Democracy Matters is a podcast to educate and inspire people to address public issues and cultivate a just and inclusive democracy.
Democracy Matters is a podcast to educate and inspire people to address public issues and cultivate a just and inclusive democracy. Going beyond the headlines, each episode features an in-depth conversation with academics, practitioners, students, policymakers, and advocates who are using their knowledge and skills to strengthen democracy and create opportunities for more informed participation in civic life. Democracy Matters is hosted by Kara Dillard and Bernie Kaussler of the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement at James Madison University.
In this episode, we talk with Ian Simmons, the Founder and President of the Foundation for Civic Leadership and a member of the Madison Center's advisory board, about best practices and promising projects for enhancing democracy.
From Richmond to the West Bank, from Kentucky to Tanzania, photography has the potential to communicate lived experiences and complex social issues to those in power. In this episode, we talk with internationally acclaimed photographer Wendy Ewald about her work in Virginia and beyond using photography as a collaborative process to strengthen democracy. Ewald has spent more than 40 years collaborating with children, families, and teachers all over the world. In her work, she encourages her collaborators to use cameras (as well as using the camera herself) to record themselves, their families and their communities, and to articulate their fantasies and dreams. Ewald often has them mark or write on her own negatives, thereby challenging the concept of who actually makes an image. Wendy's website Literacy and Justice through Photography JMU's Center for Creative Inquiry (formerly known as Institute for Visual Studies)
Two questions animate our work: What if? How so? The work of imagining is something we should take very seriously in civic engagement. It's difficult to engage our senses in this difficult and academic work and the shrinking imagination stifles our work. Professor Tim Eatman, Dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community and Associate Professor of Urban Education in the College of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University, discusses the five senses to engage in the work of imagining: hope, history, passion empathy, planning.
Kara N. Dillard (PhD, Kansas State University) is the Associate Director of the Madison Center for Civic Engagement and an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication at James Madison University. Dr. Dillard is an expert in online deliberation, having developed innovative programming and curriculum to convene civil discussions using the Common Ground for Action online deliberation platform. Dr. Dillard works in university settings and with community organizations to design public engagement processes that help groups address local, wicked issues both face-to-face and online. As a professionally trained facilitator she has convened and moderated over 100 deliberative dialogs across a series of topics on her campus, in the community, and online. Dr. Dillard's current research examines the behavioral and attitudinal effects of citizen deliberation in online spaces, particularly using the Common Ground for Action online deliberative platform. She has published in the Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Political Science Education, and the International Journal of Communication.
Bernie Kaussler (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is a professor and the Betty Coe ('64) and Paul J. Cinquegrana Presidential Chair of Faculty Teaching Excellence and Research in Political Science at James Madison University. Dr Kaussler's research interests are Conflict Resolution and Diplomacy, International Security, US Foreign Policy and Middle East Security and Politics (with a focus on Iran).His work has been published in International Studies Perspectives, Orient, Informal Logic, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Iranian Studies, White House Studies, Diplomacy & Statecraft, Journal for Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, The World Today, The National Interest, Foreign Policy in Focus and Jane's Intelligence Review.
Dr. David C. Kirkpatrick (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is the interim executive director of the Madison Center for Civic Engagement and an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy & Religion at James Madison University. Dr. Kirkpatrick is an historian of religion and politics who has written or co-edited multiple books—with the University of Pennsylvania Press (2019), Rutgers University Press (2022) and his current book project with Oxford University Press (expected in 2023). This book, Blood and Borders, explores how stories and images of religious violence shaped voting constituencies and participation in the U.S. public square. Dr. Kirkpatrick has given lectures at the University of Oxford, Dartmouth College, University of Cambridge, Yale-Edinburgh Consortium, Princeton Theological Seminary, Marquette University, among many others. He has also produced leading research with scholars from around the world—at the Obama Institute for Transnational American Studies in Germany, funded by the German government (UNC Press, 2022), at Dartmouth College funded by the Leslie Center for the Humanities at Dartmouth (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023), and at Wolfson College at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Kirkpatrick's research speaks to the increasing diversity of the U.S. voting public, how religion impacts political discourse and engagement, as well as the diversity and importance of Latino communities in the United States.
We caught up with Constructive Dialogue Institute UX Researcher and co-author of the "Maintaining Campus Community During the 2024 Election" guidebook Mary Aviles.
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Juneteenth signifies the end of a painful chapter of American history and reaffirms the nation’s commitment to racial justice and equality.
Waves of student protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza swept American campuses last week and along with them the debate of free speech and the freedom to peaceably assemble on campus grounds.
A video game is helping Gen Z combat misinformation. Plus, we welcome a new show to The Democracy Group!
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Welcome to the Best of 2023!
Community manager Jessie Nguyen caught up with New Voters Founder & President Jahnavi Rao and Executive Director Nivea Krishnan. New Voters is dedicated to expanding youth engagement in politics and making sure young voices are heard.
Community manager Megan Goldstein caught up with Bruce Bond and Erik Olsen, co-founders of the Common Ground Committee
On June 29th, the supreme court ruled to make affirmative action unlawful in The Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.
Recently, several organizations issued their annual reports on democracy's rise and fall around the world.
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Civic education is critical to a healthy democracy, which is why we're excited to be part of national Civic Learning Week!
Engaging in civil discourse. Inspiring civic engagement. Exploring the future of our democracy.
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