Conversations of Democracy: Linking Citizens to American Government

by Frantzich,Stephen E.

• ISBN13: 9781594517549
• ISBN10: 1594517541
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2010-09-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Democratic politics involves a series of multi-directional conversations. Effective conversations have the potential to engage, educate, and animate both citizens and governmental officials. On the individual level, discovering successful conversational strategies benefits both political and social interaction. This book offers guidelines for conducting effective conversations personally, politically, and beyond such that readers of this book are unlikely to ever again look at conversation in the same way. New technologies and social trends both challenge and potentially enhance traditional face-to-face and media dominated conversations. Understanding the state, quality and potential of political conversations provides a unique perspective for evaluating and potentially improving government 'œby the people.'

Author Biography

Stephen E. Frantzich is Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Naval Academy. The author of more than twenty books, he travels internationally to speak on civic engagement and the impact of technology on politics. He serves as a consultant to the U.S. Congress, Center on Civic Education, C-SPAN, and a variety of foreign governments. As the President of Books for International Goodwill (www.big-books.org), he has facilitated the distribution of more than 4 million books to underserved populations worldwide.

Table of Contents

Politics and Democracy as Conversation	p. 1
Characteristics of a Good Conversation	p. 13
Conversational Strategies	p. 25
The Value of Conversation in a Democracy	p. 53
The Informational Requirements of a Good Conversation	p. 66
The Social Setting of Contemporary Conversation	p. 103
The Language of Political Conversation	p. 130
The New Technology of Conversation	p. 147
Institutionalized Conversation	p. 170
Beyond Talking	p. 198
Notes	p. 205
Index	p. 223
About the Author	p. 234
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