March 2003 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Fwd: TP Msg. #469 GUIDANCE FOR INSTRUCTORS CONCERNING CLASS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WAR IN IRAQ
by jeremy hunsinger 25 Mar '03

25 Mar '03

I thought that I'd forward this through, since it popped up today and seems pertinent to the current discussion. Begin forwarded message: > "The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the > University of Michigan offers the following guidelines to help faculty > and graduate student instructors deal with class discussions of the > war in Iraq." > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----------------------- > TOMORROW'S PROFESSOR(SM) LISTSERV > "desk-top faculty development, one hundred times a year" > THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING > http://ctl.stanford.edu > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------------------------- > Folks: > > After September 12, 2001 I posted a set of guidelines for discussing > the previous days events developed by the Center for Research on > Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the University of Michigan. CRLT has > just formulated guidelines for the purpose of of discussing the > current war in Iraq. The guidelines are posted below and can also be > found at: www.crlt.umich.edu. I am indebted to Constance Cook, > Director, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, Associate > Professor of Higher Education, and Adjunct Associate Professor of > Political Science at the University of Michigan for this information. > > Regards, > > > Rick Reis > reis(a)stanford.edu > UP NEXT: Getting Homework to Work > > Tomorrow's Academia > > -------------------------------------- 1,121 words > ------------------------------------- > > GUIDANCE FOR INSTRUCTORS CONCERNING CLASS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WAR IN IRAQ > > The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the > University of Michigan offers the following guidelines to help faculty > and graduate student instructors deal with class discussions of the > war in Iraq. The guidelines contain three sections: > > * Issues to consider before discussing the war > > * Suggestions for classes in which the topic of war comes up > unexpectedly > > * Suggestions for instructors planning and leading discussions about > the war > > > Issues to Consider Before Discussing the War > > 1. Students will have very different interpretations of the war, its > causes and its potential outcomes. It is important to allow students > to express these differences without fear of ridicule or attack, while > also encouraging disagreement, which is a cornerstone of critical > thinking and part of the academy's long tradition of intellectual > inquiry. > > 2. Some individuals have a special and complicated relationship to > this war. For example, discussions about the war may be especially > difficult for faculty and students from certain groups, including the > following: > > * those personally connected to the U.S. armed forces, > including those in the campus ROTC > program and those with family and friends in the armed > forces > * those from the Middle East and those who have close > connections to the Middle East > * international faculty and students, who may be viewed or > treated differently during this > crisis > * members of groups that some are blaming for the current > crisis > > For each of these groups, there is a potential for backlash during > class discussions. It is important that students not be doubly hurt as > a result of discussion - first by effects of the war itself, and > second by misguided generalizations. > > 3. Comparisons of current world leaders and events with historical > figures or events must be made carefully and with an awareness of the > complexity of history. Individual perspectives on these comparisons > are shaped by differences in political point of view, personal history > or age, past experience of violence or tragedy, group membership, or > geographical or cultural origins or reference points. Expression of > these differences can be a resource for enriching discussion. > > 4. Instructors should not feel compelled to lead a discussion, > especially if your own emotions or reactions make you hesitant to do > so, if you have strong views that would make it difficult to relate to > all students, or if you do not consider this discussion an appropriate > use of class time. You can make a simple statement to the class to > this effect and then move on. > > > Suggestions for Classes in Which the Topic of War Comes Up Unexpectedly > > 1. Acknowledge the concern of the student who raised the issue and > also point out that all those in the room have their own individual > responses and concerns. > > 2. Decide whether you are ready and willing to engage with this topic > now. > > 3. Get a quick sense from the class if others would like to devote > time to sharing views. If you do pursue a discussion, set a time frame > and then look to the strategies outlined below for suggestions about > format for the discussion. > > 4. If a discussion seems inappropriate, or other students resist > having a discussion on the spot, point out the available forums on > campus and encourage students to attend