A recent Frontline episode (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=bigimage&utm_source=bigimage_)… Read More » exploring the
vaccine controversy was fascinating and suggests several openings by which a couple of our
less discussed reports might find some legs. Both the Regulation and Science reports connect
nicely to this current
Monthly Archives: April 2010
Connecting IF Reports to Current Issues in Public Discussions
Posted in Perspectives Tagged civic engagement, conceptual possibilities, conversations, discussion process, facilitation Comments closed
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Hope, Change, and that Political Fog of Enthusiasm
Public policy possibilities are often developed and discussed within a fog of enthusiasm. It’s not that the people who advance them do not think at all about their possible practical consequences. But they tend to think a lot more about… Read More »
Starting to Wrap Up
I met with all three of my groups last night to help them figure out how to conclude their discussions with a shared product about citizenship in San Francisco. The group that I had put together with all the strong… Read More »
Exercising the Civic Muscle
Colleague Jeff Prudhomme and I spent this last weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Central States Communication Association Conference at the invitation of 2009 Summer Institute participant Professor Laura Black. We were there to participate in a “beyond the town… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Tagged civic engagement, communication skills, discussion process, facilitation, learning by doing, personal development Comments closed
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Reconnecting with my freshmen students
This week I invited my freshman students from last fall to meet for pizza.
I wasn’t sure how many would show up: we are a commuting campus,
and I had not seen many since we parted in December. Much to my… Read More »
Communication, Discussion, or Facilitation Skills in Your Courses?
For those of you teaching an IF sponsored course this spring, your fourth blog post should tell us about some of the facilitation, discussion, or communication skills that you’ve focused on with your students. You might find it helpful to… Read More »
Dealing With Difference
Difference is a fundamental fact of human life. There is similarity too. But difference is the reason why we need to have discussions about public policy. It is also the reason why they should occur face-to-face, over extended periods of… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Tagged attitude, conversations, governance, personal development, reasoning skills Comments closed
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The Right Stuff
The raucous debate last month (March, 2010) over the health care bill was hardly unexpected. For more than one hundred years, efforts to provide better access to decent health care for all Americans have been thwarted. And, in fact, when… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Tagged citizen discussions, civic engagement, discussion process, facilitation, participation, Public Discussions, recruiting Comments closed
How Can I Make All of These Students Do This Course for One More Semester?
Last Wednesday night was our last official class. We have a voluntary facilitated discussion this coming Wednesday on “legalizing drugs.” They’re such sweet kids. They wanted to know whether they were expected to come up with an IF report out… Read More »
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