Recommended Readings on Civic Discourse Part II

This curated collection of journal articles supports instructors and scholars designing or revising courses that address the evolving role of the humanities in fostering civic discourse. These peer-reviewed works explore topics such as democratic dialogue, civil discourse in polarized environments, media and information literacy, digital publics, and interdisciplinary approaches to civic learning. Use this resource as a reference point for course design, faculty development, or deepening your engagement with scholarship on civic education and discourse.

Resources

Abdullah, C., Karpowitz, C. F., & Raphael, C. (2016). Equality and equity in deliberation: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Public Deliberation, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.253

Barber, B. R., & Battistoni, R. (1993). A season of service: Introducing service learning into the liberal arts curriculum. PS: Political Science and Politics, 26(2), 235–240. https://doi.org/10.2307/419837

Benson, T. W. (2011). The rhetoric of civility: Power, authenticity, and democracy. Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, 1(1), 22–30. http://contemporaryrhetoric.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/benson1_3.pdf

Black, L. W. (2005). Dialogue in the lecture hall: Teacher–student communication and students’ perceptions of their learning. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 6(1), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/17459430500262125

Black, L. W. (2008). Deliberation, storytelling, and dialogic moments. Communication Theory, 18(1), 93–116. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2007.00315.x

Black, L. W., & Wiederhold, A. (2014). Discursive strategies of civil disagreement in public dialogue groups. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 42(3), 285–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2014.911938

Bohman, J. (2007). Political communication and the epistemic value of diversity: Deliberation and legitimation in media societies. Communication Theory, 17(4), 348–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2007.00301.x

Burkhalter, S., Gastil, J., & Kelshaw, T. (2002). A conceptual definition and theoretical model of public deliberation in small face‑to‑face groups. Communication Theory, 12(4), 398–422. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2002.tb00276.x

Carcasson, M. (2013). Rethinking civic engagement on campus: The overarching potential of deliberative practice. Higher Education Exchange, 37-48. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED560890.pdf

Carcasson, M., & Sprain, L. (2010). Key aspects of the deliberative democracy movement. Public Sector Digest, 1–5. https://my.lwv.org/sites/default/files/carcasson.sprain._key_aspects_of_ddm.pdf

Carcasson, M., & Sprain, L. (2016). Beyond problem solving: Reconceptualizing the work of public deliberation as deliberative inquiry. Communication Theory, 26(1), 41–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/comt.12055

Chambers, S. (2003). Deliberative democratic theory. Annual Review of Political Science, 6, 307–326. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.6.121901.085538

Cooks, L. (2020). The communicative ethics of racial identity in dialogue. Communication Theory, 31(1), 22–41. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtaa007

DeBowes, M. M. (2006). Intergroup dialogues: A promising practice for cross‑cultural engagement. The Vermont Connection, 27(1), 1–5. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol27/iss1/1

Dimock, M., & Wike, R. (2020, November 13). America is exceptional in the nature of its political divide. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/13/america-is-exceptional-in-the-nature-of-its-political-divide/

Dillard, K. (2013). Envisioning the role of facilitation in public deliberation. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 41(3), 217–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2013.826813

Duong, M.T., Hawkins, S., Welker, K., Duong, F., Oshinski, P., & Yudkin, D. (2023). Free speech and inclusion: How college students are navigating shifting speech norms. Constructive Dialogue Institute and More in Common. https://www.moreincommon.com/media/dxrh2mjs/annual-survey-report_9-19-23-1.pdf

Drury, S. A. M., Andre, D., Goddard, S., & Wentzel, J. (2016). Assessing deliberative pedagogy: Using a learning outcomes rubric to assess tradeoffs and tensions. Journal of Public Deliberation, 12(1), 1–29. http://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.245

Drury, S. A. M., Stucker, K., Douglas, A., Rush, R. A., Novak, W. R., & Wysocki, L. M. (2016). Using a deliberation of energy policy as an educational tool in a nonmajors chemistry course. Journal of Chemical Education, 93(11), 1879–1885. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00514

Escobar, O. (2011). Public dialogue and deliberation: A communication perspective for public engagement practitioners. The Edinburgh Beltane – Beacon for Public Engagement. https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/imports/fileManager/eResearch_Oliver%20Escobar.pdf

Fishkin, J., Siu, A., Diamond, L., & Bradburn, N. (2021). Is deliberation an antidote to extreme partisan polarization? Reflections on “America in One Room.” American Political Science Review, 115(4), 1464–1481. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055421000642

Friess, D., & Eilders, C. (2015). A systematic review of online deliberation research. Policy & Internet, 7(3), 319–339. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.95

Garlick, J. A., & Levine, P. (2017). Where civics meets science: Building science for the public good through Civic Science. Oral diseases, 23(6), 692–696. https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.12534

