The United States retains many aspects of a healthy open society, but there are indicators of trouble and deep divisions around the meaning and importance of democratic values. This debate has significant repercussions for universities and their academic communities. In the most-simple terms, there is a red and blue state divide over the role and…

Institutions of higher education have recently been embroiled in a series of controversies concerning two related, though hotly contested ideas: the creation of safe space and the preservation of free speech. On one hand, there is a demand for institutional safe spaces--literal refuges or broad university norms that create a sense of inclusion for…

The world is experiencing a democratic recession, and in the United States, core democratic beliefs are under attack. As a key social organization, academic institutions have a central role in the protection of democracy. Boards, presidents, faculty, and students have the ability--and responsibility--to protect and advance democracy. A course in…

Youth today are participating in political and civic life in new and emerging ways--some positive and some negative--but there is scant evidence that these new forms of engagement spawn enduring forms of participation to enhance democratization at all levels in society. How, then, do we educate for democracy and for what type of democracy,…

Following a foreword by Derek W. M. Barker, "Deliberation as Public Judgment: Recovering the Political Roots of a Democratic Practice," contents of this issue include: (1) Beyond Adversary Democracy (Jane Mansbridge); (2) What Is Political Judgment? (Ronald Beiner); (3) The Bumpy Road from Mass Opinion to Public Judgment (Daniel…

Last summer, the Democracy Imperative and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, two national networks linking academics and deliberative democracy practitioners, hosted a national conference, No Better Time: Promising Opportunities in Deliberative Democracy for Educators and Practitioners ("No Better Time," 2010). Over 250 civic leaders,…

Illustrates the relationships between John C. Calhoun's slavery-era political philosophy regarding minority rights within a democratic political organization and the actions of Daniel P. Moynihan as United States' Ambassador to the third-world-dominated General Assembly of the United Nations. (JDH)

Presents the keynote address to the 1990 convention of the Speech Communication Association. Illustrates a discussion of the First Amendment and the new majoritarianism by examining three controversies: the flag burning issue, battles over alleged obscenity and government funding of the arts, and incidents of racist, sexist, and homophobic…

Identifies the better known Anglo-American liberal political theories and critically analyzes the values that underlie these theories (i.e. individualism, proceduralism, tolerance, science, and objectivity). Provides an alternative to the present liberal pedagogy and suggests implications for future political education. (JDH)

Discusses how to bring political issues into the classroom, highlighting the influence of local context and noting conservative and liberal criticisms of political correctness. Suggests the need for a different idea of how to teach politically from the advocacy pedagogy advanced by recent critical educators, explaining that bringing students into…

Described are effects of political decentralization in the United Kingdom on political and social institutions, particularly education. The author concludes that regionalism could yield advantages of power decentralization, diversity of decision making, and educational systems which are more closely connected to regional and local traditions.…

Maintains there is a positive correlation between the study of ideologies and democracy, stressing that political theorists should teach political ideologies. Examines the current debate over the study of ideologies and the history of ideology. Suggests ways studying ideologies teaches students democratic values, and defines democratic thinking as…

This report on the public perception of higher education is based on a review of 30 recent public opinion polls. The review found: (1) higher education enjoys a reservoir of goodwill; (2) a college degree is seen as an essential credential for success; (3) the public is broadly committed to equity, but as an income issue and not gender- or…

Stresses the need to challenge students' unrealistic ideas and heightened expectations of U.S. presidential performance. Maintains that college courses about the presidency must stress the role of the president within the context of democratic accountability, Madisonian principles, and the separation of powers doctrine. Discusses presidential…

Examines the various ways that social sciences can promote the social and governmental transformative process in Eastern Europe. Defines three functions of social sciences: to reveal real processes, to understand and diagnose problems, and to foresee future trends. Discusses the tensions among social scientists and policy makers and politicians.…