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Tackling Polarization Through Civil Discourse
UPCOMING EVENT
Tackling Polarization Through Civil Discourse
April 3 @ 6:30PM
abdullah
Believing in “The Holy Land:” Religion in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
UPCOMING EVENT
Believing in “The Holy Land:” Religion in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
April 9 @ 6:30PM
updated version
Richard Burr
Meet our 2024-2025 Distinguished Fellow
Richard Burr
Senator Burr & Senator Hassan
Announcing John Hillen
ANNOUNCING
Former US Assistant Secretary of State John Hillen as the 2025-2026 Polis Distinguished Fellow
John Hillen
Project Citizen
PROGRAMS
Project Citizen

What does it mean to be a model citizen?

Project Citizen 23 Students in front of the Capitol Building
Polis Student Committee
PROGRAMS
Polis Student Committee

Calling all current Duke undergraduate, graduate, and professional students with an interest in politics, democracy, and public service!

Annual Report
ANNOUNCING
2023-2024 Annual Report
Page 1 of Annual Report
Programs - CDP
PROGRAMS
The Civil Discourse Project
The Civil Discourse Project (CDP) sponsors courses, events, and scholarship that promote civil discourse through modeling or teaching the capacities and virtues necessary to engage in healthy exchange across difference.
Roundtable
CDP Lemur
THE CIVIL DISCOURSE PROJECT
The Lemur Magazine
a Duke student-run magazine for big ideas
News - CDP Election 2024 Podcast
IN THE NEWS
Policy 360 Podcast: Election 2024 - Towards More Civil Discourse
Antepli & Manoj
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Polis: Center for Politics is committed to increasing our understanding of politics locally, nationally, and globally.

We aim to promote powerful politics research, to foster rich political discourse, and to help a new generation of leaders find on-ramps to public service.

Projects & Programs

The Civil Discourse Project (CDP) sponsors courses, events, and scholarship that promote civil discourse through modeling or teaching the capacities and virtues necessary to engage in healthy exchange across difference. At CDP, we aim to create, both inside and outside the classroom, intellectually diverse communities of friends who will both support and challenge each other in a collective pursuit of truth and knowledge—enabling all to become better thinkers, people, community members, citizens, and leaders. We maintain that such community requires freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression for faculty and students alike.

Civil Discourse Class Photo
Senator Burr & Senator Hassan

The Polis Distinguished Fellows Program honors extraordinary leadership in politics and public service. Fellows are prominent figures who bring expertise and experience from their roles as practitioners in politics and governance, campaigns, activism, journalism, media, etc.

The AY24-25 Polis Distinguished Fellow is Richard Burr, Principal Policy Advisor, DLA Piper LLP & Former North Carolina State Senator

The Polis Student Committee (PSC) is a community of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at Duke University who share an interest in politics, democracy, and public service. The PSC aims to promote greater understanding of—and engagement with—politics at the local, state, national, and global levels. PSC members are official members of the Polis community who participate in the center’s events and activities, gain access to special perks and unique opportunities, and play a valuable role in helping to shape Polis’s programs.

Students Watching Vp debate
OLs during Move in Day

Polis: Center for Politics serves as the Campus Partner for Project Citizen, an Experiential Orientation program designed to give students the skills to be informed, active, and compassionate citizens within Duke campus and our local, national, and global communities.

spring in the 20s

Transformative Ideas and POLIS Programs Bring Serious Fun

“The first evening of the Transformative Ideas and POLIS Symposium kicked off in style March 6 with a “Spring in the 20s” ball. Think suits, long dresses and live jazz.”

Decorative

MSNBC – The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle

“Welcome to Money Power Politics. Today, President Trump fired the only two Democrats on the bipartisan federal trade commission. It’s the consumer protection agency meant to prevent fraud and unfair business practices like telemarketing scams and identity theft.”

Sanford Building

Duke is working to foster ‘civil discourse.’ Here’s what faculty think of the hot-button topic

“Amid concerns about academic freedom and rising political polarization on college campuses across the country, leaders at Duke and other universities have adopted new rhetoric to prioritize ideological diversity, coined “civil discourse.””

Political scientists at Duke University draw upon a variety of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to produce cutting-edge research that enhances our understanding of politics. Polis is committed to showcasing political science research at Duke and to facilitating its creation.

Check out valuable student insights from Professor Deondra Rose's Political Analysis for Public Policymaking (PUBPOL301) on Medium.

The Lemur provides a forum for intellectually ambitious and curious Duke students who wish to share ideas about history, philosophy, politics, art, religion, science, and culture with the broader university community while honing their writing skills with the aid of superb mentorship from Duke faculty and affiliates.

The Polis Team

Learn more about the Polis leadership team

Polis Student Committee

Your one-stop shop for student opportunities

Research

Cutting-edge research on the politics of public policy

Duke Votes

Promoting student voter participation

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