Teachers: Register for Mathews Center’s FREE Civic Learning Workshop

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

Our members who work in education should take note that the David Mathews Center for Civic Life – an NCDD organizational member – is hosting another one of its Teachers’ Institutes in Montevallo, AL this October 1-2. This FREE workshop aims to help teachers increasing civic learning in their classrooms, but there are only 40 spots, so register ASAP! Check out the National Issues Forums Institute‘s blog post about it below, or find their original post here.

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life in Montevallo, Alabama, has announced a fall, 2015, Teachers’ Institute to be held October 1-2, 2015.

The following is from a recent newsletter from the David Mathews Center for Civic Life:

The Mathews Center is pleased to announce that registration is now open for our Fall 2015 Teachers’ Institute. Teachers’ Institute is an interactive professional development experience designed to equip teachers with skills and tools to increase active civic learning in the classroom and beyond. The workshop will be held October 1-2, 2015, at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Sponsors include the Mathews Center, A+ Education Partnership, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and Alabama Public Television’s “IQ” Learning Network, as part of its series, Project C: Lessons from the American Civil Rights Movement.

Registration is free, but space is limited. Reserve your spot today. Contact DMC Assistant Program Director Blake Evans at bevans@mathewscenter.org for more information.

You can find the original version of this NIFI post at www.nifi.org/en/groups/david-mathews-center-civic-life-announces-fall-2015-teachers-institute.

Great Pre-Conference Sessions @ Frontiers of Democracy

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We recently mentioned here on the blog that the pivotal Frontiers of Democracy conference is happening in Boston this June 25th – 27th, and the conference itself is reason enough to make the trip. But with the announcement of two pre-conference workshop, both headed by NCDD members, there’s even more reason to attend.

Both of these pre-conference sessions will happen on Thursday, June 25th from 1-4pm, so unfortunately, you have to choose one, but both promise to be excellent learning opporutinities.

NCDD Supporting Member Cornell Woolridge, founder of CivicSolve, will be hosting a pre-conference session called “Civic Engagement & Disability Advocacy: The Peril & Promise of Bursting Bubbles.” Here’s how Cornell describes the workshop:

Once one of the most ignored and abused populations in the nation, the disability community received long overdue recognition and protections through the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. In the wake of the ADA, much of the disability advocacy community has created bubbles of protection and shared experience, but what happens when that bubble gets in the way of integration? What happens when the disability advocacy community shifts focus from services, self-advocacy and support groups to civic education and community development? CivicSolve and the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) have been working together for nearly two years to address these questions. This session will present the story of this partnership between CivicSolve & NACDD and explore how civic engagement can be a tool both for building community and building identity.

The other session will be co-led by NCDD Founding Member Nancy Thomas and NCDD Supporting Member Timothy Shaffer – co-leaders of the Democracy Imperative – and is titled “Political Learning and Engagement in Democracy 365.” Here’s how Nancy and Tim describe it:

According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) at Tufts University, only 47% of college students voted in 2012. Voting can serve as a gauge of student willingness or capacity to engage in public life. For example, Harvard’s Institute of Politics 2015 survey found that only 21% of young people consider themselves “political engaged or active” and only 7% engaged in a government, political or issue related organization over the past year. Polls suggest that Americans view the political system as inefficient if not corrupt, distant if not elitist, and willfully disdainful of their opinions.

Citizen disengagement is exacerbated by the reality that colleges and universities, both public and private, often shy away from politics, controversial issues, and educating students for social activism or political engagement. We found some exceptions, however. Using NSLVE data to select campuses, researchers conducted case studies to examine how institutions foster campus climates that support student political learning and engagement in democracy. On these campuses, students are taught to analyze, communicate, and debate information. Social connections are so strong that “movements” happen almost spontaneously. Students feel a sense of shared responsibility for their campus, their peers and their learning. Curricular and co-curricular experiences capitalize on student diversity of identity, perspectives, and ideology. Free speech, academic freedom, and controversial issue discussions are robust and pervasive. These are not isolated “best practices” but deeply embedded practices and norms that have been intentionally cultivated by the institution over time. Political engagement is not just for political science majors and it is not just for an election season. Engagement in democracy is pervasive, habitual, and 365 days a year.

In this workshop, we will examine the NSLVE findings and then move to a learning exchange on how campuses can foster environments conducive to political learning and engagement in democracy for all students.

