After September 11: Marxist Analysis of the New World Order
Felix Kreisel
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 50 participants.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Read the World Socialist Web Site at www.wsws.org
The new post-Cold War and post-September 11th world order is emerging, characterized by world economic recession, break-up of whole countries under the pressure of global competition, and an eruption of American imperialism in its attempt to dominate the globe. These classes will present a Marxist perspective on some of the major issues in history, economics, politics, and philosophy.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/fjk/Public/iap/
Contact: Felix Kreisel, 8-105, x3-8625, fjk@mit.edu
Sponsor: Felix Kreisel, NW21-207, 617 253-8625, fjk@psfc.mit.edu
Marxist View of Progress and Decline, Permanent Revolution and its Implications.
Felix Kreisel
Intellectual think tanks, both right-wing and liberal, talk today of the need for the Western world to "civilize" the backward nations. Does capitalism offer any way for humanity to move ahead? Crisis of the nation state and Pax Americana.
Thu Jan 10, 06-08:00pm, 8-105
The Crisis of 21st Century Culture, Part I - The Assault on Darwin.
Alex Steiner
Darwin's theory of evolution has been the object of attack since its publication in mid-19th century. We will examine the motivations and arguments of Darwin's enemies and discuss the problems encountered by his defenders in answering these critics. As a corrective to the problems encountered by the traditional defenders of Darwin, we will propose a defense of evolution based on a philosophical tradition spanning the figures of Aristotle, Hegel and Marx.
Fri Jan 11, 10-12:00am, 8-105
The Crisis of 21st Century Culture, Part II - The End of Irony or the Irony of "Ends"?
Alex Steiner
Starting with Adorno's statement that after Auschwitz it is no longer possible to write poetry we have witnessed a dizzying array of proclamations signalling the end of civilization. We will critically survey some of these doomsday prognoses as they have played out in the culture wars of the past half-century. Finally we will discuss the implications of the barbaric events of Sept 11 for a philosophy of hope in the future of mankind.
Fri Jan 11, 02-04:00pm, 8-105
Russia Ten Years After the Collapse of the Soviet Union.
Felix Kreisel
Balance sheet of ten years following the restoration of capitalism in the former Soviet Union. Which way forward for Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia?
Thu Jan 17, 06-08:00pm, 8-105
The Boxer Uprising in China (1900) and the Birth of American Imperialism
Alex English
The Boxer Uprising was decisive in the development of American imperialism. The United States played a decisive role in preserving foreign interests in China. Many traits exhibited by American imperialism a century later were developed in the suppression of the Boxers and the humbling of the ruling Manchu dynasty.
Thu Jan 24, 06-08:00pm, 8-105
Prospects for Socialism in America.
A. English
Has the September 11 bombing ushered in a dystopian future for the United States? Is there an alternative to war, suppression of democratic rights, and economic dislocation? This lecture will discuss the social and economic foundations of socialism in America that continue to develop after the September attack. Just as the terrorist attack on American targets was a product of a protracted development, so is the development of socialism around the world and in the US. What might a socialist America look like, and why is it the only reasonable alternative to an explosion of American militarism?
Thu Jan 31, 06-08:00pm, 8-105
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All Politics Is Global: Organizing to Communicate for Global Justice
Anand Sarwate
Mon Jan 28, 02-02:45pm, Twenty Chimneys
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Suppose you and your friends would like to change some aspect of the political environment. You probably have much enthusiasm for your cause but very little money to spare. How do you organize your group to use mainstream and independent media to convince an apathetic and skeptical world that you should be taken seriously? We'll talk to Charlotte Ryan, scholar and author, who runs the Media Research and Action Project at Boston College. If she does not know how to address this question, no one does.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/freespeech-schedule.shtml
Contact: Anand Sarwate, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
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Athens Before Socrates: Relevant Lessons Learned from Classical Athenian Democracy
Dr. Andronike Makres
Mon-Fri, Jan 7-11, 14, 03-06:00pm, 8-302
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 12 participants.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
This course, organized with the MIT Greece working group, explores the emergence, evolution, and operation of the Athenian democratic political institutions to the end of the 5th century B.C. with special emphasis on the ancient sources, literary and epigraphical. It starts with an introduction on the relevance of the study of 5th c. B.C Athenian democracy, and then focuses on Athenian political and constitutional developments that led to the so-called Golden Age of Periclean Athens up to the end of the 5th c. B.C. when Athenian democracy went through difficult times.
