SPCM 408 – Applied Deliberative Techniques, Fall 2012
and SPCM 486 Practicum
Center for Public Deliberation Student Associates
Instructors:
Martín Carcasson
Office Hours: T 1-2:30, F 12:30-2:00pm
E-mail—cpd@colostate.edu
CPD Leadership team
Shelby Scott (graduate assistant)
Candace Karlin
Sam Lafever
Office: 210 Eddy
Phone: 491-5628 (o); 206-0393 (h); 449-3633 (c)
Class time:
T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm, Eddy 200.
Center for Public Deliberation description. Deliberation is an approach to politics in which citizens, not just
experts or politicians, are involved in public decision making. Working with trained facilitators who utilize a wide
variety of specific deliberative techniques, citizens come together and consider relevant facts from multiple points
of view; converse with one another to think critically about the various options before them; enlarge their
perspectives, opinions, and understandings; and ultimately seek to come to some conclusion for action in the form
of a reasoned public judgment. The art of public deliberation is as old as democracy itself, but has nonetheless
enjoyed a significant renaissance in recent years. Dubbed by some as the “Deliberative Democracy Movement,”
scholars in a variety of fields have turned their focus to understanding and furthering the scope and impact of
public deliberation efforts. Deliberative democracy is of particular interest to communication scholars. Indeed, the
art of deliberation in many ways represents the traditional heart of a rhetorical education spanning back to the
classical Greek and Roman societies – how to make a public decision in a state of uncertainty and conflict that
honors diverse perspectives.
The CSU Center for Public Deliberation was established in the Fall of 2006 in order to “promote the development of
a vibrant deliberative democracy in Northern Colorado.” It serves first and foremost as an impartial resource for
Northern Colorado, dedicated to “enhancing local democracy through improved public communication and
community problem-solving.” The Center is affiliated with the National Issues Forum (NIF), the National
Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation, and the University Network for Collaborative Governance, and seeks to
become a valued resource for the people on Fort Collins and Northern Colorado, especially with difficult and
contentious issues.
CPD student associate program. Student associates working within the Center are trained to be impartial
facilitators, process experts, and deliberative practitioners and help design, run, and learn from a variety of events
in the local community. They receive 3 hours of SPCM408 credit their first semester and at least one hour of SPCM
486 credit for their second semester with the Center (students also have the option to do additional practicum
hours and additional semesters for credit). The first semester will focus on securing an understanding of the
research and theory connected to deliberative democracy, as well as developing skills on how to convene,
facilitate, and report on deliberative forums. During their second semester, Center student associates will work
individually or in groups on projects and help train the new students.
First semester students are known as “Student Associates” or SAs, and returning students are known as “Senior
Student Associates,” or SSAs. During their second and subsequent semesters, SSAs can choose the number of SPCM
486 credits they will receive, with each credit hour equaling 40 hours of clock time over the semester. SPCM 486
counts as general electives, and by university rules students can have up to 18 hours of practicum credits count
toward graduation as general electives. SSA’s do not come to class regularly, but should (as much as possible) keep
that time frame open to attend as necessary.
By the end of their time as a student associate, students will:
 Be able to demonstrate knowledge of current theory concerning deliberative democracy and collaborative
problem-solving
 Be able to demonstrate knowledge of a wide range of current deliberative techniques
 Have practical experience on developing, facilitating, and reporting on deliberative exercises in a local
community
 Gain significant experience in facilitating small group discussions
 Have a strong understanding of the local public decision making process
Student Associate Responsibilities

Student associates should always maintain their professionalism when representing the CPD and be careful
to protect the reputation of the CPD as an impartial, non-partisan organization.

Student associates will maintain close to daily contact with the CPD staff through the RamCT site and/or
their email or text, and respond promptly to queries and discussions.

Student associates may have some responsibilities before events to read background materials in order to
develop sufficient literacy (though not expertise) on issues to be prepared to facilitate the discussion. Often
we will utilize class time to prepare for events, but for some events the prep will need to be done outside of
class time.

Student associates must arrive on time (which means early) to events ready to fulfill their responsibilities.
Due to event set up, on time means students will need to arrive well before the start time for the public, and
should expect to stay after the event briefly to help pack up.

Student associates often have key tasks to complete soon after events, such as completing their journals or
typing up notes for the event. The quality of those tasks are critical to the success of CPD projects, and need
to be done well and in a timely manner.

