all the articles written in association with this project. For our third round in June and July, 2008, members of the Democracy Communications Network are writing about one of two momentous civic opportunities that ... (continue)

This was the second topic focused on by the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in dialogue and deliberation to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of collaborative media campaigns that raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement. Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see all the great articles that were written in association with this project. Also see the General Tips for Writing Op-Ed Articles. Articles, blog posts and op-eds on this topic: May 4th article ... (continue)

This article was written as part of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in deliberative democracy to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of larger, collaborative media campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement. Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see the articles  written in association with this project. Philly’s rules of engagement Posted on Wed, Nov. 21, 2007 and currently available online at www.philly.com/philly/opinion/11681542.html. By HARRIS J. SOKOLOFF IT SEEMS THAT the presidential candidates ... (continue)

This article was written as part of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in deliberative democracy to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of larger, collaborative media campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement. Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see the articles  written in association with this project. This op-ed was published on Friday, October 26, 2007 in The Philadelphia Inquirer. The op-ed is also available at www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20071026_Citizens_must_bring_themselves_back_into_government.html. Putting Citizens in the Center By ... (continue)