The course contains the study of the translation of ancient texts that constitute primary sources.
Contact: Tsakonas Konstantinos, tsakonas@mit.edu, skots@mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for International Studies
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Cuba & Iraq: Under the Gun of US Sanctions
Erica McEvoy
Mon Jan 28, 12-12:45pm, Twenty Chimneys
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
George Capaccio (Voices in the Wilderness) will make the case that US economic sanctions target the most vulnerable members of Cuban and Iraqi society, create unnecessary hardship and misery, and ultimately fail in their political objectives.
Drawing from personal experience, Capaccio will present evidence of the deadly impact of US sanctions on the ordinary people of Iraq. He will also compare the Cuban and Iraqi experience of sanctions in relation to the US government's interest in dominating the natural resource supplies of both the Western Hemisphere and the Middle East.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/freespeech-schedule.shtml
Contact: Erica McEvoy, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
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David Barsamian, Mike Albert, Linda Pinkow on "War, Terrorism, & Media"
Anand Sarwate
Mon Jan 28, 06:30-09:00pm, 10-250
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Why let sleeping dogs lie when you can get a newspaper to do it? Taking up where Mark Twain left off, David Barsamian (Alternative Radio), Mike Albert (Z Magazine), and Linda Pinkow (WMBR News Department) will discuss what we should keep in mind when we look at the mass media's coverage of war and terrorism. [This discussion follows and closes the all-day Forum for Independent Media, see http://student.mit.edu/searchiap/iap-4244.html]
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/freespeech.shtml
Contact: Anand Sarwate, (617) 621-6488, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
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Davos/NY and Porto Alegre: Can the Media Get It Right?
Anand Sarwate
Mon Jan 28, 01-01:45pm, Twenty Chimneys
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
When the New York Times' resident expert on foreign affairs was asked about one of the largest social movements in the developing world, he claimed never to have heard of it. The evidence in his columns suggests that he may have been telling the truth. Bankers, industrialists, and politicians from the rich nations meet in Davos, Switzerland, every year to discuss how the global economy ought to be run -- and the mass media tell us all about it. Whereas when people who take an alternative approach to economic development convene every year in Porto Alegre, Brazil, we hear nothing. Kevin Murray, Executive Director of Grassroots International, will help us investigate this curious phenomenon.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/freespeech-schedule.shtml
Contact: Anand Sarwate, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
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Developing a Critical History of South Asia
Jaspal Singh South Asian Center, Boston, Rajesh Kasturirangan
Tue, Thu, Jan 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31, 06-07:30pm, 5-231
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: None
We will examine in this class the European conceptions of South Asian history in contradistinction to South Asian conceptions of history. We will discuss the works of William Jones, Hegel, Max Mueller, Monier-Williams, Mircea Elliade, and other Indologists and their rendering of South Asian History. We'll also explore several ancient South Asian text as Rig Veda, Mahabharta, Rajtrangini, and other texts that bring to light what has been the indigenous conception of history. We will also trace the development of South Asian history from Antiquity to present. Guest lecturers will also make presentations on South Asian history. The event is co-sponsored by SANGAM and South Asian Center.