Student associates will attend class consistently. If you must miss class, contact Martin by email
beforehand. First semester SAs will have class regularly, whereas as SSAs will only need to attend class as
necessary (refer to the RamCT site or contact Martín or the leadership team).

Student associates are expected to take initiative on their own, particularly during their second and
subsequent semesters. The CPD is an organization with a specific mission, and ideally student associates
accept that mission as their own, and find ways to contribute positively to our efforts to strive toward those
goals.

Student associates will not be expected to spend more time than warranted for traditional classes, and thus
should keep track of their time spent on CPD activities. For SPCM 408, student should spend at most an
average of 3 hours a week in class and 6 hours a week outside of class working on CPD projects (including
reading, attending meetings and the workshop, preparing for projects, and completing assignments). For
SPCM 486, each credit hour equals 40 hours of clock time over the semester, including time spent in class.
Due to the nature of the CPD’s work, however, opportunities may arise for students to go beyond their time
commitment if they choose. In particular, training opportunities may be offered outside the context of the
class that students may want to take advantage of for their own personal experience and development.
Students may also choose to be involved in more projects than necessary to take advantage of the
experiences. For the purposes of the class and the grading, however, this “above and beyond” commitment
is certainly not expected. If practicum students have not fulfilled 40 hours per credit hour at the end
of the semester, students will be given the option to take an incomplete so that hours can be
completed in the next semester. A plan to complete the hours must be negotiated between the
student and instructor prior to grades being assigned.
Assignments First Semester Student Associates
Local Meeting report
Event participation/notetaking
Peer observation
(SPCM 408, 3 hours)
10%
Self-evaluation
40%
Semester journal
10%
Extended evaluation
15%
20%
5%
Second Semester Evaluation (SPCM 486, variable credit)
Semester plan
10%
Journal
Event participation/notetaking
50%
Extended evaluation
30%
10%
Assignment descriptions
Local meeting report – Each student will attend a local public meeting sponsored by institutional decisionmakers (such as city, county, or school board meetings) or a community advocacy organization, and write a 2
page report on the meeting, particularly focusing on the process of the meeting and the overall quality
compared to deliberative meetings. Additional information will be provided in class and on RamCT. Due
October 1 by email to Martín
Class/Center Participation – The participation grade will be a function of a student’s participation during
meetings, discussions, and online at the Center’s RamCT site, as well as their participation in Center events
throughout the semester. Participation in events also includes timely follow up on events, including typing
up notes or otherwise processing data from the event. During class time, students must demonstrate they
have completed reading assignments and previously assigned tasks. A variety of tasks for maintaining the
Center will be necessary during the semester, such as contacting community organizations, tracking local or
state issues, working with media outlets, attending city council meetings, updating the website, etc. As tasks
arise, students will have the options of choosing which to complete. At the end of the semester, students will
turn in a journal that lists all the specific activities they did throughout the semester (in addition to weekly
entries).
Semester journal: Students are required to maintain a journal throughout the semester on a shared Google
document (instructions will be provided). The journal will serve three related purposes. First, your journals
are a tool to help you reflect on your training and your deliberative experiences. Facilitation in particular is a
skill that is primarily developed through practice and reflection, not merely instruction. Thinking back on
your facilitation experience, and considering what went well and not so well and what you may do
differently next time is critical to developing your skill long term. Second, the journal will function to catalog
the various activities the student associate was involved in, and the amount of time those activities required.
Third, the journals provide other students and instructors insights about specific events and training. When
we are not able to observe or record all of the conversations, your journals provide a window into the
interaction in your specific group. We also draw on your comments and evaluations to improve future
trainings and/or event designs. Feel free to make specific suggestions to the instructors about ideas for
future trainings.
Given these multiple objectives, we ask that for every event outside of class (e.g. public events or forums in
other classes), we ask that you write field notes about the event. These field note journal entries will include
two components. First, describe the event. We suggest that you write this account in chronological order as
you experienced it. You can write in first-person when that feels appropriate. Remember that fieldnotes
describe experiences, including interactions that you found particularly interesting, frustrating, or indicative
of deliberation. Much of your fieldnotes should be description of the events, providing as accurate of account
as possible. Ideally, another researcher should be able to read your fieldnotes can get a sense of the scene
and the interactions that you describe. Second, you should evaluate the event from your perspective. This
can include reflecting on your skills as a facilitator, skills that you want to focus on during future events,
and/or aspects of the event design that you think could be changed.
First semester students will also be asked to write at least some journal entries about class sessions and the
