From tim.stallmann at gmail.com Thu Dec 2 12:56:21 2010 From: tim.stallmann at gmail.com (Tim Stallmann) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 15:56:21 -0500 Subject: [recomposingUNC] recomposing the happy hour, this friday Message-ID: Hey folks -- Some of us were tossing around the idea of convening a radical cross-departmental happy hour as a way to build some fellowship and keep our organizing alive. How about starting this Friday, at 6 PM at the Crunkleton? I'm suggesting there because: a) it has Frenet, which Liz likes; b) the Geography happy hour will almost surely *not* be there; and c) there's the option of discreetly bringing in take-out from Med Deli next-door for folks who want food.. -Tim From pav1thrav at yahoo.com Fri Dec 3 06:53:35 2010 From: pav1thrav at yahoo.com (Pavithra Kathanadhi) Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 06:53:35 -0800 (PST) Subject: [recomposingUNC] reading on US education and the crisis In-Reply-To: <87d3pyuqt6.fsf@pobox.com> References: <87d3pyuqt6.fsf@pobox.com> Message-ID: <419347.3833.qm@web51705.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Hi all, check out this short article by Michael Hardt on U.S. education and the crisis. Hardt is down the road at Duke, and may be another possibility for someone we want to hear from or have share at our group meeting at some point. Hope to see you at the alternative happy hour tonight at 6! If you have friends or colleagues who are interested in recomposing UNC, but are not able to make it to the Friday meetings at noon, this may be a time to invite them out... peace, Pavithra ******************* Michael Hardt: US education and the crisis Governments across the globe are dramatically reducing funding for public education and raising university tuition rates. These measures are often cast as a response to the current economic crisis but really their implementation began well before it. Whereas in Britain, Italy, and other European countries students battle police in the streets and experiment with new means to protest such government actions, there is a relative calm on U.S. campuses. Forty and fifty years ago US student movements were among the most active and innovative in the world, not only protesting against militarism, racism, and other social hierarchies but demanding a democratic reform of the education system. Why today do US student movements appear so far behind in response to this global crisis of education? There have, in fact, been significant student protests in the U.S. in recent years that have not received widespread attention. The most important of these are the student movements to protest raises in tuition in the public university system in the state of California. Tuition in the University of California system had risen gradually to double over the course of a decade but the sudden additional increase of 32% in November 2009 set off the student protests. In the largest and most widespread actions on US campuses since the 1970s, students occupied university buildings and mounted demonstrations. The primary focus of the California students has been the social inequality created by higher tuition rates and lower funding of the university as a whole. The poor are obviously the first and most severely affected by the changes. The widening class division, the students insistently point out, corresponds closely to racial divisions, since black and Latino students constitute a large portion of those most affected by the higher tuition fees. The modest successes in the project to open university education to a wider population in a previous era are being gradually reversed. For the past 30 years, explains Christopher Newfield, professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, "the public universities, which most US students attend, have been systematically underfunded, restricting all educational gains to the top quarter of students by income and destroying the country?s previous global advantage in educational attainment." The California student movement has been significant but not nearly as intense, widespread, or sustained as its counterparts in Europe. One obvious reason for this difference is that changes in the US university have been more gradual and smaller. Tuition at public universities has long been higher in the US than in most of Europe and recent increases have been relatively modest. The 32% increase in California in 2009 is dwarfed by the proposed increase in Britain of nearly 300%. A second factor that could contribute to less student protest in the United States is that university conditions are not unified at the national level. Public university funding and tuition rates vary widely in different states and the extensive system of private universities creates even more significant variation. The most significant reason for less student activism in the United States, however, may derive from a much deeper national condition. The social value placed on education for all, especially higher education, has declined dramatically. This is certainly true for other countries as well but the fall has been more precipitous in the United States. Student politics can only gain a powerful voice when university education is a social priority. Consider, in contrast, the US government response to the "Sputnik crisis." Within the frame of cold war logic, the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite was considered a challenge to US security and its position in the global system. In response the United States substantially increased university funding, especially in science and technology. The mission was not limited to advanced scientific training or to military advances but rather spread though all levels of the education system, with widespread and varied consequences. Even Donna Haraway, the pioneering feminist theorist, often refers to herself as a "child of Sputnik." The increase of knowledge and intelligence across society was a national priority. Mass education advances contributed directly to the economic growth of the US economy. And furthermore, in the context of this educational project, the student protests of the 1960s and 70s found a loud voice in national debates. Whereas one can say that the launch of Sputnik made the United States smarter, the