Speaking of Politics: Preparing College Students for Democratic Citizenship through Deliberative Dialogue

"The authors in this study follow a group of 30 college students through four years at Wake Forest University to discover whether their experiences in learning and practicing deliberation¿a useful and civil way of "speaking politics"¿might counteract the alienation from public life, which has overtaken so many of our future citizens. Their research design included classroom learning and practical experiences in organizing and conducting deliberative forums both on the campus and in the larger community. Observations gleaned from interviews, focus groups, and surveys of a comparison group and the larger student population indicate that, upon graduation, the "Democracy Fellows" had the skills and the interests needed to become more involved, responsible, analytical, efficacious, and communally minded citizens than their fellow students." ¿Back coverHarriger, Katy J. is the author of 'Speaking of Politics: Preparing College Students for Democratic Citizenship through Deliberative Dialogue', published 2007 under ISBN 9780923993221 and ISBN 0923993223.