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Infusing the curriculum with deliberative practice transforms civic education from episodic moments to sustained practice. The capacities necessary for productive and meaningful democratic engagement- critical thinking, empathic listening, creative problem solving, ethical leadership, and collaboration-are not only essential for sustaining a vibrant democracy, they are the best preparation for our studentscitizens to be successful in the 21st century. The practice of deliberation cultivates students thinking to explore enduring, and multidisciplinary questions and address persistent (and wicked) public problems. Students who engage in deliberative practice see politics differently and experience enhanced engagement in their democratic lives.
INTRODUCTION
America's democracy is experiencing an identity crisis. National polls consistently show that not a single national political leader is viewed in a positive light on a consistent basis, while confidence in our political institutions are at record lows. Only 19 percent of Americans trust government always or most of the time (Pew Research Center 2015). The dysfunctional political environment culminated in the 2016 presidential election, where the socioeconomic and political cleavages highlight the growing disparities in access, privilege, and hope (Cramer 2016). Party polarization and gridlock, an often-noted decrease of civility in Washington among representatives from different parties reflect an adversarial mobilizing politics that Boyte (2009) sees as emerging out of the ashes of the 1960's. This kind of politics is illsuited for the problems America faces in the 21st Century. Given the polarization and dysfunctional politics defining the 21st century, the purpose of higher education is scrutinized, and its purpose is compromised, as many may tend to lose hope, reduce compromise, and even decimate democratic principles such as Lafollette's Wisconsin Idea. Rather than burying our heads in the sand or in the ivory tower, our community practice seeks to explore and define a different identity of a civic conscience, which highlights the collaboration between the American Democracy Project, the Democracy Commitment, and its member AACU institutions to highlight the importance of dialogue and deliberation in meeting the core commitments in higher education of "educating for personal and social responsibility" and in "taking seriously the perspectives of others" (AACU 2009).
In an engaged democracy, coproduction or complementary production is a process to engage citizens in addressing the "wicked problems" of contemporary communities. When there is a decline in...