We highly recommend checking out both of these pre-conference workshops at the Frontiers conference! You can learn more about the conference here or go ahead and get registered by clicking here.

Newest Issue of the Journal of Public Deliberation

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We want to encourage our members to take a look at the newest issue of the Journal of Public Deliberation, which is not just a great resource for our field, but also features the work of some of our great NCDD members.

The JPD itself is a joint effort between two NCDD organizations – the Deliberative Democracy Consortium and the International Association of Public Participation. You can find the list of articles in this issue below with links to their abstracts and full PDF downloads. We encourage you to learn more at about the Journal of Public Deliberation at www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd.

Current Issue: Volume 11, Issue 1 (2015)

Articles

Journal of Public Deliberation is a peer reviewed, open access journal with the principal objective of synthesizing the research, opinion, projects, experiments and experiences of academics and practitioners in the multi-disciplinary field of “deliberative democracy.”

Context and Medium Matter: Expressing Disagreements Online and Face-to-Face in Political Deliberations by Jennifer Stromer-Galley, Lauren Bryant, and Bruce Bimber

Variations of Institutional Design for Empowered Deliberation by Carolina Johnson and John Gastil

Inclusion, Equality, and Discourse Quality in Citizen Deliberations on Broadband by Soo-Hye Han, William Schenck-Hamlin, and Donna Schenck-Hamlin

Understanding Participant Representativeness in Deliberative Events: A Case Study Comparing Probability and Non-Probability Recruitment Strategies by Jamie Griffin, Tarik Abdel-Monem, Alan Tomkins, Amanda Richardson, and Stacia Jorgensen

Diverse Discourse: Analyzing the Potential of Public Affairs Magazine Online Forums to Reflect Qualities of the Public Sphere by David Wolfgang and Joy Jenkins

Deliberating While Voting: The Antecedents, Dynamics, And Consequences Of Talking While Completing Ballots In Two Vote-By-Mail States by Justin Reedy and John Gastil

Democratic Innovations in Deliberative Systems – The Case of the Estonian Citizens’ Assembly Process by Magnus E. Jonsson

Does Culture Matter for Deliberation? Linguistic Speech Cultures and Parliamentary Deliberation in Switzerland by Seraina Pedrini

Deliberation for Reconciliation in Divided Societies by Magdalena Dembinska Dr. and Françoise Montambeault Dr

Register for the Teaching Deliberatively Workshop, Jul. 13-17

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We want to make sure that our NCDD members who work with schools hear about the 6th annual Teaching Deliberatively workshop, which will take place this July 13-17. This great opportunity is made possible in part by the National Issues Forums Institute and the Kettering Foundation. You can learn more in the NIFI post below or by vising www.iowapartners.org.

Many believe public schools should teach students to weigh the costs and consequences of a range of “perspectives” (actions) that might be chosen – maybe in instances of provocation or over tough issues. Teachers and administrators can “lead” by demonstrating a preference for dialogue. Kids can learn to engage in substantive “talk” when schools make dialogue and deliberation a part of a school or classroom. This workshop teaches how to do that.

To view the schedule, see the workshop website at: www.iowapartners.org.

Sixth Annual Workshop

Teaching Deliberatively: Building “Leader-full” Communities of Teachers and Students

July 13-17 2015
ISEA Headquarters – Des Moines
2 Hrs. UNI Credit Covered By Grant

The one-week institute builds on the Charles F. Kettering Foundation’s (www.kettering.org) approach to issue deliberation, as adapted to classrooms, and blends with the Iowa Writing Project’s unique teaching methodologies. This results in a successful learning experience – and increases potential for more civil classrooms, schools and communities. Participants will:

Learn how to “frame” concerns for more engaged discussion, deeper insight, more learning.
Learn to convene, moderate, record, and report on deliberative discussions.
Learn how public issues and deliberative democracy come together, using writing to develop civic literacy – as per the Iowa Core and national standards.
Learn to bring issue exploration and deliberation into school curriculum and community life.
Develop a take-home discussion guide.
Be invited to share learning experiences with colleagues in follow-up sessions.
Use e-technology for building & sharing a repertoire of tools, materials, and lessons for teaching in schools back home.

This institute is a joint project of the Iowa Writing Project at University of Northern Iowa (UNI), the Iowa State Education Association, and the Iowa Partners in Learning – with generous support from the David and Elaine Wilkinson Family Fund for Democracy and Education.

