Keeping stride with the \fearless sifting and winnowing"" tradition, Rob Asen, a professor of communication arts at UW-Madison, spoke Thursday on redefining the idea of citizenship and democratic participation.
""Citizenship draws on a radical view of democracy, not a grassroots view, but rather seeing democracy as a vehicle of the people, not confined to institutions or acts,"" Asen said.
When people define citizenship, they tend to limit it to a number of overt actions, such as voting, volunteering or letter writing, according to Asen. But he said these actions are on the decline and he feels there are new outlets for citizenship to occur.
Quoting social theorist John Dewey, Asen said the heart of democracy is not in Congress, but in free gatherings on street corners.
""People are conscious, and conscientious, just not always in the ways academics want them to be,"" Asen said. ""By talking about issues, you're fulfilling the most important role of citizenship.""
Asen described several qualities of citizenship: producing new discussions by voicing opinions, taking the risk of considering alternative perspectives, commitment, creativity and social awareness.
However, he warned against using these qualities as a checklist for citizenship, but rather as guidelines for a successful democracy.
Students on campus said they identified with Asen's theories. Megan Parker, a UW-Madison graduate student, said she felt students today are busy and may not have time to volunteer, but discussing issues with their peers is an easier way to get involved in society.
Graduate student Hans Kurz said he did not take the voting process seriously, but hoped to pursue a path of employment that was relevant to society.
Such feedback supports Asen's redefinition of social responsibility.
Asen concluded that the people of his generation should not harbor traditional views of what it means to get involved because they are constantly changing.
""You all have to define [involvement] for yourselves,"" Asen urged students.