Contact: Jaspal Singh, (617) 497-0316, manex@channel1.com
Sponsor: SANGAM
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Historical Lectures: Talks from a Historical Perspective
Jimmy Rising
Tue Jan 22, 07-08:00pm, 4-163
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Three lectures given from the historical perspective of one living in the middle ages: "Canon Law and the Papal Schism", "Early Music and the Bardic Tradition", "The Interaction Between Inheritance, Marriage, and Abduction". Q&A to follow. Refreshments provided.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/sca/www/iap2002/
Contact: Jimmy Rising, jrising@mit.edu
Sponsor: Society for Creative Anachronism
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Human Rights & Civil Liberties in the Americas -- After September 11
Erica McEvoy
Mon Jan 28, 10:30-11:45am, Twenty Chimneys
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Josh Rubenstein, director of Amnesty USA's north-east region, will survey the state of human rights and civil liberties across the Western Hemisphere, including in the USA. Both "terrorists" and "legitimate" governments often argue that "the ends justify the means" -- we will examine the consequences that innocent people endure when those who have or want power justify their actions in this way.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/freespeech-schedule.shtml
Contact: Erica McEvoy, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
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Independent Media Forum: The Western Hemisphere -- History, Culture, Economics, & Politics
Anand Sarwate
Mon Jan 28, 10:30am-09:00pm, 10-250, 20 Chimneys, see url for accurate schedule
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
What is the oldest university in the Western Hemisphere? (Hint: it's not in Cambridge, Massachusetts -- it's not even in North America.) If you were a Peruvian farmer struggling to survive, would you grow coca plants or coffee? Which national government was found guilty of violating international law when it mined the harbors of Managua in the 1980s? What is the Monroe Doctrine & what role does it play today in international affairs? -- With "globalization" & increasing concentration of ownership in the mass media, people in the US who want to know about causes and effects in the Americas often find themselves limited to a narrow menu of "mainstream" information sources. Meanwhile there is an active sub-culture of independent media -- from small presses whose books are rarely seen at Barnes & Noble or Borders -- to scholars, web-sites, film-makers, & "pirate" radio stations. Come meet these independent publishers, writers, poets, & activists and find out about their work. They will be here to give presentations and address your questions.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/freespeech.shtml
Contact: Anand Sarwate, 621-6488, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
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Independent Media: Independent of _What_?
Anand Sarwate
Mon Jan 28, 03-03:30pm, Twenty Chimneys
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
independent, adj. 1. Free from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; self-reliant: an independent mind. 2. Not determined or influenced by someone or something else; not contingent: a decision independent of the outcome of the study. 3. often Independent Affiliated with or loyal to no one political party or organization. 4. Not dependent on or affiliated with a larger or controlling entity: an independent food store; an independent film. 5. Not relying on others for support, care, or funds; self-supporting.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/freespeech-schedule.shtml
Contact: Anand Sarwate, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
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International Migration and Cities
Anna Hardman
Wed Jan 30, Thu Jan 31, 10am-12:00pm, 2-151
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
International migrants have played a growing role in cities in traditional "receiving countries," Western European cities, the Middle East, and now in former sending countries. At the same time, migrant remittances are a growing factor in urban economies of sending countries.
Contact: Kathy Hoag, 7-337, x3-1907, dusphq@mit.edu
Sponsor: Urban Studies and Planning
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Joint Operations and Crisis Action Planning
Colonel David Mollahan, USMC
Tue Jan 29 thru Fri Feb 1, 09am-04:00pm, E38-714, Fri session ends at noon
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Joint Operations Planning Course is a synoptic look at how the US armed forces support the achievement of national strategic aims in a changing strategic environment. It discusses: National security structure and organization, the Joint Strategic Planning System, capabilities and limitations of the DoD Armed Services and Special Operations forces, crisis action procedures in time-sensitive situations, and the challenges of dedicating military force in complex-humanitarian operations. The course ends with a humanitarian assistance staff planning simulation with seminar members assigned to key positions. The course will be of particular interest to students studying strategic studies, international relations, political science, and for students and faculty associated with the military. Presented by the Security Studies Program of the Center for International Studies in collaboration with the Department of Political Science.
Contact: Colonel David Mollahan, USMC, E38-670, 258-9440, mollahan@mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for International Studies
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MIT Washington Internship Program Washington, DC Film Series
Charles Stewart, Tobie Weiner, Chris Johnson
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Join the MIT Washington, DC interns as we watch three popular films about politics set in Washington, DC. Before each film, we'll focus on a specific question about the internship program. We'll also answer any questions you have about the program. We will serve light refreshments and have heated, thought-provoking discussions following each film.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/summerwash
Contact: Tobie Weiner, E53-484, x3-3649, iguanatw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science
Film: "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" Discussion: What Kinds of Internships are Available?
Charles Stewart, Tobie Weiner, Chris Johnson
Former DC interns will answer the question: What kinds of internships are available in DC and how do you go about getting the right internship?
Then we'll watch the classic film, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), produced and directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur.
The wonderfully-acted, absorbing and human film received eleven Academy Award nominations. James Stewart's character represents the powerful forces of American freedom, democracy and morality over oppression and evil. We'll have discussion
following the film.
