Atsushi Akera (STS Department) IHSS-1970 Nature/Society Vasudha Seminar

 Reflective learning What have we discussed? What would you like to talk about? What issues are outstanding?

1. ONE: A Lie? Is there a Choice? 1. Is Ishmael saying we’re living a lie? 2. Is it possible for us as human beings to live in the way Quinn suggests 3. Hunter Gatherer society is passe; what’s the better solution? 2. TWO: What is the Solution? 1. Should we try to live in the way that’s suggested in Ishmael 2. Where are we going as a society? 3. What is our ideal? 4. What should it be? 3. THREE: Let’s Act! 1. What can we do to steer ourselves in the right direction 4. FOUR: Are We At an End? 1. Have we crossed that point of no return? 2. What happens when we do crash? What’s going to be the results? 5. FIVE: The Modern (Progressive) Alternative? 1. Is there a lack of knowledge in “taker” culture (is this really true?) 2. How long can taker culture sustain itself, and by what means? 3. Is it better to have lived a million years as hunter-gatherers, or to burn and crash (assuming that we do)?

 (this is my guess) (A) Addressing broader questions and concerns associated with Ishmael (B) Biblical Interpretations (C) Connecting the field trips to the readings  [Transition Topic] What makes for effective seminar conversation? [What’s the value of a lecture—and things in between?]

 Facts  Understanding  Interpretation  Criticism  Contextualization  Analysis (& Critical Judgment)

What makes for effective seminar conversation? [What’s the value of a lecture—and things in between?]

DO-SDON’T-S

CREATING A SAFE SPACE FOR ALL OPINIONS  Don’t name anyone by name  Listen, don’t react Try to understand another person’s position (You already know what you know)  Jot down your thoughts Go in a circle

DO-SDON’T-S  1-minute writing assignments  Sitting in a circle; giving everyone a chance to speak (and HEAR)  Listening is as important as speaking.  Breaking into smaller groups; easier when there are fewer people you have to connect with.  Ask questions when you don’t understand;  Don’t discount people’s ideas before they’ve had everything they’ve had to say  Don’t interrupt  In you’re debating, don’t fight it too long; agree to disagree (otherwise you exclude others from moving on.)  Don’t be repetitive; You can expound, say you agree, but don’t say the same thing twice (Listen!)

DO-SDON’T-S

 Open speaking (“friends” tradition)  Speaking circle  Guided queries  Small groups / reporting out  Variants Questions Quiz  Which did you find most effective and why?

 … and things in between?

 1. “With man gone will there be hope for gorilla?” What are the possible meanings of this?  2. Why is the teacher a gorilla? (What is the author’s purpose? What does this allow him to do?)  3. What could the tiger pacing in his cage represent?  4. What is the significance of “Goliath” leaving Africa to become “civilized”?  5. What are the different meanings of “captivity” in Ishmael?  6. Why is his name Ishmael?  7. “Nazi Germany was held captive by its myths.” What does this mean?  8. “Takers”, “Leavers”, “Mother Culture” These are key terms in the book. Think about what they mean to “Nature and Society”.  9. Think about the last sentence on page 46: “We have no creation myth. That’s a certainty.”

 1. What is “mother culture”, what is the “taker thunderbolt”.  2. What was fact and what was “myth” in the student’s creation story? Do facts and myths interact?  3. Discuss Sahlin’s essay “The Original Affluent Society” in terms of Leavers and Takers.  4. What are your thoughts on this statement by Ishmael? “There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with people. Given a story to enact that puts them in accord with the world, they will live in accord with the world. But given a story to enact that puts them at odds with the world, as yours does, they will live at odds with the world.”