Lectures explore public deliberation

The Center for Communication Research, a UW–Madison center whose purpose is to increase understanding of communication processes in a variety of socially significant contexts, will hold the second installment of its “Deliberation and Democracy” speakers series at 4 p.m. Thursday in 4028 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave.

The series is designed to offer a closer look at “deliberation,” which is defined as civil interaction between citizens for the purpose of analyzing a social or political issue. As such, this communicative practice can be regarded as the heart and soul of democracy.

Rob Asen, a UW–Madison professor of communication arts, will speak on “Notes on a Discourse Theory of Citizenship.” Asen proposes that public deliberation does not require that all citizens address all other citizens, but rather that meaningful public deliberation can and does occur effectively in smaller groups that then can interlock with one another.

All sessions of the speakers series are open to the public and (with one exception, see below) will be held at 4 p.m. in 4028 Vilas Hall. Upcoming sessions include:

* Friday, Oct. 10: John Gastil, professor of communication, University of Washington, speaking on “Public Meetings and Public’s Health: The Salutary Consequences of Public Deliberation” (Note: This will take place at 3 p.m in the Nafziger Room, 5th floor, Vilas Hall.)

* Thursday, Oct. 16: Katherine Cramer Walsh, professor of political science at UW–Madison, speaking on “Intergroup Dialogue Programs and Local Politics”

* Thursday, Oct. 30: David Zarefsky, professor of communication studies at Northwestern University, speaking on “Failures of Judicial Argument:
How Bush v. Gore Subverted Public Deliberation”

* Thursday, Nov. 13: Dhavan Shah, professor of journalism and mass communication at UW–Madison, speaking on “The Bright Sun and the Bleak Moon: Untangling News Effects on Mass Opinion about Clinton’s Competence and Integrity”
For more information on the center or series, visit http://commarts.wisc.edu/cfcr/speakers.htm.