Thu Jan 17, 05-08:00pm, 14E-310
Film: "Primary Colors" Discussion: How Do I Get into the Program?
Charles Stewart, Tobie Weiner, Chris Johnson
Former DC interns will give tips on how to apply to the program, how to write a really good essay and get the best recommendation you can.
We'll watch, "Primary Colors", directed by Mike Nichols and starring John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates and Adrian Lester. This is a funny, insightful film about the realities of political life. The movie parallels the lives of Bill and Hillary Clinton, although much of the movie's ethical content revolves, not around sex, but around how a primary campaign should handle damaging information it turns up about its opponent. Following the film, we'll have a discussion.
Thu Jan 24, 05-08:00pm, 2-143
Film: "The Contender" Discussion: What's Life Like in DC?
Charles Stewart, Tobie Weiner, Chris Johnson
Former DC interns will answer your questions about how to get around in DC and how to have the best experience during your summer internship.
We'll watch the film, "The Contender" (October, 2000), directed by Rod Lurie and starring Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Gary Oldman and Christian Slater. The film is a thriller about the first woman nominated to be vice president and hinges on a question from her past: Did she willingly participate in group sex while she was in college? The movie explores whether we have gone too far in our curiosity about our politicians' private behavior. This movie is surprising, entertaining and extremely well acted. We'll have a discussion following the film.
Thu Jan 31, 05-08:00pm, 14E-310
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MIT Washington Summer Internship Program Information Sessions
Charles Stewart, Tobie Weiner
Wed Jan 16, 11-12:00am, 2-136
Thu Jan 24, 01-02:00pm, 2-136
Fri Feb 1, 03-04:00pm, 2-136
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Come to an information session and find out about the MIT Washington Summer Internship Program. The program was founded in 1995 to give selected MIT undergraduates the opportunity to explore science and engineering policymaking at the national level, through study and practical experience. The interns have worked in the offices of government agencies, the private sector, and advocacy groups. Complementing the summer internships are a trip to Washington, DC, during spring break and a 12-unit HASS subject designed to give students an introduction to policymaking. All sessions are the same - come to any one.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/summerwash/www
Contact: Tobie Weiner, E53-484, x3-3649, iguanatw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science
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Mexico: Migration and Memory (Film Series)
Jeff Ravel
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None
Films shown in this series will explore the lives and experiences of rural Mexicans over the last century and a half of Mexican history, from the 1850s to NAFTA. Topics will include rural memory of national events, struggles for land rights and family relationships in the twentieth century, and the struggles in Chiapas since 1994.
Contact: Jeff Ravel, E51-285, x3-4451, ravel@mit.edu
Sponsor: History
"El Norte"
Jeff Ravel
EL NORTE (1984). This film dramatizes the flight of an Indian brother and sister who flee Guatemalan military forces in search of safety and a better life. They pass through Mexico, make a hazardous crossing at the US-Mexican border, then face the difficulties of immigrant life in Los Angeles. A moving portrayal of the clash of cultures and the desperate plight of political refugees from Latin America.
Tue Jan 15, 07-10:00pm, 56-169
"Barriers of Solitude" and "Alonso's Dream"
Jeff Ravel
BARRIERS OF SOLITUDE (1998). A rural "chronicle" evoking the memories of the town of San Jose, and setting them against major events in the post-independence period of Mexican history.
ALONSO'S DREAM (2000). Documentary treatment of a Mayan lay preacher caught between the federal government and the Zapatista uprising.
Tue Jan 22, 07-10:00pm, 56-169
"Paulina"
Jeff Ravel
PAULINA (1997). Part documentary, part fictionalized approach to the life of a rural woman whose parents traded her for land rights in the 1950s. In middle age, she returns to confront her parents and the town.
Tue Jan 29, 07-10:00pm, 56-169
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Perspectives on the Events of September 11 and Their Aftermath
Mona Russell, Jeffrey Ravel
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None
"Perspectives on the Events of September 11 and Their Aftermath" is an attempt to understand their context and consequences. This series will include a documentary film that deals with a suicide bombing from the perspective of the victim's families, as well as those of the bombers; an examination of American response to foreign attack at two critical junctures: Pearl Harbor and September 11; and a lecture on the Taliban by a journalist who has covered Afghanistan.