them, stay informed, and share > their concerns. Alternatively, you could schedule a discussion for a > later class and suggest ways that students could prepare for it. > > > Suggestions for Instructors Planning and Leading Discussions About the > War > > 1. Think through appropriate ways to introduce and close the session. > For example, you might begin with the reasons you are having the > discussion, acknowledging that there are widely divergent opinions and > feelings about the war. In closing a discussion, you might reiterate > the fact that substantial differences of opinion remain, and you can > encourage students to continue the dialogue and look for ways to take > advantage of campus programming on this topic. > > 2. Ask the class to establish ground rules for the discussion before > it begins. For example, you might suggest that the class: > > A. Commit to use the discussion as an opportunity to learn more > about complex and difficult > issues, rather than re-enacting polarized debate. > > B. Respect each other's views and avoid inflammatory language. > > C. Allow expression of personal stories and feelings. (Be > prepared for students to be emotional > about this topic.) > > D. Allow students to express anger and frustration within > limits. (While it is important for > students to express themselves, it is also vital to control > the class and maintain an > environment that encourages responsible discourse.) > > E. Limit the length of any one student's contributions to avoid > "speeches" so that all students > have an opportunity to participate. > > F. Agree to discuss this topic in a way that does not shut out > any members of the class. > > 3. Create a framework for the discussion. Where you can, explore links > to your discipline, letting topics emerge from the specific content of > your course. Discussion topics applicable to all students include the > following: > > A. What questions and fears do you have about this war? > > B. In what ways are you personally affected by these events? > > C. How might these events affect your/our future? > > D. How can you become better informed? > > E. What positive actions can individuals take in response to > this war (e.g., attend university > events about the war, support students who are far from > home)? > > 4. Encourage participation, but don't force students to participate. > Ways to accomplish this include: > > A. Use of a "round," i.e., giving each student a chance to speak > without interruption or discussion > in response to a guiding question, and allowing students to > pass if they desire. Following the > round, open the discussion for general response. > > B. Division of students into discussion partners or small groups > of 3-5 students. > > C. Offering students a chance to write down and organize their > thoughts before speaking. > > 5. Be prepared for the ways these discussions can go awry: > > A. Prepare questions that will help break down silence and > hesitation about speaking. Some > examples include the following: What makes this hard to talk > about? What is most confusing > at this point? > > B. Balance the emotional and intellectual aspects of the > discussion by helping students > differentiate between these ways of responding. For example, > acknowledge the emotion in > responses and help students to identify important questions > and issues embedded in these > responses. > > C. Validate personal experience while also helping students to > identify inappropriate > generalizations. > > D. Prepare a brief in-class writing assignment that can be used > to refocus discussion if you feel > as if you are losing control of the class or if the > discussion is going in unproductive directions. > > 6. Exchange ideas and strategies with other instructors, including > debriefing the class discussion. > > > Contact crlt(a)umich.edu or 734/764-0505 with comments or questions. > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------------------------------ > TOMORROW'S PROFESSOR LISTSERV is a shared mission partnership with the > American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) http://www.aahe.org/ > The National Teaching and Learning Forum (NT&LF) http://www.ntlf.com/ > The Stanford Center for Innovations in Learning (SCIL) > http://scil.stanford.edu/ > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------------------------------- > NOTE: Anyone can SUBSCRIBE to Tomorrows-Professor Listserv by > addressing an e-mail message to: > <Majordomo(a)lists.stanford.edu> > > Do NOT put anything in the SUBJECT line but in the body of the message > type: > > subscribe tomorrows-professor > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------------------------------- > To UNSUBSCRIBE to the Tomorrows-Professor send the following e-mail > message > to: <Majordomo(a)lists.stanford.edu> > > unsubscribe tomorrows-professor > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------------------------------- > > > -++**==--++**==--++**==--++**==--++**==--++**==--++**== > This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list > server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the > message body of "unsubscribe tomorrows-professor" to > majordomo(a)lists.stanford.edu > > Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture

