CCLP has partnered with the California Council for the Humanities and organizations across California to present a major conference on Democracy and Political Discourse. Faculty Fellow Tom Hollihan is a featured panelist in the program and CCLP research staff will join a statewide effort to advance civic conversation. The March 4th event at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy kicks off Searching for Democracy–a two-year CCH initiative designed to foster public discourse on the meaning of democracy through a series of local, regional and statewide activities.
The topics of civic discourse and democracy take center stage at the forum, which brings together an esteemed group of scholars, policy specialists, public intellectuals, authors and journalists in a series of stimulating discussions.
The opening session, “The Culture of Civic Conversation in American Democracy,” will examine contemporary American democracy and civility in civic conversation. This plenary session will also address the importance of an informed citizenry to the well-being of public discourse and democracy. Participants include Joyce Appleby, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Ron Nehring, Gregory Rodriguez and Scott Shafer.
The remainder of the forum will feature a series of panels on two “tracks”: one that addresses issues from a historical perspective and another that focuses on recent developments. The closing session, “Democracy and Discourse in the 21st Century,” provides participants with an opportunity to reflect on ideas raised in earlier panels and consider the implications on democracy and discourse.
Those who cannot attend the forum can participate in the conversation online by viewing the live webcast. Online participants will also have the opportunity to submit questions for the opening and closing sessions.