A private grant supports the institute and underwrites full tuition costs for two hours of UNI graduate credit for 25 participants (preference to teams from same school). As an alternative to UNI credit, participants may enroll for license renewal credit. Priority for tuition-free participation will be given to interdisciplinary teams (pairs) of teachers from the same school.

Dr. James S. Davis of UNI, the Director of the Iowa Writing Project, is the principal instructor. Members of the Iowa Partners in Learning team co-facilitate.

For information: james[dot]davis[at]uni[dot]edu.

To register: Under its “programs” tab, the Iowa Writing Project will offer a registration link at its site on the UNI website at www.uni.edu/continuinged/iwp.

You can find the original version of this NIFI blog post at https://www.nifi.org/en/groups/teaching-deliberatively-sixth-annual-workshop-july-13-17-2015-des-moines-iow.

Strategic Peacebuilding (USIP Instructor-Led Online Course)

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Keiva Hummel

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Strategic Peacebuilding is an instructor-led online course which seeks to equip learners with the ability to build and utilize a more comprehensive and strategic approach to constructing a just peace.

From USIP

Strategic Peacebuilding originates in the assumption that the successful building of a viable and just peace, as well as the creation and operation of programs that sustain it, is a complex process that requires significant expertise. If, as the American saying goes, ‘war is too important to be left to generals’, than most certainly peace is too important to be left only to those with good intentions or a passion for principled action, however virtuous these characteristics may be.

The course teaches that to end situations of large-scale violence, hatred or injustice; professional peacebuilders must combine their knowledge of the central concepts, theories and findings of modern peace research, with what we know of the best practices of experts engaged in peacebuilding and related problems, with careful, in-depth, reflection on how insiders and outsiders to a violent conflict can build stable peace in their particular situation at hand.

It has been designed to provide a cross-disciplinary examination of violence and peace issues so that learners will have a firm grounding in the central concepts, methods, frameworks and findings which peace research scholars, policy makers, and professional peacebuilders employ in dealing with war and violence. This course underscores the shared interest and circumstances across various fields that participate in and contribute to peacebuilding – sociology, psychology, anthropology, political science, international relations, economics, and religion. Our approach in the course is that a more holistic approach to peacebuilding enhances its efficacy and sustainability. We believe that peacebuilding must build and maintain top-down and bottom-up connections between people and groups at all levels.

Agenda:
Week 1: An Introduction to Strategic Peacebuilding
This session provides an overview of the seven components of strategic peacebuilding: (1) recognizing the burden of long-term violence, (2) eliciting plans from locale for how to get to long term peace, (3) beginning processes of moving from conflict resolution to conflict transformation, (4) identifying the needs for insider-outsider links and helping to build them, (5) identifying and attempting to deal with spoilers, (6) identifying the issues that will pose significant challenges to the success of strategic peacebuilding, and (7) “evaluating, eliciting, evaluating, eliciting…” During this session you will be immersed in a scenario that exposes you to the myriad issues, problems, and dilemmas that can emerge “the day after the violence ends.” Through this scenario you will come to understand what is meant by “strategic peacebuilding”, how and why the concept has evolved and why it’s important.

Week 2: Long-Term Violence and Conflict Transformation
This session takes a closer look at the ways in which experiencing long-term violence impacts various elements of social, political, and economic structures of a conflict-affected community. It also takes a closer look at the academic and practical shift in the field from engaging in conflict “resolution” work to conflict “transformation” work. In order to explore these components you will be immersed in a scenario that touches on issues related to both “disarmament, demobilization and reintegration” (DDR) and gender dynamics of peacebuilding.

Week 3: Insider-Outsider Links and Spoilers
This session investigates how strategic peacebuilders should (or should not) work with and connect individuals, organizations and institutions from inside the zone of conflict with those who are intervening or providing support from the outside. In addition, this session deals with the problem of spoilers who seek to disrupt the peace process, be it intentionally or unintentionally. To explore these topics, you will be immersed in a scenario that touches on the issue of balancing the sometimes competing concerns of human rights and justice with conflict resolution and ending violence.

Week 4: Strategic Peacebuilding Challenges and Monitoring & Evaluation
The final week of the course looks at what challenges peacebuilders face when trying to apply and practice the above mentioned components into their work. It also looks at the role of monitoring and evaluating what we do as strategic peacebuilders throughout the course of our work. In order to explore these topics, you will be immersed in a scenario that touches on crime and corruption as the new enemies of peace. This session will also provide a bridge into the second-half of the course that guides you through a series of self-paced learning experiences.