attacks of September 11th, perceived as the primary challenge to the national position in this period, only made the country more stupid. The "war on terror" has given priority only to the most limited military and technological knowledges and the idiocy of security dominates public discourse. In this atmosphere arguments for advances in mass public education as well as student demands for equal and open access to the university carry little weight. The importance of mass education for economic development is no less today than it was 50 years ago, but the economic significance of the fields of education have changed. Along with a wide range of economists, Toni Negri and I argue that in recent decades the dominant sector of the economy has shifted from industrial production to what we call biopolitical production, la production de l'homme par l'homme, involving the creation of ideas, images, code, affects, and other immaterial goods. If this is true, then the mass education of engineers and scientists is no longer the primary key to economic competitiveness. In the biopolitical economy mass intelligence - even and especially linguistic, conceptual, and social capacities - are what drive economic innovation. University policies throughout the world have not kept pace with these changes. The private money that universities solicit to compensate for the decline in public funding is dedicated overwhelmingly to technical and scientific fields. The human sciences, which are increasingly relevant in the biopolitical economy, are deprived of funds and wither. In this case the student demands actually point in the direction of economic prosperity. The current student protests thus reconfirm a general rule of politics, that social struggles proceed and prefigure social development. I am generally skeptical about laments of the decline of American civilization. In fact, I foresee the loss of military dominance heralding a much more dynamic and creative period of US social development. But the failure to make mass education at all levels a social priority is certainly one factor indicative of decline. And I interpret the relative calm of US campuses in face of economic crisis and cuts as a symptom of that problem. * The article was published by Lib?ration See also http://uninomade.org/us-education-and-the-crisis/ _______________________________________________ Recomposingunc mailing list Recomposingunc at lists.resist.ca https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/recomposingunc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nyerere at riseup.net Tue Dec 21 00:12:00 2010 From: nyerere at riseup.net (nyerere at riseup.net) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:12:00 -0800 (PST) Subject: [recomposingUNC] next semester In-Reply-To: <419347.3833.qm@web51705.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <87d3pyuqt6.fsf@pobox.com> <419347.3833.qm@web51705.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear all, Hope everyone is enjoying their break from school and work. i wanted to open a conversation via email since we're not meeting over break to reflect on this past semester and begin brainstorming about the direction of our discussions for this next semester. As I understand it, this conversation began in the last meetings that I missed unfortunately being out of town, so this is just to continue that conversation. If people are interested in sharing their own thoughts on the direction of the group this semester I'd like to suggest you do that over the next few weeks via email so we hit the ground running in January. for my part, i'd like to propose getting back to the weekly readings, so that we have something always to ground our conversations each week. again, i still think these should be optional, but they will provide more directed conversations as we begin to reflect about possible interventions in our own environment. I'd like to propose we pick one book and read it this semester. I have two proposals: Either Marc Busquet's HOW THE UNIVERSITY WORKS or Edu-factory's edited collection called TOWARD A GLOBAL AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY. The advantage of the latter is that it is already in pdf form online, and is already set-up in easily digestible articles which we could do one or two at a time per week. The advantage of just picking one book and sticking with it is that we don't have to decide on readings each week, which inevitably we end up not having time for or forgetting to decide, and then we miss a week without readings. Also, both these books come highly recommended and I think would be right up our alley. That is my contribution as far as brainstorming. I'm looking forward to getting back in the groove and really getting this group going and expanding. This semester I know my schedule will be better as well so I won't have to leave meetings early for class as I did this past semester. Ciao for now, Yousuf From Tom_Roche at pobox.com Wed Dec 22 10:23:38 2010 From: Tom_Roche at pobox.com (Tom Roche) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:23:38 -0500 Subject: [recomposingUNC] next semester In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <874oa5zmxh.fsf@pobox.com> Yousuf Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:12:00 -0800 (PST) > I'd like to propose we pick one book and read it this semester. I have > two proposals: Either Marc Busquet's HOW THE UNIVERSITY WORKS or > Edu-factory's edited collection called TOWARD A GLOBAL AUTONOMOUS > UNIVERSITY. Another book to consider is "University, Inc": http://books.google.com/books?id=MD3dj8Hz7h0C I'll look for freeware. FWIW, Tom Roche From ejswoo at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 16:44:17 2010 From: ejswoo at gmail.com (Yenta Laureate) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:44:17 -0500 Subject: [recomposingUNC] next semester In-Reply-To: <874oa5zmxh.fsf@pobox.com> References: <874oa5zmxh.fsf@pobox.com> Message-ID: I have a book someone gave me (yes the randomness factor) that was reviewed by the NY Times called "The Lost Soul of Higher Education" - I can skim it to give a very short report on it since it is from the point of view of faculty that don't want the university to go to a corporate model. I'm good with the books