training workshop. In some cases, we will provide prompts that we want you to answer. In other cases, you
are left to track your learning, pose questions to us, and reflect on your deliberative skills.
Evaluation. The instructors will use the journal to assign a grade for Class/Center Participation; the
journal itself will also be graded for completeness and quality for your journal grade. The journals
will also provide a space for feedback and discussion between individual students and the
instructors. To facilitate this discussion, students will submit their journals to a shared google doc by
the first of the month. (You will receive a link to this document on the first day of class). Instructors
will then read and provide feedback starting on the 3rd of the month. (The leadership team will send
one reminder to upload your journals on the 1st; please upload your journals before the 3rd). This
monthly feedback will touch on the content and quality of your journals, respond to any questions
posed by students, and speak to the level of engagement in the Center. Final journals will be due
December 14.
First semester journal requirements: Students are required to complete at least one journal
entry per week (though some weeks that entry may be very short). Strong journals will note both
the content that you are learning and reflect on your own development as a facilitator (e.g. strengths,
weaknesses, questions, areas to improve). Strong journals will reflect the unique perspective and
reflections of the student (it should move beyond mere cataloguing of what happened in class). At
times when a week does not include an event, the entry may be very short, simply describing what
was done in class. Nonetheless, feedback about class periods is helpful to the instructors.
Senior associate journal requirements: Please complete an entry for each event you attend, plus at
least an update of where you stand vis-à-vis your semester plan once a month. This provides you the
opportunity to adjust this plan throughout the semester. Senior associates also need to log their
hours. If possible, please use the chart provided in your google doc. If this format does not work for
you, please arrange an alternative format with the leadership team.
Peer observation. Each first semester student will be required to observe one of their peers (either a first
semester or senior associate). There will be multiple opportunities to sign up for a peer observation, but we
strongly suggest completing this assignment in the first two months of the semester. To start your peer
observation, you need to have a conversation with the person that you are observing to identify the key
deliberative skills that they are working on and/or want feedback on. Using the peer observation form
(available on the RamCT site and in the folder outside the CPD office), students will take notes while
observing the facilitator. You will turn in both the observation form and a one page summary of your
thoughts (depending on how you take notes, you can either turn in the form you actually took notes on, or
you can rewrite things after the fact that you want to pass on). Martin will make a copy, and one copy will be
kept at the CPD, and another copy will be given to the student who was observed. Peer observations are due
within one week of the observation. (Second semester students who are mentors will be asked to complete a
peer observation of their mentee. Ideally, these observations will be made in person. If this is not possible,
mentors may watch videos of their mentees).
Self-evaluation. First semester students will be video taped when they facilitate during practice sessions in
class. These videos will be uploaded into private youtube links so that students can watch themselves
facilitate. Ideally, youtube videos will be uploaded within a week of facilitating—when they are available the
links will be emailed to you. Self-evaluations are due two weeks after the videos are uploaded. (If it takes us
more time to upload the video, you get more time too). Since we will not be video taping all of the public
events, please do not put off your self-evaluations because you may not have multiple video tapes. If
necessary, we can always set up additional practice forums among ourselves (and perhaps you can get a
friend or two to join in). Further instructions will be provided.
Semester plan. During the second semester, Center students will play a variety of different roles. Some
SSA’s may choose to focus primarily on one particular project and take a leadership role, while others may
serve as a mentor and facilitate for multiple public events. Since SSAs will not be attending class regularly, it
is partly their responsibility to communicate with the CPD staff to be clear on what projects they will be
involved with. All SSAs are expected to do one of the following: serve as a mentor to 2 students, lead a
project, lead an advanced training in class, or develop an unique role for you to fulfill during the
semester .We expect that second semester students take initiative for the role that they will take with the
CPD, selecting from multiple different opportunities or creating their own based on their interests. To help
clarify this process, students will be asked to put together a plan for how they plan to meet their hours (40
hours per credit hour). To give students ideas of how they might meet hours, second semester students will
be provided a list of existing project descriptions and possible roles and tasks. We understand that plans can
change, but these documents will help mark the progress throughout the semester. Semester plans are due
on February 1. These plans can be either lists or papers. They should be submitted through your journal in
google docs.
Extended evaluation: At the end of the semester, students will be asked to complete an extended evaluation
using prompts provided. Students completing their time with the Center (their last semester) will also be
asked to write a report that summarizes their time with the Center and their thoughts about their
experiences and the overall mission of the Center.