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MelbourneDAC registrations
by Adrian Miles 25 Mar '03

25 Mar '03

Hi apologies for the cross postings that inevitably occur, registrations for the 2003 Melbourne Digital Arts and Culture (melbourneDAC) conference are now open. may 19 - 23 Melbourne, Australia. http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/registratio.html a final list of papers and presenters will be available shortly. regards adrian miles conference chair -- + MelbourneDAC2003 digital arts and culture conference [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/] + interactive desktop video developer [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/vog/] + hypertext rmit [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au] + InterMedia:UiB. university of bergen [http://www.intermedia.uib.no]

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DfT funded studentship in usability
by Susan Kenyon 25 Mar '03

25 Mar '03

Apologies for cross posting. Please bring the following to the attention of your colleagues: ______________________________________________ Usability of Web-based Multimodal Traveller Information ______________________________________________ The Unit for Transport and Society at UWE, Bristol, invites applications for a three year PhD studentship fully-funded by the UK Department for Transport. The successful applicant will be based in London and will work within the Transport Direct Division at DfT (see www.dft.gov.uk/itwp/transdirect) Transport Direct is a major Programme within the Government's Ten Year Plan for Transport. It aims to provide the UK with a 'one-stop-shop' traveller information service, initially via the Internet. The studentship will focus upon the understanding of user needs and reactions associated with traveller information services and, more specifically, usability issues concerning Transport Direct itself. The studentship stipend will be up to 50% higher than the standard research councils' maintenance grant of £8000 p.a. The studentship also includes payment of fees and travel. For further information please visit www.transport.uwe.ac.uk. _________________________ Please take a look at the INTERNET project web site: http://www.transport.uwe.ac.uk/research/projects/internet/index.htm. Susan Kenyon Research Fellow in Transport and Social Exclusion Unit for Transport and Society Faculty of the Built Environment University of the West of England Bristol BS16 1QY Office Tel: 0117 344 3996 Work Mob: 07879 242758 Email: susan.kenyon(a)uwe.ac.uk Web: www.transport.uwe.ac.uk

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Re: peace
by Rune Dalgaard 25 Mar '03

25 Mar '03

David, I generally agree with your skepticism of the Iraq war. I find my country (Denmark), as one of only 3-4 countries participating in war against the majority opinion here in Denmark and around the world - a very frustrating experience, when you belong to that majority! I too, have noted the absence of war-related mails in a couple of days, not just on this list but also on at least one other I am participating in. I have a feeling that once the war started some of the discussions leading up to it seemed futile to many (to late to avoid it). Second, there might have been a general need of a little time to make sense of the information coming from the war zone. As to the appropriateness of discussing 'non-curricular' issues on a list like this? Generally, I think not, unless the discussion is clearly related to the Internet as a phenomenon. However, some times there are exceptions to rules - I think a war like this is exceptional enough for people to voice their opinion in this forum (as exceptions to the rule - a continued discussion could be carried out off-list) - sorry for carrying it on here ;-) Best, Rune ________________________________________________ Rune Dalgaard | MA, Ph.D. Candidate | Information and Media Studies | Aarhus University | Denmark runed(a)imv.au.dk | http://www.imv.au.dk/medarbejdere/runed

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Stratfor online
by Randolph Kluver (Assoc Prof) 25 Mar '03

25 Mar '03

This is an interesting piece on how people other than peace activists are using the internet in this period. The article doesn't highlight the impact of the Internet on Stratfor, but from my experience, it has been its web presence that has had the greatest impact in its diffusion. http://webreprints.djreprints.com/707830853467.html March 14, 2003 Dow Jones WebReprint Service(r) How Wall Street Now Acquires Intelligence on the War Scene By SUSAN PULLIAM Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AUSTIN, Texas - George Friedman stands with three young analysts in front of a 10-foot map of Iraq tacked on the wall of the downtown offices of his intelligence firm. Talk quickly turns to sandstorms in the Iraqi desert. "Check for me the earliest in April that the sandstorms can start," Mr. Friedman says to one of the analysts here at Strategic Forecasting Inc., or Stratfor, which analyzes geopolitical events for private clients. Then he hurries down the hall to begin preparing for a conference call with 11 energy traders, hedge funds and Wall Street analysts. The callers are eager to know Mr. Friedman's opinion on whether there will be a war with Iraq and when it will begin. A. Randolph Kluver School of Communication and Information Nanyang Technological University 31 Nanyang Link Singapore, 637718 (65) 6790-5770 Fax (65) 6792-4329

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email&communities of practice
by jeremy hunsinger 25 Mar '03

25 Mar '03

it's not the first time internet research has been in nature, or probably the first time you've seen the article this is based on, it made rounds about 2 weeks ago in the blogs, but it is interesting nonetheless http://www.nature.com/nsu/030317/030317-5.html Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture

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Fwd: DEF CON Announcement: CFP, Media now on line! (fwd)
by jeremy hunsinger 25 Mar '03

