Rodin's cmte. on incivility to meet at U.

The Penn National Commission, made up of noted politicians and academics, will hold several talks on civil discourse. The Penn National Commission, made up of noted politicians and academics, will hold several talks on civil discourse.The Eric TuckerThe Penn National Commission, made up of noted politicians and academics, will hold several talks on civil discourse.The Eric TuckerThe Daily Pennsylvanian The Penn National Commission on Society, Culture and Community, a group of 48 experts from various disciplines and specialities -- which includes among its members Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley, novelist E.L. Doctorow and Annenberg School for Communication Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson -- will hold its sixth and final session, entitled "Celebrating the Conversation: Public Discourse in Action," on campus this week. University President Judith Rodin first convened the Commission in December 1996 to discuss problems facing contemporary public discourse -- specifically, the perceived lack of opportunities for people with conflicting opinions to converse with one another in an organized, non-confrontational manner. "Incivility, rudeness and crudeness are not new," said Stephen Steinberg, an assistant to Rodin and the Commission's executive director. "They've always been there." The sessions kick off today at 10 a.m. inside Irvine Auditorium's Recital Room with "Modeling Public Discourse in Popular Culture," a discussion on the ways in which film can stimulate public discourse. Author Neil Gabler will deliver an address and Rochelle Gurstein, a professor at the Bard Graduate Center in New York, will moderate a roundtable discussion. An additional session this afternoon, featuring several experts on technology and the Internet -- including Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig -- will focus on communications in the age of cyberspace. Tomorrow morning, four Commission members -- Jamieson, former Texas gubernatorial candidate Tom Luce, Democratic presidential campaign strategist Paul Begala and Karl Rove, the presidential campaign manager for Texas Gov. George W. Bush -- will lead a conversation on improving public discourse in the 21st century. A final session in the afternoon will allow seven representatives from corporations and foundations to discuss their personal success stories. Rodin said the sessions will explore ways to minimize the "polarization and tension" surrounding public communications and increase the "conduct of public discourse." "Each of our sessions during this meeting will focus on that task: How do we make better things happen?" Rodin said Friday. "What existing programs and practices can we build on? What kinds of changes in leadership and institutional conduct are actually possible?" The sessions will be made available to the public through live webcasts at http://www.upenn.edu/pnc. Participants can submit comments and questions for the four sessions through the Commission's World Wide Web site. Webcasts will be available permanently at the conclusion of each session. "It will be a great opportunity to contribute to these important conversations and to offer thinking on the present and future of public discourse," Rodin said. Over the past three years, the Commission has met twice in Philadelphia and once each in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles. Following this week's gathering, the last part of the "study" phase, the Commission will embark upon initiatives like providing more venues for "productive public talk" and developing leaders trained in facilitating discussions. "Based on the work of the Commission to date, we can create the start of a national movement on good public discourse on important issues that matter to people," Steinberg said.