Communication Studies and Deliberative Democracy: Current Contributions and Future Possibilities

Abstract

This essay provides an overview of what is currently being done in the discipline of communication studies that can advance deliberative democracy, particularly in terms of student learning, and explores how those connections could be strengthened and extended. The essay is divided into three main sections. First, a brief history of the field of communication studies is provided. Next, four questions relevant to deliberative theory and practice are introduced and the teaching and research of communication scholars that provides significant responses are examined: (1) how do we improve how citizens process information and exercise judgment?, (2) how do we best deal the differences in our increasingly diverse communities?, (3) how can we better understand the processes and outcomes of deliberation?, and (4) what are the key future directions for deliberative theory and practice? Within this section, a number of the sub-fields within communication studies that connect directly or indirectly to deliberative work are introduced. The essay concludes with a review of the limitations to these connections and a "call to action" for increased public engagement.

Conflict on The Washington Mall: The Right of Free Speech and the Responsibility to Listen in the Age of Demagoguery

“…Carcasson, Black, and Sink tell us that "It is clear that one of the major barriers to a more deliberative democracy is the lack of quality interaction, and thus understanding and mutual respect, across perspective. 19 Deliberative practitioners and scholars thus strive to create spaces where multiple voices cannot only be heard, but truly listened to." We are failing to create spaces of free deliberation, and so our democracy is changing.…”

Assessing Deliberative Pedagogy: Using a Learning Outcomes Rubric to Assess Tradeoffs and Tensions

“…The pedagogical process of teaching students to deliberate reflects Longo's (2013) term "deliberative pedagogy," or the process that "integrates deliberative decisionmaking with teaching and learning" (p. 2), as well as Murphy's (2004) conception of "deliberative civic education," or "instruction that utilizes varying forms of classroom deliberation and deliberative exercises to enhance the democratic skills of citizenship and to increase understanding of democratic practice" (p. 74). Many scholars have emphasized the potentials for teaching and practicing deliberation in the collegiate classroom as a way of encouraging the development of civic skills, attitudes, and capacities (Carcasson, Black, & Sink, 2010;Dedrick, Grattan, & Dienstfrey, 2008;Harringer, 2010;Hogan, 2010;Longo, 2013;Sheeler, Weiss, & D'Souza, 2015;Stitzlein, 2010;Thomas & Hartley, 2010). Others have stressed how deliberation may foster participatory management styles (Greitens & Strachan, 2014), as well as how deliberation facilitates communication skills and problem-based learning in the classroom (Drury, 2015;Maurer, 2015).…”