The Center for Democratic Deliberation (CDD) was founded in 2006 as a nonpartisan, interdisciplinary center for research, teaching, and outreach on issues of civic engagement and democratic deliberation. It is concerned with two of the most basic requirements of a healthy participatory democracy: (1) a citizenry with the knowledge and communicative skills necessary for engaged democratic citizenship; and (2) a culture of vibrant, informed deliberation, where citizens discuss, debate, and render collective decisions on matters of public importance.
The CDD recognizes that if citizens are to participate in civic affairs, they must have good information and the critical skills necessary to evaluate information and arguments. They must know how to articulate their own views on important issues, and they need opportunities to test their opinions in the give-and-take of public debate. They must understand the rules and traditions of democratic deliberation, and they need at least some basic knowledge of America’s history and political institutions. Above all, they must be motivated to participate, and they need assurances that their participation matters. The CDD promotes these goals by sponsoring research on the problems and challenges of democratic citizenship in the twenty-first century, and through curriculum and outreach initiatives designed to encourage more robust public deliberation.
Center Co-Director J. Michael Hogan, Fellows Sara Ann Mehltretter and David Green, and Research Assistant and Past Fellow Jessica Sheffield with Distinguished Speakers Karl Rove and Howard Dean
Recent Events
Hooman Majd spoke on October 15 in the Foster Auditorium on Iran -- America's top foreign policy concern. Who are Iranians? How did they come to be? And what do they really think about America? Majd's gift for explaining Iran's history and quirks to Western observers is evident in his book, The Ayatollah Begs to Differ. A New York Times bestseller, it was also the #1 foreign policy book and the #1 book on Islam at amazon.com. In 2008, it was named an Economist Book of the Year.
Majd was born in Iran and raised and educated in America. The son of an Iranian diplomat, and the grandson of an eminent Ayatollah, Majd has worked as an advisor and translator for two Iranian Presidents, Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on their trips to the United States and the UN.
The talk was co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Program, Department of History & Religious Studies Program, the Rock Ethics Institute, the Migration Studies Project, the Schreyer Honors College, and the Department of Political Science.