Contact: Mona Russell, E51-178, 253-4126, monalisa@mit.edu
Sponsor: History
A Comparison: Japanese-American Experiences during WWII, and Arab-American Experiences during the Gulf War and the Current Conflict
Mona Russell, Jeffrey Ravel
Speakers will be Ms. Mae Takayanagi, American Friends Service Committee, and Mr. James Zogby, President of the Arab-American Institute.
Wed Jan 16, 07-10:00pm, 56-114
First-Hand Perspectives on the Taliban
Cancelled
Mona Russell, Jeffrey Ravel
Speaker: Mr. Anthony Shadid, author of "Legacy of the Prophet: Despots, Democrats, and the New Politics of Islam" (Westview, 2001), who spent a month with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Wed Jan 23, 07-10:00pm, 56-114
"The Bombing": A Documentary
Mona Russell, Jeffrey Ravel
A screeening of "The Bombing", a 1999 documentary which looks at suicide bombing by three Palestinian youths in downtown Jerusalem. The film features interviews with the survivors of Israeli and Palestinian dead, and shows the meeting of Palestinian and Israeli parents whose children were wounded or killed in the event.
Wed Jan 30, 07-10:00pm, 56-114
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Poverty, Health, and Human Rights Series
Sanjay Basu
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
A series of lectures and films focused on ways to relieve human suffering caused by poverty, disease, war and natural disasters. Topics include AIDS, landmines, refugee problems, and sweatshop actions, with a focus on student participation and current MIT initiatives.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/utr/www
Contact: Julia de Kadt, x5-1773, juliad@mit.edu
Sponsor: United Trauma Relief (UTR)
AIDS: Drugs, Politics, and Prospects
Sanjay Basu
A discussion of new solutions to the AIDS pandemic in resource-poor settings, covering initiatives like directly observed therapy for highly active antiretroviral therapy, featuring a speaker from Partners in Health. This session will also include information on MIT student initiatives to get AIDS drugs to Haiti and Africa.
Fri Jan 11, 01-03:00pm, 3-133
International Refugee Crises
Sanjay Basu
Fri Jan 18, 01-03:00pm, 3-133
Landmines
Sanjay Basu
A lecture by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning group Physicians for Human Rights.
Fri Jan 25, 01-03:00pm, 3-133
Sweatshop Labor and MIT Clothing
Sanjay Basu
A panel discussion on solutions to problems of labor abuse featuring a number of MIT Professors with expertise in the area.
Fri Feb 1, 01-03:00pm, 3-133
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Religion and Political Violence
Heather Gregg
Mon Jan 28, 04-06:00pm, E25-111
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
In light of the September 11 attacks on the United States, most Americans have asked how religion could come to play a role in such violent actions. This panel of experts in the fields of religiously motivated conflict and terrorism, provides an opportunity for the MIT community to learn more about religion and political violence. The panel will consider causes underlying religious violence in cases such as the civil war in Sri Lanka, the unrest in Northern Ireland, and the Isreali-Palestinian conflict, to name a few. Panelists include: David Little, Harvard Divinity School; Louise Richardson, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study; Marc Gopin, Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy; Heather Gregg, Political Science, MIT. Moderater: Roger Petersen, MIT Prof. of Political Science.
Contact: Heather Gregg, hsgregg@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science
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Science, Technology and Planning in India: Past and Present
Abha Sur, Lakhmi Nayak
Tue Jan 29, Thu Jan 31, 01-04:00pm, 3-401
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Course will provide a brief overview of major technology development in India. Will focus specifically on policy and planning of science and technology in post-colonial India. Particularly for those planning to do summer internships through the MIT-India program. Past interns will report about their experiences. Lunch provided on 1/31. Preregistration recommended but not required.
Contact: Kathy Hoag, 7-337, x3-1907, dusphq@mit.edu
Sponsor: Urban Studies and Planning
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September 11 & Beyond: Where Do We Go From Here?