About the United States Institute of Peace
The United States Institute of Peace works to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict around the world. USIP does this by engaging directly in conflict zones and by providing analysis, education, and resources to those working for peace. Created by Congress in 1984 as an independent, nonpartisan, federally funded organization, USIP’s more than 300 staff work at the Institute’s D.C. headquarters, and on the ground in the world’s most dangerous regions.

Follow on Twitter: @USIP.

Resource Link: www.usip.org/online-courses/strategic-peacebuilding

This resource was submitted by Leah Cullins, the Program Coordinator at the United States Institute of Peace, via the Add-a-Resource form.

National Communication Assoc. Forms New D&D Section

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We want to share an invitation from NCDD supporting member Dr. Rebecca Townsend of the National Communication Association (NCA) for NCDD members to join NCA’s recently formed Public Dialogue and Deliberation section. This new NCA section will be a great way for D&D practitioners and scholars to connect and share their work, so we encourage you to read NCA’s announcement below and consider joining!

Good news! NCA’s Legislative Assembly approved the creation of a new division, the Public Dialogue and Deliberation (PDD) division, which allows us to share our scholarly work, practitioner experience, and teaching pedagogy more fruitfully within NCA.

In order to have a vibrant presence, we need to have members sign up soon. If you are a member of NCA (or would like to join), simply contact NCA Membership Manager Justin Danowski at jdanowski[at]natcom[dot]org and let him know you’d like to join the PDD division.

Your formal membership in the division is vital to its success. The size of a division is directly proportional to the amount of activity it can schedule in the NCA conference agenda, so please sign up today!

The details:

If you’ve already got a full plate of division memberships, your options are 1) to switch an existing one out to join PDD or 2) to add an extra $5 to your annual membership fees to also belong to PDD. Those funds go into NCA and the divisions to cover miscellaneous expenses.
People who are joining NCA for the first time (or renewing an expired membership) can add the PDD division when they join or renew online at www.natcom.org/join.

PDD Division Description

This division brings together scholars and practitioners who focus on public dialogue and deliberation, the forces that constrain or enable such talk, and the consequences of their presence (or absence) in democratic society. The study of these subjects dates back to ancient Greek theories of rhetoric, which gave us forms of speech that endure to the present day, such as Socratic dialogue and deliberative assemblies.

Current conceptions of these terms stress their potential to ameliorate social problems. Public dialogue may help address alienation and transform divisive conflicts by fostering genuine connection and intersubjective understanding, particularly across lines of difference. Democratic deliberation fuses respectful discourse and rigorous analysis to render well-reasoned collective judgments.

This division of NCA aims to advance the theory and practice of dialogue and deliberation by encouraging critical and collaborative exchanges among those who have new ideas, experiences, and research findings on these subjects.

Thanks for your consideration,

Rebecca Townsend, on behalf of John Gastil and Bill Keith

Bologna Symposium on Conflict Prevention, Resolution, & Reconciliation

Posted on March 20, 2015 by NCDD Community

The Bologna Symposium on Conflict Prevention, Resolution, & Reconciliation is held at the John Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Bologna Center and is direct training by world leaders in: international negotiation, mediation, facilitation, strategic nonviolent action, social entrepreneurship, project planning and design, trauma healing, economics of peace, and more. It is recommended for exceptional professionals, graduate students, or accomplished undergraduates. Optional M.A. credits offered from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Today’s conflicts are incredibly complex. As an effective peace leader, you need a core toolkit of essential practical skills and a diverse global professional network. In the Bologna Symposium, you go through an intensive training process with the world’s top practitioners/academics in those core skills and join the ever-expanding IPSI family of over 500 alumni.

From ISPI…

In cooperation with The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Bologna Symposium bring together the globe’s brightest minds from top academic institutions, NGOs, international organizations, grassroots peace movements, and the armed services. Over a four-week period, participants undergo intensive training by the field’s premier political leaders, academic experts, practitioners, and advocates in the practical skills necessary to foster peace and security in their communities and the world.

All participants receive an IPSI Post-Graduate Certificate in “International Conflict Management” upon successful completion of the course. Participants who choose to undertake additional rigorous assignments alternatively have the opportunity to earn an IPSI Post-Graduate Certificate in “International Conflict Management with Distinction.” In addition, qualified participants may apply to earn graduate-level MA course credit from SAIS, one of the world’s premier graduate schools for international affairs.

