April 3, 2008
Turning Student Discontent into Deliberation by David D. Cooper, Michigan State U.
Turning Student Discontent Into Deliberation
During the last few years, my interests as a writing teacher and American Studies scholar have turned to the relationship between rhetoric and democratic practices and, in particular, to how I might use deliberative democracy techniques — problem-solving strategies based on public consensus building rather than debate, partisanship, and polarization — for teaching writing and critical thinking. These disciplinary and pedagogical interests came bundled with closely related concerns about how to better involve my students in the life of the university and in the civic affairs of Michigan State University’s neighbor, the local state capitol. I wanted to find ways, in short, for students to develop their public voices. Deeper down, I was also looking to renew my energies as a teacher and ratchet up the relevance of the humanities classroom by trying to connect the usual and venerable fare of the humanities— principles, ideas, and critical reflection — to the crucible of lived community problems where ordinary citizens conduct the extraordinary work of democratic citizenship.
Read the full article at: http://insidehighered.com/views/2008/04/03/cooper
