The American Democracy Project at Work: Engaging Citizens in Argumentation

Abstract

Presidential debates have long been a part of the American political landscape. Whether in the form of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates or more recent versions, Americans have come to expect candidates to participate in this campaign ritual. Although political debates have been studied widely, one fruitful area for additional research concerns viewers' reactions. Debate Watch is one project that brings community members together to view debates and then to discuss them in small groups. This study reports findings from a 2004 Debate Watch event to determine whether viewers value campaign debates, whether debates affect viewers' attitudes toward the candidates, and whether Debate Watch influences voting intentions. It also suggests ways that argumentation scholars can use such events to engage their communities in the civic process and to increase public understanding of argumentation and debate.

Key words:

• presidential debates
• Debate Watch
• political communication
• voter behavior