Abstract:

Contemporary global politics have inevitably reshaped the topics and modalities of conversations taking place in our classrooms. In the United States, in particular, the rise of polarized, extreme, and divisive perspectives — often fueled by prominent political figures and propagated in online spaces — continue to influence the way students approach discussions of contentious political processes (e.g., campaigns, elections, lawmaking) and policy issues from education to climate change to immigration that are central to political science courses. Although conventional social desirability pressures may still lead some students to express moderate views that are thought to be shared by the majority, students increasingly embrace polarized, radical, and extreme positions during class discussions. These perspectives are not always shared in the most productive ways, but they should not be limited. Thus, implementing proper discussion management strategies is imperative to enhance intellectual growth among students. This is especially the case in political science courses that deal with contentious processes and issues.

We draw from the deliberative dialogue framework to build strategies that facilitate classroom discussions of shared problems through thoughtful, genuine exchanges among students. Deliberative dialogue moves beyond simply exchanging facts or contrasting opinions, highlighting instead shared values and personal experiences to identify common ground as well as teach students to utilize evidence-based thinking. Through deliberative dialogue, students take charge of their own learning and practice the decision-making which is at the core of democratic societies.

In this paper, we share our experiences as precarious, early-career faculty members teaching political science at a time when political disagreements are becoming normalized in both offline and online forums. Class discussions are not immune and often reflect these broader disagreements. Deliberative dialogue allows instructors to navigate some of these divisive issues by enhancing thoughtfulness, intentionality, and inclusivity. This paper highlights our experiences with adopting and implementing the deliberative dialogue framework across a variety of political science topical courses and levels (i.e., introductory, intermediate, and upper-level courses). We argue that this approach presents an opportunity to mold and redefine the ways students understand and experience politics in contentious times. Ultimately, we propose that deliberative dialogue has the potential to enhance students’ confidence in the political system and their motivation to engage in politics, especially at a time when Gen Zs share a general sense of disenchantment with politics in the U.S. context.

Keywords:

Deliberative dialogue, class discussions, political science.