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(CANCELED) CANCELED: Planners Read The Gorgias
Ezra Glenn
| Jan/20 | Tue | 02:00PM-04:00PM | 9-451, books & food provided |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
NOTE: This event has been canceled -- sorry. We will try to reschedule for the Spring.
What is the role of oratory and power in a democratic society? Is it worse to do wrong or to be wronged? What is the difference between knowledge and true belief? Why is it important for both the accused and their judges to meet naked in court? (And what do all of these questions have to do with becoming an urban planner?) Come explore these themes with us in a dramatic -- possibly participatory -- reading of Plato's "Gorgias," a Socratic dialog written in 380 BC that is as relevant today as when it was written. Greek food included; togas optional.
Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Ezra Glenn, 7-337, x3-2024, eglenn@mit.edu
Contemporary Military Topics (series)
Joli Saraf
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Contemporary Military Topics (series of five sessions)
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, MIT Security Studies Program
Contact: Joli Divon Saraf, x8-7608, joli@mit.edu
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Jan/15 | Thu | 10:30AM-12:00PM | E40-496, Lucian Pye Conf Rm |
Unclassified discussion of the White House Situation Room focusing on evolution of the WHSR in its mission of giving direct, daily support to the President & National Security Staff. Topics include Origins of the WHSR in the Kennedy administration, Evolution of mission & support to the President in national security decision-making, and Overview of WHSR capabilities, personnel, facilities & technology.
Glenn Voelz, US Army
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Jan/21 | Wed | 10:30AM-12:00PM | E40-496, Lucian Pye Conference Rm |
The Evolution of Aerial Bombing (or How to Drop a Better Bomb in 90 Minutes or Less)
A seminar on the evolution of bombing methods in military aviation, focusing on the technological advancements from manual to computed bombing and the improvement of munitions from 'dumb' to 'smart' weapons. Topics include the Iron Sight, the Bombing Triangle, General Purpose munitions, and GPS weapons.
Stephane Wolfgeher, USAF
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Jan/22 | Thu | 10:30AM-12:00PM | E40-496, Lucian Pye Conference Room |
A military perspective on lessons learned in leadership and character for scientists, engineers, and introverts in general. Seminar discussion will cover the challenges and best practices of operating in the "human domain," the art of providing candid feedback, techniques for mentoring others, and the role character plays in building great teams.
John Henderson, US Army
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Jan/28 | Wed | 02:00PM-03:30PM | E40-496, Lucian Pye Conference Room |
As the US is withdrawing forces from the Middle East it is increasing its troop strength in the Pacific Command Area of Responsibility to support the "Pivot to the Pacific." We will cover different phases of conflict & war, phase zero being the shaping operations that occur long before combat begins. Discussion of exercises that the US Military is conducting in phase zero with allies in the region will be included.
Eric Thompson, USMC
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Jan/29 | Thu | 10:30AM-12:00PM | E40-496, Lucian Pye Conference Room |
With 600+ carrier landings & having "waived" countless landings as a Landing Signals Officer, CDR Bernacchi brings a wealth of expertise to the Art, Science & tech of landing fighters on an aircraft carrier. From fresnel lenses to the wind effect of the "Burble" to systems used in bad weather & at night, he links the Art & Science of Naval Aviation in a multimedia experience.
Ryan Bernacchi, USN
Diversity in STEM: How racist and sexist are we, and why should we care?
Nancy Ouyang
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Day-to-day schedule and sign-up form here. List of RSVPs here.
This workshop aims to be a fun, productive, and provocative introduction to issues of diversity in STEM. We'll start out with a no-holds-barred discussion about what we personally think about diversity in STEM (is it worth it? do we need it? should we care? why or why not?), examine where our beliefs come from (share personal experiences), and then review the scientific literature on this subject. From there, we will begin work on concrete project(s) to showcase diversity at MIT, as well as compile a report to MIT's Institute Community and Equity Officer. On the final day, we'll present our projects to each other, so make them fun and interesting!
The goal is not to push an agenda; the goal is to relate to and engage with each other, even if we have very different beliefs, as human beings who developed our beliefs though our experiences.
Possible projects:
* Cookies that visually display the statistics about diversity at MIT (statistical food)
* Short film about people's experiences at MIT, about diverse people at MIT, or about what MIT people think about diversity
* Compelling website displaying a collection of quotes from the MIT community or results of polling MIT
* Game explaining recent scientific research into this topic
Feel free to email me if you have questions.
