Civil Conversations About Democracy? We Need to Talk

Following a brief introduction about their new book, Raising America: Building a More Perfect Union, former ISU professor Charles R. Kniker and former high school English teacher and current minister Dianne Prichard will discuss ways individuals and groups can hold meaningful conversations about today’s political situations. Responding in a question/answer format, they, along with V. V. Raman, a distinguished physicist and philosopher, tackle the fragile territory of conversation among friends and family.

About the speakers:

An ISU Professor of Education for 24 years and author of seven books, Charles is also an ordained minister, served as a seminary president, and Associate Director for Academic Affairs and Research, Iowa Board of Regents. While at ISU, he was the founding editor of the refereed journal, Religion & Education.

For Dianne Prichard, twenty years of farming (1949-1973), 33 years of teaching (1973-2006) and 20 years of preaching (2004-present) provided a framework for holding onto one resigned husband and raising three multi-talented, slightly embarrassed children. This all was accomplished within 100 square miles of the eastern seaboard of Iowa, with brief sojourns at Wartburg College in Waverly, the Goethe Institute in Passau, Bavaria, South Dakota State University, and Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque. Due to the dynamics of aging, she lives in her Cottage on Silver Creek, only two blocks from her husband's abode, affectionally referred to as Stonehenge. Prichard has a penchant for seeing solutions within problems, from making Shakespeare fun to organizing mask-making volunteers to filing for office at the last minute to saving democracy.

This lecture will be recorded and ready to view on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.