25 Mar '03

I don't know how many of you are interested in security and the internet, but I am, and if you are, we could perhaps put together a birds of a feather or network of excellence, or similar topic. if you are interested in pursuing something, email me at jhuns(a)vt.edu. in the mean time, defcon occured and the media is online. Begin forwarded message: > From: Eugen Leitl <eugen(a)leitl.org> > Date: Mon Mar 24, 2003 2:49:56 PM US/Eastern > To: cpunx-news(a)leitl.org > Cc: grisvalpen <pigdog(a)pighaven.org>, cypherpunks(a)lne.com > Subject: DEF CON Announcement: CFP, Media now on line! (fwd) > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 22:06:46 -0800 > From: The Dark Tangent <dtangent(a)defcon.org> > To: bugtraq(a)securityfocus.com > Subject: DEF CON Announcement: CFP, Media now on line! > > Hello everyone, > > I would like to make several DEF CON related announcements. > > The Call For Papers for speaking at DEF CON ELEVEN (or XI, 0x0B, 1.1, > 11) is now on-line and in effect. Continuing last year, we will > continue > to pay speakers. We are also continuing to improve speaker quality. It > is > no longer enough to have green hair and an attitude. > Check it out at: > http://www.defcon.org/html/defcon-11/defcon-11-cfp.html > > The speeches from DEF CON 0a are now on-line with the DEF CON media > server. > 90% of the talks are encoded with Real Helix and should be at a better > resolution than past media. The missing talks are being hunted down > now and > re-encoded. Only video is currently available, with the audio only > encoding > to follow. Listen to 60+ talks spanning privacy, wireless, hacking, > network > defense and more! > DEF CON 0a Media: > http://www.defcon.org/html/links/defcon-media-archives.html#DEF CON 10 > > Solicitation for papers, stories, and art: Contrary to rumors on IRC, > DEF > CON is not starting a publication. What we are doing is expanding the > show > program to be more of than just a show guide since last year's program > with > the added articles was such a huge hit. As such we are looking for > serious > technical articles, relating to the underground scene, privacy, > computer > security, humor, stories, and art. > Go to http://www.defcon.org/html/defcon-11/defcon-11-program.html > > Thank you, > The Dark Tangent > > Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture

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Re: peace
by Robert Hassan 25 Mar '03

25 Mar '03

In response to Steve's experience with students who don't or can't talk about the war. Could it be, at some level, a way of dealing with guilt, a sort of horror at what is being done in one's name? I feel it here in Australia, where lying politicians and propagandistic media can't make their case effectively, so people either demonstrate or shun it. Another reason could be (for some undergraduate students) that they lack the historical perspective to make sense of what is going on. I have followed this closely, for months, and still find myself going through mental gymnastics to make sense of what is a hugely complex legal, ethical, moral, historical (and strategical) set of issues. On the other hand, I have taught students who were only vaguely aware of World War Two; for whom Vietnam meant interesting food and a great place to travel to; and the Middle East was just a hot region with strangely noisy people until 9/11 blasted its way into the general consciousness-to then be manipulated by our leaders.

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2 new papers and 2 updated papers on opensource.mit.edu + community stats
by Karim R. Lakhani 24 Mar '03

