Washington, DC

make sure whole word is bold; it should also be "levels" not "level"

Is this the official AAUP mission (I know, I should look this us)? It seems to me too narrow, considering the disciplinary activities academics engage in, for example in performing or visual arts, in creative writing, and other fields in which scholarship cannot be clearly categorized as research.

Important consideration that we often ignore: We assume that our educational development participants are pretty much the same. We're making the same error that we tell them not to make: assuming that our students have the same learning background that we have.

Hm, I find this a fairly narrow focus when it comes to how we understand learning.

I think this concept is central to understanding the problems that we encounter in discussion boards.

I find this argument more persuasive than the claim that a legal text that is not enforced leads to standing.

This section explains what allotments are and how they were used to destroy reservations.

create link

will begin in fall, with shadowing of current faculty associates in spring.

change to closes

change to spring '17 and '18

change to December 7, 2018

change to January 28, 2019

change to 2018-19

change to January 28, 2019

Isn't Twitter a recent version of this? How did it turn out?

Members of Congress can send mail to their constituents to inform them of whatever is of public concern. Even though they're not allowed to send them campaign literature that way, the mailings help with name recognition and usually don't hurt their standing among constituents. Here is more than you want to know on the topic.

It might be worth to note the racial (AKA racist) dimension of the working of the agency view here: in popular media, criminals were/are often represented as African Americans (see Ghandnoosh); and law-and-order rhetoric is frequently coded racist rhetoric ( see Michelle Alexander); particularly the War on Drugs had racist causes (see Provine).

In other words, this is an example of the agency model of representation in action!

Important to note that King see the electoral power of interest groups—particularly groups that represent large numbers of individuals, such as gun owners or senior citizens—as more important than their financial power. While the financial power of interest groups is viewed as corrupt by many people (see comments by aliyahhall and GrantC above), I don't think people would view the mobilization of voters around an issue as corrupt.

Obviously, not literally dead. But also not necessarily politically dead, since they are likely to continue work as political consultants and lobbyists. Like that, they may become more influential (and more wealthy!) than those politicians who are re-elected.

These two interpretations roughly correspond to the trustee and delegate models of representation: Trustees focus on what they believe is best for the country and their voters, even if voters think something else is best for them; instructed delegates pursue policies that their voters want, even if they believe they're not good for the country or the voters. See pp. 421, 439/330, 540 (sourcing the models to Edmund Burke) in the Krutz textbook.

This statement is puzzling: What are the "enormous" costs? An electoral loss, and loss of a political position? In real life, losing an election comes with an enormous pay raise for members of Congress (note the anachronistic "congressmen" used by King), as most of them become well-paid political consultants and lobbyists (the latter after a fairly short waiting period during which they may not directly lobby Congress).

I think the cost that King refers to is a political cost, as power in Congress is associated with seniority: the length of time a member of Congress has served in the same position. Members of Congress who get re-elected over many years gain seniority and raise in influence, for example by becoming committee chairs (or ranking committee members) or taking on leadership positions. (This in turn also increases the money they can charge once they are defeated or retired.)

This is somewhat misleading. I suppose he refers to regular state-level elections, but there are additional states with local elections in odd-numbered years: mayoral elections, schoolboards, etc.

POSC 225H folks: Please complete this worksheet.

POSC 225H folks: Please complete this worksheet.

this is a key term here: what are the significant things that we want students to learn? (Note: if you are studying stats, "significant" means something completely different in that context)

I like the 2-3 years time frame.

One element of situational factors are the characteristics of the learners (AKA students). What would be some of these factors in our class? (Please keep in mind that these comments are public, so please be careful before divulging sensitive information here; you can also talk to me in person before class about this.)

this is a central point in Fink's (and other's—see McTighe/Wiggins Understanding By Design) framework). Learning goals have to be reflected in assignments (which should measure whether students have achieved the goals), which in turn have to be reflected in activities (which prepare students for succeeding in assignments by reaching the learning goals)

As a learning goal, this is not very precise. How is important content defined—by guiding questions, by accreditation requirements, by licensing tests, by consensus of academics, or what? Then, what does learning mean: remember? describe? use? critique? (OK, I'm going through Bloom's Taxonomy here.)

Much of this is my responsibility, as a professor.

For this, I need student input: How can you best show what you have learned? But I also have to use my own experiences as well as literature on teaching/assessment.