Gastil, J., & Dillard, J. (1999). Increasing political sophistication through public discourse. Political Communication, 16(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/105846099198749

Gramlich, J. (2019, August 6). Young Americans are less trusting of other people – and key institutions – than their elders. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/08/06/young-americans-are-less-trusting-of-other-people-and-key-institutions-than-their-elders/

Harris, A. J. (2021). Bringing balance to the force: Public listening in civic education. Communication Education, 70(4), 441–443. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2021.1958241

Harwood, R. C. (2022). Civic virus: Why polarization is a misdiagnosis. The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation in collaboration with the Charles E. Kettering Foundation. https://theharwoodinstitute.org/civic-virus-report

Heath, R.G. (2018). Facilitating vulnerability and power in New Hampshire Listen’s “Blue and You.” Journal of Public Deliberation, 14(2), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.308

Heath, R. G. (2021). Stories and voices: Engaging community differences by designing a deliberative public dialogue. Communication Teacher, 35(4), 329–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2020.1871048

Heath, R., & Borda, J. L. (2021). Reclaiming civility: Towards discursive opening in dialogue and deliberation. Journal of Deliberative Democracy, 17(1), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.976

Heath, R. G., Lewis, N., Schneider, B., & Majors, E. (2017). Beyond aggregation: “The wisdom of crowds” meets dialogue in the case study of Shaping America’s Youth. Journal of Public Deliberation, 13(2), Article 3. https://www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd/vol13/iss2/art3

Hickey, T. (2018). Preparing students to collaborate across divides: Deliberative pedagogy,  communication, and community. AILACTE Journal, 18(1), 15–33. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1205088

Hyde, B., & Bineham, J. L. (2000). From debate to dialogue: Toward a pedagogy of nonpolarized public discourse. Southern Communication Journal, 65(2–3), 208–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/10417940009373168

Iyengar, S., Lelkes, Y., Levendusky, M., Malhotra, N., & Westwood, S. J. (2019). The origins and consequences of affective polarization in the United States. Annual Review of Political Science, 22, 129–146. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-051117-073034

Iyengar, S., Sood, G., & Lelkes, Y. (2012). Affect, not ideology: A social identity perspective on polarization. Public Opinion Quarterly, 76(3), 405–431. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfs038

Knobloch, K. R., & Gastil, J. (2015). Civic (re)socialisation: The educative effects of deliberative participation. Politics, 35(2), 183–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9256.12069

Lawrence, W. Y., Rountree, J., & Drury, S. A. M. (2021). Practical wisdom through deliberative pedagogy: A constructive rhetorical analysis. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 21(4), 225–238. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v21i4.32658

Lee, C. D., Nasir, N. I. S., Smirnov, N., & Carrington, A. (2021). Civic reasoning and discourse: Perspectives from learning and human development research. Educating for Civic Reasoning & Discourse, 53-107. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED611951.pdf#page=66

Longo, N.V. (2023). Putting deliberative pedagogy in place: How colleges and universities can help build a more democratic society. Metropolitan Universities, 34, 13-26. https://doi.org/10.18060/26443

Manosevich, I. (2019). Deliberative pedagogy in a conflicted society: Cultivating deliberative attitudes among Israeli college students. Higher Education, 78, 745–760. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00368-6

Mansbridge, J., Bohman, J., Chambers, S., Estlund, D., Føllesdal, A., Fung, A., Lafont, C., Manin, B., & Martí, J. L. (2010). The place of self-interest and the role of power in deliberative democracy. Journal of Political Philosophy, 18(1), 64–100. https://polisci.ucsd.edu/_files/mansbridge%20et%20al%20place%20of%20self-interest%20jopp%202010.pdf

McDevitt, M., & Kiousis, S. (2006). Deliberative learning: An evaluative approach to interactive civic education. Communication Education, 55(3), 247–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520600748557

McMillian, J., & Harriger, K. (2002). College students and deliberation: A benchmark study. Communication Education, 51(3), 237–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520216518

Moe, H. (2020). Distributed readiness citizenship: A realistic, normative concept for citizens’ public connection. Communication Theory, 30(2), 205–225. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtz016

Mouffe, C. (1999). Deliberative democracy or agonistic pluralism? Social Research, 66(3), 745–758. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40971349

Morse, S. W. (1993). The practice of citizenship: Learn by doing. The Social Studies, 84(4), 164–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.1993.9958365

Mourad, R. (2022). Deliberative democracy in higher education: The role of critical spaces across universities. Journal of Deliberative Democracy, 18(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.954

Moy, P., & Gastil, J. (2006). Predicting deliberative conversation: The impact of discussion networks, media use, and political cognitions. Political Communication, 23(4), 443–460. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584600600977003