24 Mar '03

Hello All, Well spring has finally sprung in Cambridge, MA. It was a brutal winter! But now alas the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. Hope everyone is doing OK -- given the circumstances. We have 2 new papers and 2 updated papers on opensource.mit.edu, details below. BTW, some community stats: * We now have 83 papers on the site! * 205 researchers have signed up on our researcher directory * 225 members on the community list * 109 members on the discuss list (quiet recently!) Here are the new papers: ***************************************************** New Papers ***************************************************** Paper 1 Authors: Lee, Samuel, Nina Moisa & Marco Weiss Title: *Open Source as a Signalling Device - An Economic Analysis* http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/leemoisaweiss.pdf Abstract: Open source projects produce goods or standards that do not allow for the appropriation of private returns by those who contribute to these projects. In this paper we analyze why programmers will nevertheless invest their time and effort to code open source software. We argue that the particular way in which open source projects are managed and especially how contributions are attributed to individual agents, allows the best programmers to create a signal that more mediocre programmers cannot achieve. Through setting themselves apart they can turn this signal into monetary rewards that correspond to their superior capabilities. With this incentive they will forgo the immediate rewards they could earn in software companies producing proprietary software by restricting the access to the source code of their product. Whenever institutional arrangements are in place that enable the acquisition of such a signal and the subsequent substitution into monetary rewards, the contribution to open source projects and the resulting public good is a feasible outcome that can be explained by standard economic theory. Paper 2 Authors: Dalle, Jean- Michel & Paul A. David Title *The Allocation of Software Development Resources in 'Open Source' Production* http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/dalledavid.pdf Abstract: The paper develops a stochastic simulation model capable of describing the decentralized, micro-level decisions that allocate programming resources both within and among open source/ free software (OS/FS) projects, and which critically shape their growth. The core or behavioral kernel of our simulation tool is based on dynamic "growing" trees, and incorporates the effects of the reputational reward structure of OS/FS communities as characterized by Eric S. Raymond (1998). In this regard, our line of investigation also follows recent approaches associated with studies of academic researchers in “open science” communities. For the purposes of this first step, we mainly focus on showing the ways in which the specific norms of the reward system and organizational rules can shape emergent properties of projects, and we also point to a validation in this framework of the often adovcated, but yet mainly empirical "release early" rule. ************************************************************ Revised Papers ************************************************************ Paper 1 Author Chiao, Benjamin Hak- Fung Title: *An Economic Theory of Free and Open Source Software: A Tour from Lighthouse to Chinese-Style Socialism* http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/chiao.pdf The theory is that free and open source software is a private property under the guise of a common property. Such software is distributed under some licenses such as the GNU General Public License (GPL). The intents in The GNU Manifesto cause the GPL to have striking similarities with communism. The resulting economic properties, however, are similar to those in Chinese-style socialism: they both separate legal and economic ownerships. My departure from other analyses in the literature begins when I show that some public good properties of this type of software are observed in reality. Though non-profitable distributions are compulsory according to the provision of the GPL, the data shows that distributors have increased, for example, excludability of networks so that users are induced to buy the commercial packages. Social marginal cost is thus not zero. I refute the view that the development (including distribution) is insufficient. "Over- development" is even possible because "copylefting" allows agents to appropriate income from resource owners by establishing economic (not legal) rights over the software through informal hierarchies or trade secrets. Resource owners might not suffer. Without incentive compatibilities, the software might not be that valuable in the first place. Implications of increased substitutability of workers, absence of piracy breaking the tie-in of software and support, and branching of versions are also discussed. Paper 2 Authors: Osterloh, Margit; Sandra Rota & Bernhard Kuster Title: *Open Source Software Production: Climbing on the Shoulders of Giants* http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/osterlohrotakuster.pdf Abstract: Open source software production is a successful new production model in which a public good is voluntarily provided. We argue that by studying this new production model we gain valuable insight for organization theory beyond software production. Under specific conditions this model can be generalized, contingent on the interplay of motivational, situational, and institutional factors. It is argued that a production model building on the shoulders of predecessors and peers depends on a well balanced portfolio of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, low costs for contributors and governance mechanisms that do not crowd out intrinsic motivation. Best, Karim -- =============================================== Karim R. Lakhani MIT Sloan School of Management MIT Free/Open Source Software Research Project e-mail: lakhani(a)mit.edu voice: 617-851-1224 fax: 617-344-0403 http://opensource.mit.edu http://freesoftware.mit.edu http://mit.edu/lakhani/www

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a sign of the actual cultural atmosphere ?
by Frank Thomas 24 Mar '03

24 Mar '03

a sign of the actual cultural atmosphere, in the US as well as in Europe (and maybe elsewhere) ? from cnet: http://news.com.com/2009-1088-984352.html?tag=lh from today: Shoot the instant messenger Maybe he should paid a few extra bucks for the "ruggedized <http://news.com.com/2100-1040-929031.html?tag=nl>" model. George Doughty, owner of Doughty's Tavern in the mountain town of Lafayette, Colo., is without a computer and facing the prospect of jail time after shooting his Dell laptop last Sunday. According to Lafayette Police reports, Doughty got fed up with his notebook for unspecified reasons and decided to teach it a lesson with his handgun. He set the laptop on the floor of his bar, plugged it with several shots and then hung it on the wall "like a hunting trophy," according to a report in the region's newspaper, The Daily Camera of Boulder, Colo. Police weren't as much concerned with shooting as the fact that it happened in front of several bar patrons. Doughty faces trial March 19 on charges of felony menacing, reckless endangerment and the prohibited use of weapons. Doughty told CNET News.com he couldn't talk about the incident until after the trial. While Doughty's alleged reaction might have been extreme, the impulse isn't that unusual. In a recent European IT survey <http://www.ch.didata.com/documents/frustration_survey.pdf?tag=nl>, one out of 10 users admitted to physically abusing their PCs when they malfunctioned. [March 7, 2003] Cheers Frank Thomas

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