For students, this portion should raise the question: How can I best assess my learning progress? How can I find out what I need to focus on in my learning? Whose input do I need? Teachers, of course. But also peers?

This is the main task that POSC 225H students and I work on together.

delete

https://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/

period

integrate links here?

period

Integrate link into text here.

Fix the following link.

Is this text controlled by HR? If you are new to JMU, these acronyms won't make sense.

Delete space before "Once".

Interesting connection to work that involves students in educational development: getting student input on course design, syllabi, etc. See Cook-Sather.

Based on a survey of students.

Based on a survey of students; published 1992

Note the focus on education—the development of "knowledge, skills, values and motivation"—as part of civic engagement.

delete colon and bullet point and change this to a simple sentence.

Replace with: Talks provide an informal space in which faculty can focus on aspects of their professional careers and connect to colleagues with similar interests, concerns, and experiences.

do not capitalize "talks"

Replace with "Career Planning", then "institutes" (not capitalized).

We have to revisit the institute outcomes—this is pretty bland. But this will require broader discussion in another context.

As to the bulleted list: remove semicolon.

Replace with "Institutes".

replace with "broad questions of what motivates their career choices, how the different aspects of their careers are connected, and how they can demonstrate their achievement of career successes."

insert space between "in" and "a"

remove comma

do not capitalize

remove semicolon

replace with "an"

If one clicks on this link, the page that opens has the link list on the left closed.

Do we have a style guide for bullet points? For example, when do we end them with commas, when with periods? When do we capitalize them, when not?

This is the first portion of the text that can be highlighted and copied. I wonder if this interferes with screenreaders? Is the previous text part of the image?

Keep: We'll be using Canvas again!

The CFI will help build cohort community beyond NFA workshop and peer mentoring through a variety of optional meetings and fora. Details will be posted on the NFA Canvas site.

Revision: The New Faculty Academy (NFA) concept emerged from JMU’s response to the COACHE survey of 2012 and the subsequent COACHE Task Force report and recommendations. Key data points and task force recommendations focused on the need to improve the mentoring of new faculty and to provide additional career development support. The NFA concept recognizes the need for new faculty orientation to go beyond one day before the fall semester and focus more comprehensively on professional development while also providing faculty with the information they need, when they need it, during their first year. This includes early career support for their progress toward promotion and tenure—or consistent re-appointment, in the case of RT faculty. The NFA Task Force, in collaboration with Academic Council and the Faculty Senate, established criteria for the selection of NFA participants from among new faculty members. Applying these criteria, the academic deans nominate new faculty to each year's NFA cohort.

definition of institutional racism

Definition of race.

Definition of racism. Interesting: as an ideology, it is defined as a cognitive phenomenon, not a structural or institutional phenomenon (though ideology can be part of an institution). See racial discrimination or inequality below for concepts that relate to institutional or structural racism.

Definition of "racialization"

Useful: Zuckerberg's article is here available outside the Facebook silo.

Worth copying and quoting.

Part of the reason for this is that these words can be used as insults as well. And that's related to an understanding of racism, sexism, etc. as always intentional discrimination. Once we understand that these types of discrimination can be structural, then naming them is not automatically an insult. (Even though there are plenty of racist blighters who deserve the occasional insult...)

What follows is a good description of structural "everyday" inequalities that are not intentional but still examples of racism and sexism.

Criteria for focusing on specific differences: pervasiveness (of discrimination, I assume), number affected, harm. I'm not sure number is a good criterion, though: large groups of people tend to be better able to defend themselves than small numbers.

Important point: it's not about guilt and blame, it's about understanding the world and changing it

In the spirit of information literacy, it should be noted that if all was just fine, the Stanford History Education Group would find it more difficult to justify the work presented here. Not to say there's no problem or the work presented here isn't worth it (it is!), but it is also necessary to look at how the studies are precisely designed and how the resulting data are analyzed.

Oops, yeah: this does not deal with the situation where a student uses correct reasoning (biased article because sponsored) but disagrees with the researchers' definition of "advertisement."

I agree that this is something that needs to be taught. I possible problem with this part of the assessment – which may have been addressed by the researchers at some point in the process – is whether there was a common understanding what advertisements are. What if students (particularly those who noted that this was sponsored content) identified this as a news story with a high level of (likely) bias (for example in favor of a product)? How was such a response coded?

I find that's a common experience in teaching: we easily mis-estimate (under/over) student competencies.

that's great - some of the assessments here look like good information literacy exercises

The description here does not explain how the researchers made sure that this "exercise designed by adults [was] interpreted similarly by a group of" high-school and college students.

