This article addresses the question of how to connect different forms of citizen dialogue and deliberation - from mass participatory contexts to more complex forms of deliberation with limited participation - to generate collective wisdom that is truly democratic. (continue)

CCESL supports the University of Denver in developing the knowledge and experience that enables faculty, students and staff to actively participate in the public life of their communities. We lead the campus in embracing the university's vision of "being a great private university dedicated to the public good.' We do this by educating, engaging, and equipping the campus community to address and work toward the resolution of critical community issues. With all of our constituents, we attempt to accomplish real, tangible public work that improves the lives of people in our communities. (continue)

Burston's July 2007 article pulls no punches and is bound to stimulate dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The hundreds of comments added by readers attest to that, and are interesting reading themselves. (continue)

This 88-page book features exhibition projects that demonstrate how three museums have functioned as provocative and effective forums for civic dialogue. Focusing on historic images as well as contemporary and conceptual works of art, the projects highlight new and adapted approaches to curatorial practice, interpretation, and education prompted by civic intention. In-depth case studies also offer insights regarding institutional challenges and changes in practice that necessarily occurred. (continue)

One of the most memorable moments from NCDD's 2006 conference in San Francisco is when Japanese participant Machiko Conway stood up and grounded us with her touching story about what the date - August 6th - means to her and her family. This is a 6-minute video. (continue)

Education in a Rapidly Changing Democracy: Strengthening Civic Education for Citizens of All Ages is an article by Matt Leighninger and Peter Levine, published in the October 2008 issue of The School Administrator. Below is the article’s abstract. The shifting relationship between citizens and government has special implications for public schools. How schools approach civic education isn’t just a matter of course content–it is wrapped up in how teachers and administrators view their role in the larger community. This article describes ways in which both ... (continue)

“The Recent Evolution of Democracy” is an article by Matt Leighninger, published in the Spring 2005 issue of the National Civic Review. The article discusses the increasingly large role of citizens in public decision-making in recent years, a condition which has set the stage for the development of democratic governance. To learn more about this article, go to http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ncr.79/abstract. (continue)

“The Seven Deadly Citizens: Moving From Civic Stereotypes to Well-Rounded Citizenship” is an article written by Matt Leighninger and released in the November 2004 issue of The Good Society, a journal published by the Committee for the Political Economy of the Good Society (PEGS) and Penn State University Press. Below is an excerpt from the publication. More information about the article can be found here. American democracy seems to be going through a painful transition process. The symptoms of this shift include declining voter turnout, ... (continue)

At the 2008 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation, we focused on 5 challenges identified by participants at our past conferences as being vitally important for our field to address. This is one in a series of five posts featuring the final reports from our “challenge leaders.” Action & Change Challenge: Strengthening the relationship between D&D and action and policy change. How can we increase the likelihood that D&D engagement streams of “exploration,” “conflict transformation,” and “collaborative action” will result in community action? How can ... (continue)

Please note: We are providing the following material in the format provided to us by the session leader. Most of the materials are MSOffice documents. Materials from the Pre-Conference Trainings Deliberative Democracy and Higher Education: A Workshop on Innovative Democratic Education and Leadership - Practicing What We Preach, presentation by Bruce Mallory [download file] - Venues for Democratic Leadership and Decision Making [download file] - Venues for Teaching and Learning Deliberative Democracy [download file] Materials from the Concurrent Workshops Attracting Conservative Citizens to Dialogue Events: Liberal-Conservative Campus Dialogue & Mormon-Evangelical Interfaith Initiatives - Slide Presentation [download file] ... (continue)