Find out more about the Bologna Symposium curriculum here.

More about IPSI
The International Peace & Security Institute (IPSI) empowers the next generation of peacemakers. Founded on the core belief that education can mitigate violent conflict, IPSI facilitates the transfer of knowledge and skills to a global audience from the world’s premier political leaders, academic experts, practitioners, and advocates. The Institute develops comprehensive training programs, advances scholarly research, and promotes efforts to raise public awareness of peace and security issues.

Resource Link: http://ipsinstitute.org/bologna-2015/

This resource was submitted by the International Peace and Security Institute via the Add-a-Resource form.

The Changing World of Work: What Should We Ask of Higher Education? (NIFI Issue Guide)

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Keiva Hummel

This 11-page Issue Guide from the National Issues Forums Institute, The Changing World of Work: What Should We Ask of Higher Education?, was published January 2015 to help inform participants in deliberation about the current state and future of higher education.

From the guide…

There is a pervasive anxiety in America about the future of higher education. Spiraling costs combined with seismic changes in the American workplace raise questions about whether a bachelor’s degree is still worth the cost. In a recent cover story, Newsweek magazine asked: “Is College a Lousy Investment?” For a growing number of Americans, the answer appears to be yes.

Today’s students accumulate an average of almost $30,000 in debt by the time they graduate. They will go into a job market that looks especially bleak for young people. Many college graduates are unemployed or working minimum-wage jobs. Still more are working in jobs that don’t require a college credential.

Some of the troubles facing new graduates can be attributed to the post-recession economy. But there are larger forces at work that are transforming the nature of employment in America—forces that colleges and universities have been slow to recognize, much less respond to.

The Issue Guide presents three options for deliberation:

Option One: “Prepare Students for the Job Market”
Colleges and universities should tailor their programs to the real needs of employers and direct more of their educational resources toward vocational and pre-professional training.

Option Two: “Educate for Leadership and Change”
Academic institutions should focus on preparing students to become effective citizen leaders—the men and women who will go on to create the jobs of the future, effect change, and build a better society.

Option Three: “Build Strong Communities”
Colleges and universities should harness their power to create jobs, generate business opportunities, provide essential skills, and drive development in their communities and in the region.

More about the NIFI Issue Guides
NIFI’s Issue Guides introduce participants to several choices or approaches to consider. Rather than conforming to any single public proposal, each choice reflects widely held concerns and principles. Panels of experts review manuscripts to make sure the choices are presented accurately and fairly. By intention, Issue Guides do not identify individuals or organizations with partisan labels, such as Democratic, Republican, conservative, or liberal. The goal is to present ideas in a fresh way that encourages readers to judge them on their merit.

Issue Guides are generally available in print or PDF download for a small fee ($2 to $4). All NIFI Issue Guides and associated tools can be accessed at www.nifi.org/en/issue-guides

Follow on Twitter: @NIForums.

Resource Link: www.nifi.org/en/issue-guide/changing-world-work

Int’l Summer Certificate Program in Identity-Based Conflict Resolution

Posted on March 3, 2015 by NCDD Community

The Conflict Resolution, Management and Negotiation Graduate Program (CRMN) [in Hebrew] at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) has recently opened its International Summer Certificate Program in Identity-Based Conflict Resolution, in English. This Summer Program offers students the opportunity to earn 11 academic graduate credits and a certificate in a period of four weeks during the month of July.

Taught by leading scholars and practitioners, this is the only Israeli academic summer certificate program taught in English in the field of conflict resolution. It will examine international, national and local conflicts with a particular emphasis on identity-based conflicts. Its approach is interdisciplinary and addresses various perspectives such as psychology, law, culture, and religion. It offers a diverse student environment and consists of: simulations, guest lectures, an internship course (with two full day study tours), seminars, and workshops in providing theoretical insights and conflict resolution training. The Program will also organize various social events such as meetings with Israeli Jewish/Palestinian students, receptions, and cultural activities.

The Summer Program is comprised of the 5 following courses (each 2 credit hours, for two weeks):

From Identity-Based Conflict to Identity-Based Cooperation
Religion and Conflict Resolution
Collective Memory, Narrative and Conflict
Alternative Dispute Resolution and Culture
Field Work/Internship (3 credits, four weeks) at leading think tanks and practitioner NGOs as well as guided excursions and meetings.