Punny!

Interesting choice of example: Coates's argument is not that the incarceration crisis is due to the over-punishment of non-violent crime but that the crisis is due to excessive sentences imposed for violent crimes.

More statistics at http://sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Trends-in-US-Corrections.pdf

https://lcrm.lib.unc.edu/blog/index.php/2012/07/23/on-this-day-the-detroit-riot-of-1967/

The so-called Watts riots. More background here at Publishing the Long Civil Rights Movement.

Irving Kristol, who later would become one of the leading figures of American neoconservatism, was somewhat of a liberal at the time. See e.g. his obituary in the New York Times, particularly here.

Kristol's move towards conservatism in the 1960s.

Definition/description of oppression. Important: highlights that this is not just about whether people are well- or ill-meaning, have discriminatory intent, and the like. It's about systemic oppression that's part of institutions but also part of individual psychology.

Definition of social justice that I've seen cited in a number of texts. What I find interesting is, among other things, that interdependence is one of the characteristics of social justice – at first sight this is in contrast to the American ideal of independent individualism, though upon further reflection, non-radical versions of this individualism will have to acknowledge the interdependent nature of society. But what I find interesting here is that interdependence is not just a condition that's acknowledged, something that exists and needs to be dealt with, but it's viewed as a condition for democracy that would have to be established if it did not exist.

What are natural minds? Rousseau?

The use of this term is revealing, since the argument drives towards an expression of heroic individualism that I very much disagree with. Genii are rare, and not necessarily good for humanity. They come with a lot Romantic baggage. And I doubt even genii reach their full potential in isolation from other learners - genii or non-genii.

And loneliness, considering the hostility to interaction? (Sorry, I seem to be on a cranky roll here... Interesting and stimulating ideas here, even though I find quite a bit to be affected by a skewed view of what education does and what students need.)

This. We're getting somewhere.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inhuman

...after having extensively studies with expert teachers...

I'm slightly annoyed by these grandiose generalities, which are made with just as much condescension as the author ascribes to the "system."

Great! Then I'm going to learn Berg's violin concerto.

Is this statement supported, e.g. by current research on how the brain works? What are the consequences if this is not the case?

If I understand correctly, this is ambitious: computer technology not just as a tool to make some things easier but as something that has the same status and integration into our life as language, ubiquitous tools, routine and habitualized behaviors.

I find the breathless geekiness of this example endearing as well as annoying: Why the heck does the screen have to be "some three feet on a side" instead of 2 feet in front of the architect, with the model on the side; why is it not enough that the architect uses a keyboard: it has to be a "small keyboard"? Is my response due to the fact that I look back at E's partly goofy, partly prescient, futurism and not forward as a fellow geek in search of an imaginable future?

This and the next activity are good to explore diverse identities – or uniformity of some identity dimensions – in a group.

That's probably something like this: https://www.mnscu.edu/system/equity/documents/Danger%20of%20a%20single%20story%20circle%20handout.pdf

-> or see p. 16

Good activity to explore the multiple identities, combinations of identities, and intersectionalities of individual persons. Use?

Shared Writing: This seems particularly useful for online conversations that are asynchronous, as it is based on reading statements, commenting on them, and passing the comments around.

Like this one, particularly if quotes are well-chosen, especially in a larger group that otherwise has not done much reading/thought about questions of privilege, discrimination, and marginalized experiences.

I like this activity if the aim is to make personal connections and get to know the individuals involved in a learning group. As a result, probably best for a small group. Requires some preparation as participants have to be asked to bring an object to the meeting.

Interesting activity. Question: Is this useful in a larger group, or only in a smaller group? The calling-out portion enables people to participate without talking, which accommodates larger numbers; but the exposure can be intimidating – particularly for students, who then may just stay put. Maybe start with "easy" identity groups – sports team supporters? – that people are willing to show? Or would this undermine what the conversation should be about?

The discussion portion may get out of hand in a larger group; may need subgroup formation.

This looks like something that instructors should have prepared - create a form with prompts, make enough printouts, pull it out when a class meeting gets confusing or confusingly heated.

http://www.claremont.org/crb/basicpage/the-flight-93-election/

Crikes – das ist der Mann, der Red Queen geschrieben hat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Ridley

Autoritaristische Strategie: Plündern per Politik, Geld bring Macht