1980年代中期以來，民主社會已逐漸由過去「選舉為中心」的投票民主，轉向以「討論為中心」的審議式民主，主張公民才是民主體制的參與主體，所有受決策影響的公民或其代表，都應透過知情、理性、平等的社會溝通後參與集體決定。自2015、2016、2017至2018年，臺中市已分別於中區、清水、豐原、大里、南區、東勢、東區、大雅等行政區執行「參與式預算」（Participatory Budgeting），此一起源於巴西愉港（Porto Alegre）的公民參與都市治理政策，是審議民主（Deliberative Democracy）在臺灣最重要的公民參與模式之一。本課程以回顧三年來在臺中市參與式預算中由市民提案關注的廣泛都市議題出發，選取與公民日常生活密切相關的「審議民主」、「新移民/移工」、「空污/食農」、「展示溝通」等主題，提供修課同學進行社會溝通實作，並依據「問題研析、實作方法、批判反思」三階段進行。修課學生將有機會至臺中市的審議民主現場參與活動或上課，藉此體悟公民治理精神，並對社會溝通現況提出批判，檢視公民參與在臺中市之實踐與更多可能性。因此，公民參與既是本課程內容，同時也是問題意識，而社會溝通實作則為方法，一方面促進修課同學理解社會現實，另一方面則鼓勵其對臺灣社會問題提出社會學批判。

Since the mid-1980s, democratic society has gradually shifted from the past "election-centered" voting democracy to "discussion-centered" deliberative democracy. It is advocated that citizens are the main participants in the democratic system. All citizens or their representatives affected by decision-making should participate in collective decisions through informed, rational, and equal social communication. From 2015, 2016, 2017 to 2018, Taichung City has implemented "Participatory Budgeting" (Participatory Budgeting) in the Central District, Qingshui, Fengyuan, Dali, Nan District, Dongshi, Dong District, Daya and other administrative districts respectively. This citizen participation urban governance policy originated from Porto Alegre in Brazil and is one of the most important citizen participation models of deliberative democracy (Deliberative Democracy) in Taiwan. This course starts by reviewing a wide range of urban issues raised by citizen proposals in Taichung City's participatory budgeting over the past three years. It selects topics that are closely related to citizens' daily lives, such as "deliberative democracy," "new immigrants/immigrant workers," "air pollution/food farmers," and "display communication." It provides course students with social communication practice and proceeds according to the three stages of "problem analysis, implementation methods, and critical reflection." Students taking the course will have the opportunity to participate in activities or take classes at the deliberative democracy site in Taichung City, in order to understand the spirit of citizen governance, criticize the current situation of social communication, and examine the practice and more possibilities of citizen participation in Taichung City. Therefore, citizen participation is not only the content of this course, but also problem awareness, and social communication practice is a method. On the one hand, it promotes students in the course to understand social reality, and on the other hand, it encourages them to make sociological criticisms of Taiwanese social issues.

1. C. Wright Mills著，張君玫、劉鈐佑譯，1995，《社會學的想像》。臺北市：巨流。
2. Jon Elster主編，李宗義、許雅淑譯，2010，《審議民主》。臺北市：群學。

1. C. Wright Mills, translated by Zhang Junmei and Liu Qianyou, 1995, "The Sociological Imagination". Taipei City: Juliu.
2. Editor-in-chief Jon Elster, translated by Li Zongyi and Xu Yashu, 2010, "Deliberative Democracy". Taipei City: Qunxue.