Roger Petersen
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Join us as experts in the fields of foreign policy, law, defense and security studies, and US politics discuss aspects of the political fallout from September 11. Topics for each session are listed but they may change depending on the latest developments. Speakers will include Attorney Margaret Burnham, Profs. Harvey Sapolsky, Barry Posen, Stephen Van Evera, MIT Center for International Studies, Jeremy Pressman, PhD Candidate MIT Dept. of Political Science, Profs. Stephen Ansolabehere and James Snyder, MIT Department of Political Science
Contact: Tobie Weiner, E53-484, x3-3649, iguanatw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science
The Phenomenon of "Czars" in American Politics and Changes in US Domestic Politics
Prof. Harvey Sapolsky
Tue Jan 15, 03-05:00pm, 35-225
The Challenge to Civil Liberties
Attorney Margaret Burnham
Wed Jan 16, 03-05:00pm, 35-225
US Defense and Security Policy
Profs. Barry Posen and Stephen Van Evera
Thu Jan 17, 03-05:00pm, 35-225
US Mideast Policy
Jeremy Pressman
Wed Jan 23, 03-05:00pm, 35-225
Changes in US Domestic Politics
Prof. Stephen Ansolabehere
Thu Jan 24, 03-05:00pm, 35-225
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Social Science Data at MIT
Katherine McNeill-Harman
Thu Jan 24, 01-02:00pm, E51-372
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 50 participants.
Single session event
Come learn about how you can find and use social science data at MIT. This workshop will provide an overview on the types of social science data available, where you can locate it, and resources on campus to help you in your research process. The workshop leader is the Data Services Reference Librarian at the Dewey Library for Management and Social Sciences.
Web: http://libraries.mit.edu/dewey/data/
Contact: Katherine McNeill-Harman, E53-100, x3-0787, mcneillh@mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries
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Technology, Policy and Mt. Everest: Alternative Energy in the Nepal Himalayas
Mark de Figueiredo
Thu Jan 10, 12-01:00pm, E40-298
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Join Esther Kim, an MIT alumna with a background in alternative energy economics and policy, who spent the past three months in Nepal to understand how environmental technology affects people's lives. Lunch will be served.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/tpss/
Contact: Mark de Figueiredo, E40-482, 253-3770, defig@mit.edu
Sponsor: Technology and Policy Student Society
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Terrorism and Human Rights in the Americas
Erica McEvoy
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Terrorism -- the illegitimate use of force to achieve political ends -- has a history in the Western Hemisphere that stretches back for centuries, from colonial times, through revolutions, coups, and atrocities, and down to the present day. Have you been thinking about this subject? Attend our discussion series. Using a combination of film screenings, eye-witnesses, and guest speakers who have written on the subject, we will examine domestic or international terrorism involving Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua, Brazil, and the USA.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/terror.shtml
Contact: Erica McEvoy, 225-9695, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
What's Up With Colombia?
Erica McEvoy
Josh Rubenstein, Director of Amnesty USA's Northeast Region, will show "Colombia: Getting Away With Murder" (30 mins.), a video on the regime of violence in Colombia; and Jean Jackson, professor of Anthropology at MIT and a student of the region for more than thirty years, will discuss "Plan Colombia," a military-political program that is supported by more than a billion dollars in US military aid and weaponry. Discussion to follow. (Light refreshments provided.)
Tue Jan 8, 07-10:00pm, 3-133
Economic Development: Promise or Threat?
Erica McEvoy
Liz Canner will show her film "Deadly Embrace" (30 mins.), on the damage that World Bank & IMF policies have done to the people of Nicaragua; and Jennifer Lemire of Grassroots International will show "Strong Roots," about the MST: a social movement in Brazil that uses the country's new Constitution to pressure the government into implementing land reform. Discussion to follow. (Light refreshments provided.)
Tue Jan 15, 07-10:00pm, 2-105
Is There Justice in Peru?
Erica McEvoy
We will watch two films about how justice is too often dispatched in Peru. "Abducted" investigates the case of Hugo Munoz Sanchez, a professor kidnapped and murdered by the Peruvian government; while "Convicted By An Image" argues that Lori Berenson, a former MIT student now imprisoned in Peru for supporting terrorism, "was actually convicted twice, first by a kangaroo court in Peru and then, more effectively, in the media."
Tue Jan 22, 07-10:00pm, 3-133
A Year in the Streets: Globalization vs. Human Rights?
