While the nation plows through another acrimonious election season where \u201ccivil discourse\u201d is often contentious at best, Northern Arizona University finds itself among an elite group of institutions across the country striving to bring civility and reasoning back into the democratic process.<\/p>\n
NAU\u2019s newly created Consortium for Public Life and Learning\u2014a collaboration between the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Arts and Letters\u2014recently was invited to participate in an affiliation process with the non-partisan\u00a0Kettering Foundation<\/a>, whose mission focuses on how democracy works and on promoting public engagement and deliberation.<\/p>\n \u201cAmericans are losing the ability to have civil disagreements,\u201d said\u00a0Lori Poloni-Staudinger<\/strong>, associate professor of politics and international affairs. Further, she added, today\u2019s college students say they don\u2019t think being involved makes a difference. \u201cThey don\u2019t necessarily care about politics and their knowledge of political issues has decreased. All of this is very unhealthy for democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n A more effective scenario, she said, would involve an engaged citizenry that takes time to understand all sides of an issue, that listens to divergent opinions and that uses reasoned deliberation before responding.<\/p>\n \u201cThese steps need to come sequentially before deciding on an issue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Which is where the Kettering Foundation\u2019s affiliation with NAU comes in.<\/p>\n Poloni and\u00a0Andrea Houchard<\/strong>, director for NAU\u2019s Philosophy in the Public Interest, will co-lead the new initiative to foster community and student engagement.<\/p>\n Over the course of the next year, the pair will join with individuals tapped from select institutions across the country to receive training from Kettering on facilitation and deliberation methods for public dialogue. They will then convene several discussion forums on topics of local, national and global concern.<\/p>\n At the end of the process, NAU\u2019s Consortium for Public Life and Learning will be affiliated as a Kettering Center for Public Life, the second such center in the state.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not about consensus-building or trying to change another\u2019s point of view,\u201d Poloni-Staudinger said. \u201cIt\u2019s about maintaining relationships and being better citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n The effort brings together a range of individuals from disciplines across campus who share an interest in issues of compassion, civility, deliberative engagement and reason.<\/p>\n Other projects with ties to the consortium include the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Compassion Project and its upcoming\u00a0Living Compassion conference<\/a>. The consortium also works with Project Civil Discourse and is planning student curricular and co-curricular activities with The W.A. Franke College of Business.<\/p>\n The Kettering invitation comes at an opportune time as Gov. Jan Brewer has declared October \u201cCivil Discourse Month.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"