below; i've heard good things about them. On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:23 PM, Tom Roche wrote: > > Yousuf Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:12:00 -0800 (PST) > > I'd like to propose we pick one book and read it this semester. I have > > two proposals: Either Marc Busquet's HOW THE UNIVERSITY WORKS or > > Edu-factory's edited collection called TOWARD A GLOBAL AUTONOMOUS > > UNIVERSITY. > > Another book to consider is "University, Inc": > > http://books.google.com/books?id=MD3dj8Hz7h0C > > I'll look for freeware. > > FWIW, Tom Roche > _______________________________________________ > Recomposingunc mailing list > Recomposingunc at lists.resist.ca > https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/recomposingunc > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From akinkatie at gmail.com Fri Dec 24 09:29:14 2010 From: akinkatie at gmail.com (Katie Akin) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:29:14 -0600 Subject: [recomposingUNC] next semester In-Reply-To: References: <874oa5zmxh.fsf@pobox.com> Message-ID: Hello, rUNC! I like the idea of weekly readings, and covering a book or two over the semester. I would also like to plan more "happy hour" or "family" style RecomposingUNC meetings. As for the readings, I think it is a great idea to start with the Edu-factory book that Yousuf proposed. The fact that those chapters are available in pdf format already will make it easier for people to jump in and participate. Hope everyone is well and enjoying the break! Sending the best wishes to you and your loved ones-- Katie On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 6:44 PM, Yenta Laureate wrote: > I have a book someone gave me (yes the randomness factor) that was reviewed > by the NY Times called "The Lost Soul of Higher Education" - I can skim it > to give a very short report on it since it is from the point of view of > faculty that don't want the university to go to a corporate model. > > I'm good with the books below; i've heard good things about them. > > > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:23 PM, Tom Roche wrote: > >> >> Yousuf Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:12:00 -0800 (PST) >> > I'd like to propose we pick one book and read it this semester. I have >> > two proposals: Either Marc Busquet's HOW THE UNIVERSITY WORKS or >> > Edu-factory's edited collection called TOWARD A GLOBAL AUTONOMOUS >> > UNIVERSITY. >> >> Another book to consider is "University, Inc": >> >> http://books.google.com/books?id=MD3dj8Hz7h0C >> >> I'll look for freeware. >> >> FWIW, Tom Roche >> _______________________________________________ >> Recomposingunc mailing list >> Recomposingunc at lists.resist.ca >> https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/recomposingunc >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Recomposingunc mailing list > Recomposingunc at lists.resist.ca > https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/recomposingunc > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From liz.masondeese at gmail.com Sun Dec 26 20:12:50 2010 From: liz.masondeese at gmail.com (Liz Mason-Deese) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:12:50 -0500 Subject: [recomposingUNC] next semester In-Reply-To: References: <874oa5zmxh.fsf@pobox.com> Message-ID: Hi all - I also like the idea of weekly readings and second Yousuf's idea of either the Edu-factory book or Marc Bousquet's book. (I read University Inc a couple of years ago and it's good but I think all of it's main points are probably fairly obvious to us). I'd also propose a team or small subgroup of folks to get together to talk about blog/website stuff - it's something I would like to do but I also don't want to be making decisions on my own about it. As for more "fun" things - I have the documentary from the NYU grad student strike a few years ago if folks want to get together and watch that one evening? We should perhaps also talk about how to draw more folks in for next semester? take care, Liz On Fri, Dec 24, 2010 at 12:29 PM, Katie Akin wrote: > Hello, rUNC! > > I like the idea of weekly readings, and covering a book or two over the > semester. I would also like to plan more "happy hour" or "family" style > RecomposingUNC meetings. As for the readings, I think it is a great idea to > start with the Edu-factory book that Yousuf proposed. The fact that those > chapters are available in pdf format already will make it easier for people > to jump in and participate. > > Hope everyone is well and enjoying the break! > > Sending the best wishes to you and your loved ones-- > > Katie > > > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 6:44 PM, Yenta Laureate wrote: > >> I have a book someone gave me (yes the randomness factor) that was >> reviewed by the NY Times called "The Lost Soul of Higher Education" - I can >> skim it to give a very short report on it since it is from the point of view >> of faculty that don't want the university to go to a corporate model. >> >> I'm good with the books below; i've heard good things about them. >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:23 PM, Tom Roche wrote: >> >>> >>> Yousuf Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:12:00 -0800 (PST) >>> > I'd like to propose we pick one book and read it this semester. I have >>> > two proposals: Either Marc Busquet's HOW THE UNIVERSITY WORKS or >>> > Edu-factory's edited collection called TOWARD A GLOBAL AUTONOMOUS >>> > UNIVERSITY. >>> >>> Another book to consider is "University, Inc": >>> >>> http://books.google.com/books?id=MD3dj8Hz7h0C >>> >>> I'll look for freeware. >>> >>> FWIW, Tom Roche >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Recomposingunc mailing list >>> Recomposingunc at lists.resist.ca >>> https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/recomposingunc >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Recomposingunc mailing list >> Recomposingunc at lists.resist.ca >> https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/recomposingunc >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Recomposingunc mailing list > Recomposingunc at lists.resist.ca > https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/recomposingunc > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: