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Washington State University
Pullman, Washington
$212,735 grant funds
'civility in democracy'
Conference March
10-12
By Gail Siegel,
College of Liberal Arts, From the Web, August 22, 2010
The history and future of civility in
American democracy will be the topic of a national conference co-hosted by WSU
and funded through a federal initiative.
WSU's Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service received a
grant of $212,735 from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “Bridging
Cultures” initiative to host the conference March 10-12 in Spokane. WSU
received one of eight grants awarded out of more than 90 proposals submitted.
Internationally recognized humanities scholars will explore the role of civility
in democracy from five distinct perspectives: history, religion, art and
architecture, philosophy, and communication and media.
"These specific humanities disciplines were chosen because of their importance
to any meaningful discussion of ideas of civility and civilization," said
Cornell Clayton, Foley Institute director and WSU professor of political
science. "Each has produced important, relevant bodies of scholarship that
address the role of civility in democracy.”
“Civility in American Democracy: Where Have We Come and Where are We
Headed” is scheduled as a two-day public forum followed by a daylong workshop
where invited scholars, librarians, filmmakers and K-12 educators will generate
ideas for development of curricula, museum exhibits, library programs and online
resources.
The NEH launched the “Bridging Cultures” initiative this year with the aim of
revitalizing intellectual and civic life through the humanities. Structured
around two themes, “Civility and Democracy” and “The Muslim World and the
Humanities,” the program encourages projects that explore the ways in which
world cultures and the myriad subcultures within the U.S. have influenced
American society.
Partnering with the Foley Institute to host the conference are Humanities
Washington and the Idaho Humanities Council.
The Foley Institute was established in 1995 to honor U.S. Rep. Foley's lifetime
of public service to both state and nation and his tenure as 49th Speaker of the
House. The institute's mission is to foster civic education, public
service and public policy research in a nonpartisan, cross-disciplinary setting.
The institute recently also joined efforts with the Oyez Project on the “Temple
of Justice” project to create a website dedicated to the 120-year history of the
Washington State Supreme Court.
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