Murphy, T. A. (2004). Deliberative civic education and civil society: A consideration of ideals and actualities in democracy and communication education. Communication Education, 53(1), 74–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/0363452032000135788

Nagda, B. (2006). Breaking barriers, crossing borders, building bridges: Communication processes in intergroup dialogues. Journal of Social Issues, 62(3), 553–576. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-10200-007

Nelson‑Hurwitz, D. C., & Buchthal, O. V. (2019). Using deliberative pedagogy as a tool for critical thinking and career preparation among undergraduate public health students. Frontiers in Public Health, 7 , Article 37. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00037

Pratt, M. L. (1991). Arts of the contact zone. Profession, 33–40. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25595469

Public highly critical of state of political discourse in the U.S. (2019, June 19). Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/06/19/public-highly-critical-of-state-of-political-discourse-in-the-u-s/

Ramasubramanian, S., & Wolfe, A. (2020, November 2). The promise and perils of interracial dialogue. Spectra. https://www.natcom.org/publications-library/promise-and-perils-interracial-dialogue/

Ramasubramanian, S., Sousa, A. N., & Gonlin, V. (2017). Facilitated difficult dialogues on racism: A goal-based approach. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 45(5), 537–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2017.1382706

Raum, R. D., & Measell, J. S. (1974). Wallace and his ways: A study of the rhetorical genre of polarization. Central States Speech Journal, 25(1), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510977409367765

Reinig, L., Heath, R. G., & Borda, J. L. (2023). Rethinking polarization: Discursive opening and the possibility for sustaining dialogue. Communication Monographs, 90(2), 181–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2022.2164320

Richards, R. C. (2018). Deliberative mini-publics as a partial antidote to authoritarian information strategies. Journal of Public Deliberation, 14(2), Article 3, 1–32. https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.305

Sachs, J. A. (2022). Do universities need choreographed disagreement? The Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, 20(S), 937-958. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/public-policy-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2022/12/Sachs.pdf

Shaffer, T. J. (2014). Deliberation in and through higher education. Journal of Public Deliberation, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.198

Shaffer, T. J., & Drury, S. A. M. (2021). Democracy’s challenge calls for communication’s response. Communication Education, 70(4), 447–450. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2021.1958243

Smithberger, L. K. (2016). Framing the public discourse across time: National Issues Forums Guides on immigration in the U.S. (1986-2013). Journal of Public Deliberation, 12(1). https://www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd/vol12/iss1/art7

Sobieraj, S., & Berry, J. M. (2011). From incivility to outrage: Political discourse in blogs, talk radio, and cable news. Political Communication, 28(1), 19–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2010.542360

Stanley, M. (1988). Six types of citizenship. Civic Arts Review, 1, 12–15.

Sprain, L. & Carcasson, M. (2007). Democratic engagement through the ethic of passionate impartiality. Tamara: Journal for Critical Organization Inquiry, 11(4), 13-26. https://scispace.com/pdf/democratic-engagement-through-the-ethic-of-passionate-2kkdufo9ry.pdf

Sprain, L., Carcasson, M., & Merolla, A. (2014). Utilizing “On Tap” experts in deliberative forums: Implications for design. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 42(2), 150-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2013.859292

Stewart, J., & Zediker, K. (2000). Dialogue as tensional, ethical practice. Southern Communication Journal, 65(2/3), 224–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/10417940009373169

Stitzlein, S. M. (2010). Deliberative democracy in teacher education. Journal of Deliberative Democracy, 6(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.103

Thomas, N. L., & Hartley, M. (2010). Higher education’s democratic imperative. New Directions for Higher Education, 2010(152), 99–107. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.418

Wagner, M. (2021). Affective polarization in multiparty systems. Electoral Studies, 69, Article 102199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2020.102199

Webster, S. W., & Abramowitz, A. I. (2017). The ideological foundations of affective polarization in the U.S. electorate. American Politics Research, 45(4), 621–647. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X17703132

Wineman, S. A., & Hammon, R. (1987). Citizenship education through the Webbing Approach. The Social Studies, 78(4), 169–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.1944.11019849

Wolfe, A. W. (2018). Dialogue and deliberation as agonistic resistance: Designing interactional processes to reconstitute collective identities. Journal of Public Deliberation, 14(2), Article 5, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.307

Wander, P. (1983). The third persona: The ideological turn in modern criticism. Central States Speech Journal, 35(4), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510978409368190

Weasel, L., & Finkel, L. (2016). Deliberative pedagogy in a nonmajors biology course: Active learning that promotes student engagement with science policy and research. Journal of College Science Teaching, 45(4), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.2505/4/jcst16_045_04_38