THE OCCASION

Sometimes it seems as if we are a society that lurches from one “special day” to the next. It may be useful to think about using special days, events, or holidays as a way of structuring dialogues. This ties thoughtful deliberation to the other things we are experiencing in our lives and may serve to make deliberation a part of our routine life. The use of the commemoration of September 11 as an opportunity to dialogue is suggested in Sample Dialogue Seven.

Other events and the dialogues they suggest include:

• Election Tuesday – Voting: A necessary but not sufficient act of citizenship (might be more valuable to use this topic a week before the close of voter registration for elections)
• Veterans Day – Why Be Patriotic? An exploratory dialogue about patriotism in the “New” America (see Sample Dialogue Six)
• Thanksgiving – Hunger and Homelessness (see Sample Dialogue Five)
• End of year/semester – Reflections on Charity versus Change: What can students expect to accomplish through civic action?
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – What is Civic Engagement? (see Sample Dialogue Four)
• President’s Week (National Civic Engagement Week) – Students and the Public Good: A dialogue on student involvement in public life (See Sample Dialogue One)
• Earth Day – Students and a Sustainable Planet

These are, of course, only illustrations of both events and possible dialogue topics. We invite you to use your own imaginations, local or campus events, and the energy of campus to identify events that might be made even more notable by the inclusion of a dialogue or series of dialogues.