Applicants can register for any number of the courses. Applications are open to current graduate students and holders of undergraduate/graduate degrees, worldwide, from all fields and disciplines in liberal arts and the social sciences, as well as, to professionals and the general public.

For details contact Dr. Rafi Nets, Managing Director of the Summer Program, at rafi.nets-zehngut [at] biu [dot] ac [dot] il.

About the CRMN program
The Conflict Resolution, Management and Negotiation Graduate Program (CRMN) at BIU (est. 2000), which is operating this Summer Program, is an established Israeli CR program. Its students come from all walks of Israeli Jewish, Muslim and Christian societies and its professors merge practice and theory. It awards Masters and PhD degrees (in Hebrew), operates a Mediation Center, as well as sponsors international conferences, training programs and research. It also publishes the International Journal of Conflict Engagement and Resolution, launched the first Religion and Conflict Resolution Masters Track in an Israeli university and founded the Israeli Association of Conflict Resolution.

Resource Link: http://pconfl.biu.ac.il/en/node/1950

This resource was submitted by Dr. Rafi Nets, Managing Director of the BIU CRMN Summer Program, via the Add-a-Resource form.

Register for Public Lands Seminar in Yellowstone

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We want to make sure that our higher ed NCDDers know that there are a few more spaces left for a great program on dealing with public issues being held in beautiful Yellowstone National Park this July 27 – August 1. The program is hosted for higher ed professionals by the AASCU. We’ve shared the NIFI announcement about the program below, and you can learn more from the program page here.

How does a democracy manage competing but often equally legitimate positions over public resources? How are the rights of all citizens protected in conflicts over public lands? How do universities design courses and programs to help undergraduates develop the understandings and skills necessary to think about, and become engaged in conflict management and resolution? How do we help undergraduates become more thoughtful, more engaged citizens for our democracy?

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is creating new strategies to answer that question. For the past ten summers, faculty and administrators from American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) campuses have spent a week studying political disputes in the iconic first national park in the world, Yellowstone National Park. The first year, 2005, we studied wolf re-introduction. Twenty-six (26) faculty members from 19 campuses spent a week in the Park, first studying the biology and the politics of wolf re-introduction.

But the most innovative part of the program is when we traveled outside the Park to talk to citizens and activists on both sides of the issue, to understand the controversy from their point of view. At the end of the week-long program, we considered ways that faculty might develop programs on their own campus that focused on (1) national public resource issues such as wolf re-introduction and (2) local public resource issues such as oil drilling on national seashores, wind turbines in state parks, and restoration efforts in wetlands.

For the last ten summers, we expanded the focus of the program to examine a variety of conflicts in the entire Yellowstone region, including bison and brucellosis, winter use, wolves, and grizzly bears. Our program is entitled Politics and the Yellowstone Ecosystem. In this program, we spend six (6) days in Yellowstone National Park in a combination of activities, beginning with a study of the science and history of the controversies, listening to scientists and Park rangers. Then we interview local citizens on both sides of the issues, including political activists, business people, ranchers, and other citizens.

The goal of this project is to develop new strategies and new approaches that colleges and universities can use to help undergraduates become thoughtful, informed, and engaged citizens. In a world too often filled with bitter partisan politics, this non-partisan project seeks to move beyond rhetoric and confrontation, providing students with new models that promote understanding and resolution. In a political environment where special interest groups tend to push people to polarized positions, we often try to seek common ground.

The program, held at Mammoth Hot Spring Hotel at the northern end of the Park, begins late afternoon on Monday, July 27th and ends at noon on Saturday, August 1st. The cost of the program is $1,395, which includes five (5) nights individual room lodging at Mammoth Hotel (each participant will have a separate hotel room or cabin); all instruction and instructional materials, AV rental, classroom rental; in-park transportation; and reception and dinner the first night, as well as several other meals. Space does not allow for guest participation in the full program. However, family members or guests may attend some classroom lectures, a few field trips, and evening films and presentations.

For more information on this program please contact:

George Mehaffy 202.478.4672 mehaffyg[at]aascu[dot]org

Jennifer Domagal-Goldman 202.478.7833 domagalj[at]aascu[dot]org

You can find the NIFI announcement on this seminar by visiting www.nifi.org/en/groups/registration-open-politics-and-yellowstone-ecosystem-july-2015-seminar-yellowstone-national. You can find the AASCU seminar’s page at www.aascu.org/programs/adp/SPL.

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Category Archives: higher ed