Special Feature Introduction: Volume 5, Issue 3, eJournal of Public Affairs

The Center for Civic Engagement at Lone Star College has taken up the task of building the democratic skills of students, faculty, staff, and community members through meaningful dialogue. Working with the National Issues Forums Institute and the Kettering Foundation, the Center has initiated a deliberative dialogue program that seeks to teach the skills necessary for discussing and understanding complex issues. Deliberative dialogues build on the theory that democracy requires citizens to engage in ongoing deliberation on public matters. These dialogues give citizens the opportunity to join together to deliberate, to make collaborative decisions about how to approach difficult issues, and to work toward making reasoned public judgments. The program at Lone Star College builds upon the idea that communities and discourse represent the foundations of civic renewal.