Hi

You are invited to participate in new reading groups that are forming in
at MU.  Organized by the participants, these groups are an alternative to
traditional, hierarchical models of learning.  Rather than taking a
(sometimes undesired) course, having assigned readings, and having one’s
knowledge assessed in objective ways that preclude subjective and
emotional engagement, these groups will operate from the ethos of Freire’s
Pedagogy.  The goal of these groups is to shift discourses (and power)
from institutionally mandated and legitimized settings into mutual
learning communities based on respect for individual and group
experiences.  The ultimate goals of these groups are:

1) To create community;
2) To promote participatory forms of discourse that disrupt undemocratic
and disempowering institutionalized structures of knowledge/power.

The two groups currently forming are:

Feminist Reading Group

This group will select and discuss readings on contemporary issues in
feminism and popular culture.  It is scheduled to begin Summer 2007. 
Details to follow.

Consciousness Reading Group

This group will select and discuss readings that raise consciousness about
diverse aspects of human life.  The first reading is David Abram’s “The
Spell of the Sensuous,” described as:
"Long awaited, revolutionary...This book ponders the violent disconnection
of the body from the natural world and what this means about how we live
and die in it."--Los Angeles Times
We will be meeting on Sunday 8 April, afternoon, at Kofenya, to discuss
the first chapter.  Email for more details.


I look forward to hearing from anyone interested in these groups – all are
welcome.  Please contact me for more info, or with any ideas you have:

Paul Monson
Graduate Assistant
Psychology Department
[log in to unmask]
tel: 513-330-1277

Peace

Paul