TDI is a national network of multidisciplinary scholars, campus leaders, and civic leaders in the fields of democratic dialogue, public deliberation, and democracy-building.

Our mission is to strengthen public life and democracy in and through higher education.

Our mission has changed! We dropped “deliberative” from our tag line and mission statement. To learn why, click here

Upcoming Events

National Student Conference: Connect the Dots: Public Dialogue, Deliberation, and Community Problem Solving & Action
Dates: March 3-6, 2010
Location: Gulf Coast, Alabama
To learn more, Click here

Webinar: An Empowering Heritage - Democracy Colleges and Freedom Struggles
When: Thursday, February 24, 2010, 3:00 PM–4:00 PM eastern (note: original date was January 26)
Click here to learn more

Conference: Limiting Knowledge in a Democracy
Sponsor: A Social Research conference at The New School
When & Where: February 24, 25, and 26, 2010 in New York City
For more information click here.

Conference: From Reactive to Proactive: Implementing Collaborative Governance in Changing Times
Sponsor: the University Network for Collaborative Governance
When: February 28 - March 2, 2010
Where: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
For more information Click Here.

Conference: Agents and Architects of Democracy: Moving from Rhetoric to Reality
When & Where: June 17-19, 2010 in Providence, RI
For more information, click hereCall for proposals due Feb. 8, 2010... More»

Participants at No Better Time were clear: communities need more learning exchanges with higher education, opportunities for mutual learning involving students, faculty, staff, civic leaders, public officials, and everyday citizens. More»

Make a Note of This

Ever wonder about the other organizations in higher education that are doing civic education and democracy work? We often draw your attention to two in particular: the University Network for Collaborative Government and AASCU’s American Democracy Project. Learn More »

TDI board member Peter Levine has done it again, this time with a contemporary look at literature, ethics, and history as he makes the case for the humanities as a foundation for moral development. Reforming the Humanities Literature and Ethics from Dante through Modern Times. Palgrave MacMillan Press (2009)

Most of us never got a chance to take this life-changing course at Harvard, so here’s the next best thing (the course was available on line for a while too): Michael J. Sandel (2009) Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Press.

We're excited about a new web-based initiative, a call for stories about community-university engagement. When you visit the site, tell your community-partnership story and then tell us so we can send a notice out to our other members. Learn More »

The American Prospect Special Issue
The American Prospect has a new special report dedicated to revitalizing American democracy. You can read the six lead articles including one on deliberative democracy here. More »

Get Involved

TDI is experimenting with small, short-term, virtual working groups on topics proposed by our members. There's no cost, of course. We just want to make the most of your best thinking and ideas. Right now, you can sign up for working groups. Learn More»

Read about and contribute to the resources linked to the No Better Time conference.

Contribute to the Syllabi Repository
TDI is embarking on an ambitious project to develop a deliberative democracy syllabi repository. Learn how you can contribute! More »