Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy Dr. David E. Procter, Director Erika Imbody, Project Coo

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Institute for Civic Discourse and
DemocracyDr. David E. Procter, DirectorErika
Imbody, Project Coordinator202 Ahearn Field
HouseKansas State Universitywww.k-state.edu/icdd
icdd_at_k-state.edu
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• Civic participation, in general, has declined
  over the past 30 years
• More rapid decline in cooperative civic
  participation over expressive civic
  participation is one cause of rise in single
  issue politics and declining civility in
  political discourse.

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Civil Dialogue in Distress
The incredible shrill tone of discourse these
days shows that our ability to have a rational
and productive conversation about anything
important in this country is becoming more
difficult. - Arthur Sulzberger, New York Times
Civil, meaningful, respectful and healthy
discourse is not flourishing in our country at
this moment. - Jim Lehrer, PBS
civility is not a concept for tea-parties and
drawing rooms and therapy couches. It is the
hard-core bone and sinew of the entire American
experiment. It has been defended with real
American blood on battlefields all over the
world. -Cincinnati Post
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• Stronger democracy through enhanced public
  deliberation

Discover Discuss Decide
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ICDDs Model of Political Involvement
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Facilitation
I found myself walking away with a better
understanding of how others feel about mental
health that I did not necessarily agree
with. "I wish I had had this information for
the last 30 years of my professional life."
-2008 Forum and workshop participants
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Education
This is one of the best courses I've taken at
K-State. I really liked how it was interactive
and we actually got to practice what we were
learning. More than once, classmates and I
would discuss topics we had previously covered in
class outside of the classroom. -Student
responses to the 2007 ICDD affiliated class on
communication and democracy
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Outreach
We were instantly drawn to Movies on the Grass
As students who had earlier learnt about the U.S.
largely from Hollywood, these films opened our
eyes to an entirely different reality. They
filled us with respect towards the American
people and an understanding of how we all share
global problems that are common to people
everywhere. - Prabha Manuratne, University of
Kelaniya, and Buddika Bandara
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Scholarship

• Our great colleges and universities can and must
  be at the forefront of reversing the crisis in
  public discourse, with the goal of pursuing the
  genuine incubation, preservation, and creation of
  knowledge, the nurturing of a respect for
  complexity, nuance, and genuine dialogue not
  only on campus, but beyond the campus gates.
• - Dr. John Sexton, President
• New York University

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ICDD What OthersAre Saying
ICDD is now a center of excellence for Kansas
State. We are setting priorities at K-State and
ICDD is one of those priorities. We hope to make
this into a national model. - Jon Wefald,
President Kansas State University

• In a nation polarized by media and ideological
  grandstanding, where many young people are
  apathetic or cynical about political life, ICDDs
  work is absolutely crucial.
• - Dr. Benjamin Barber
• Kekst Prof. of Civil Society
• University of Maryland

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In order to get effective citizen participation
there needs to be dialogue and deliberation. -King
, Feltey, and Susel, 1998
Creating and nurturing an environment that
encourages citizen participation benefits
everyone. Partnering with businesses and
community organizations is a significant first
step in helping citizens learn how their ideas
and participation are vital in maintaining a
sustainable democracy.
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ICDD is continually seeking opportunities to
provide citizens the knowledge to actively engage
in a healthy political process. Every
contribution is a step toward a healthier,
stronger democracy
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Institute for Civic Discourse and
DemocracyDr. David E. Procter, DirectorErika
Imbody, Project Coordinator202 Ahearn Field
HouseKansas State Universitywww.k-state.edu/icdd
icdd_at_k-state.edu