Course
Times: Tues/Thurs 10:30-12:20
Classroom: Raitt 105
Professor: John Gastil
Office: Raitt 205L
Phone: 543-4860
Email: jgastil@u.washington.edu
Office hours: Tues/Thurs 9:20-10:20
This course reviews both philosophical and empirical writings on political deliberation. The course examines deliberation’s role in the democratic process and examines how different public discussion programs and media promote or detract from citizen deliberation. Students learn about small group deliberation (e.g., issues forums), large-scale projects (e.g., the 1996 National Issues Convention), and mediated deliberation. Students will participate directly in forums discussing candidates and ballot issues in the November election, and they will observe and write about public forums, broadcast discussions, or other campaign activities.
Student grades will be based upon two exams (30% each), a discussion they facilitate (15%), a final paper (15%), and class participation (10%).
The discussion will be an in-class event that the students organize to help fellow students deliberate about candidates and issues on the November ballot. For the final paper, students will analyze the deliberation that took place during the election, including the in-class discussions, relevant media programs, printed materials available to the public, civic forums, and other campaign activities. Discussions will be facilitated by small groups of students, and papers may be written individually or in small groups, with the permission of the instructor.
The final 10% of your grade is based on class participation. You should attend every one of the scheduled classes unless an emergency prevents you from doing so. When in class, you should listen attentively, and you should speak up when you have questions or wish to express an idea or viewpoint. Please participate actively in all class discussions, and always feel free to raise questions when I am lecturing.
If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a
disablility, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, 543-8924 (V/TDD).
If you have a letter form disabled Student Services indicating that you have a
disability requiring academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so
that we can discuss the accommodations you might need for class.
One of the readings for the course is a book, available at the University Bookstore:
Gastil, John. 2000. Popularular Demand: Revitalizing Representative
Democracy Through Deliberative Elections. Berkeley, CA: University of
California Press.
Most of the readings are in a reading packet, which is
available at Ram’s Copy Shop (4144 University Way, ph: 632-6630). One reading
(Gastil, Smith, Simmons) is being provided to you for free as an article
reprint.
You should do each reading before the class in which that reading is
discussed.
Final paper: Due by noon, Monday, December 17. Put in my mailbox or bring to my office.