Erica McEvoy
"A Year in the Streets" is a film about a new generation of activists rising to expose the conflicts between human rights and neo-liberal economic globalization. From the WTO protests in Seattle to the Bush inauguration in January 2001 and beyond, the film-makers criss-crossed the United States, providing a street-level "guerilla media" view of the clash between activists who want radical change and a state apparatus that seems increasingly to be engaged in the repression of free speech and free assembly. The panel discussion after the film will include Randy Shadowalker, one of the film-makers; Sarah Babb, a professor of sociology at U. Mass. (Amherst) who studies the historical role of the IMF in Latin America; and Tiffany Dumont, a member of the video group at the Independent Media Center of Boston.
Tue Jan 29, 07-10:00pm, 3-133
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Terrorism: Views from Abroad
Serenella Sferza, Bernd Widdig
Tue Jan 22, 03-05:00pm, E38-714
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Terrorism, like many other phenomena, is better understood from a comparative perspective. Come to hear a panel of several experts from a variety of countries that have experienced terrorism. Participants include Monica Toft, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Kennedy School and Assistant Director of the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies; David Leheny, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Univ of Wisconsin at Madison and Advanced Research Fellow at the Harvard Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; and Roger Petersen, Associate Professor of Political Science at MIT. Organized by MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives program (MISTI).
Contact: Serenella Sferza, E38-716, 452-2693, ssferza@mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for International Studies
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Text and Context: A Toolbox for International Development
John deMonchaux
Mon Jan 28, Tue Jan 29, 09am-05:00pm, 10-401, 1/29: 9 am to 12 noon
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Sessions on international development issues related to equity, design, implementation and infrastructure drawing on cases primarily from developing countries. Presentations by SPURS (Special Program in Urban & Regional Studies) Fellows with commentators.
Contact: Nimfa deLeon, 10-400, x3-5915, nvdeleon@mit.edu
Sponsor: Urban Studies and Planning
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The Wisdom of the Electoral College Now and in 2000: How the Law of Large Numbers Destroys Voting Power Under a Simple Raw Popular Vote.
Alan Natapoff
Wed Jan 16, 12-02:00pm, Room 37-212
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
We will look at the way in which electoral systems promote or
destroy individual voting power-- including mathematical results that show that without districting, large electorates cannot provide voting power for their voters. The state-districted Electoral College system provides that power; with a small change, it could empower millions of impotent voters
in several states. We'll trace the anomalies that have enlivened this debate and examine the anti-trust aspect of electoral laws and their analogy to the rules of baseball: Both sets of rules try to compel fine-grained competition despite the obstacles of a large-statistics environment. In the end, the analysis rejects the view of the American Bar Association, the League of Women Voters, and the majority of Congress whose vote nearly destroyed the individual's voting power.
Contact: Alan Natapoff, 37-219, 253-7757, natapoff@space.mit.edu
Sponsor: Alan Natapoff, 37-147, 617 253-7757, natapoff@space.mit.edu
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Who Cares What We Say? What Independent Media Provide That No One Else Does
Anand Sarwate
Mon Jan 28, 03:45-05:00pm, Twenty Chimneys
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
If you get your news from "mainstream" mass media sources only, what are you missing? Our panel, composed of independent journalists, will address this question by contrasting their own coverage of events with coverage provided by news outlets that must cater to the needs of advertisers and other market pressures. On the panel are: David Goodman and Linda Pinkow (WMBR/MIT); John Grebe (Sounds of Dissent/WZBC); Stephen Provizer (Allston-Brighton Free Radio); Randy Shadowalker (Cascadia Media Collective, Eugene/Oregon); and Martin Voelker (No U-Turn Radio/WMFO).
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/freespeech-schedule.shtml
Contact: Anand Sarwate, hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Western Hemisphere Project
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You & Human Progress
Joost Bonsen
Wed Jan 30, 11am-12:00pm, 3-133
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 42 participants.
Single session event
Takes a systems view of human progress, e.g. innovation dynamics and global economic convergence. Presents historical data on quality of life, wealth/income, & rates of change in social goods. Strategizes how to tackle these issues while at MIT.
Web: http://www.mit.edu/people/jpbonsen/yhp.html
Contact: Joost Bonsen, 617.930.0415, jpbonsen@alum.mit.edu
Sponsor: Joost P Bonsen, jpbonsen@mit.edu
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