Sponsor(s): Electronic Research Society
Contact: Nancy Ouyang, (678) 379-8088, NOUYANG@ALUM.MIT.EDU
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Jan/12 | Mon | 07:30PM-08:30PM | 66-154, Bring laptop please! |
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Jan/13 | Tue | 07:30PM-08:30PM | 66-154, Bring laptop please! |
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Jan/14 | Wed | 07:30PM-08:30PM | 66-154, Bring laptop please! |
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Jan/15 | Thu | 07:30PM-08:30PM | 66-154, Bring laptop please! |
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Jan/16 | Fri | 07:30PM-08:30PM | 66-154, Bring laptop please! |
See description for tentative schedule for each day.
Documentaries Reviewing the Scientific Evidence about 9/11
Dave Slesinger, MIT Alum
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none
We will view two movies, made from Architects&Engineers for 911Truth (ae911Truth.org), one each night, about what really happened on 9/11, and then discuss them.
Learn about the evidence behind this tragedy as presented by professional architects and engineers who will demonstrate that it could not possibly have happened in the way that we've been told. The films avoid speculation and discuss evidence of what has become the most significant event of our era.
Contact: Dave Slesinger, dslesinger@alum.mit.edu
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Jan/07 | Wed | 07:00PM-09:00PM | 34-302 |
Highly praised multimedia presentation by San Francisco Bay Area architect Richard Gage, AIA. Presents evidence of explosive controlled demolition of the three World Trade Center high-rise buildings on 9/11. 114 minutes with discussion following.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isTGuaaln9A
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Jan/08 | Thu | 07:00PM-09:00PM | 34-302 |
Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth documentary. High-rise architects, structural engineers, metallurgists, chemists, physicists, explosive/controlled demolitionists share expertise on 9/11. It's not conspiracy, it's forensics. This documentary was the most viewed and shared program on PBS.org nationally for several weeks. 58 minutes with discussion following.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIOC1J44RYw
Finding Research Datasets
Katherine McNeill
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Jan/22 | Thu | 03:00PM-04:30PM | 14N-132 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/21
Limited to 20 participants
Need data to answer a research question? Interested in analyzing raw datasets with micro-level records about individual respondents? This hands-on workshop will familiarize you with the resources of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and the Harvard Dataverse Network, which provide access to datasets in the social sciences and related fields. Topics will include the structure of data files, finding and downloading datasets, and understanding data documentation.
Please register for this session.
Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Katherine McNeill, E53-168c, x3-0787, mcneillh@mit.edu
Harry Potter, World War II & and War on Terror
Amanda Rothschild, PhD Student Political Science
Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/14
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Are the Harry Potter books just a fictional account of a fantastical wizarding world, or do the books offer a more nuanced political commentary on current and past international events? This course explores the political implications of the Harry Potter series, with a particular focus on parallels to World War II and the War on Terror. Topics explored include the sorting process, minority persecution, resistance movements, historical parallels to Death Eaters, and similarities between violence in the Harry Potter series and terrorism today. All students are welcome, but ideally students would have read all seven books or be familiar with the films. Wizarding robes are optional, but encouraged.
Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Amanda Rothschild, rothscaa@mit.edu
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Jan/27 | Tue | 05:45PM-07:15PM | E53-482 |
The series begins & ends with significant emphasis on the sorting process. How does Rowling define courage? What does Dumbledore mean when he says that we must choose between what is right and what is easy? Why do readers assume Hufflepuffs are not as capable as others? Why is ambition the quality associated with the darkest house and what are the implications of that association?
Amanda Rothschild - PhD Student Political Science
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Jan/28 | Wed | 05:45PM-07:15PM | E53-482 |
We discuss parallels between Muggle-borns & other persecuted minorities with a focus on the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. Topics include the Muggle-born registry, racial purity in the series, Grindelwald and the greater good, racially derogatory terminology in the series, Snatchers and the Gestapo, Death Eaters and the Nazi Party, the treatment of House-elves, discrimination against Werewolves.
Amanda Rothschild - PhD Student Political Science
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Jan/29 | Thu | 05:45PM-07:15PM | E53-482 |
Are the Death Eaters axioms similar to terrorist organizations? How does the Ministry of Magics response to the return of Lord Voldemort, parallel the response of governments to terrorist attacks? What does it mean to value courage, fairness, wit, or ambition most? Is it correct that we are defined not by our abilities, but by our choices? How do we apply this lesson to our life at MIT and beyond?
Amanda Rothschild - PhD Student Political Science
How Baseball, Poker, and Fermat Teach Us the Best Way to Elect the President.
Alan Natapoff, Research Scientist
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Jan/21 | Wed | 04:00PM-05:30PM | 37-212 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
A democratic voting system must pursue unanimous consent to the president it elects. At presidential scale, simple majority voting will always be insensitive to the consent of a minority: When tried it has failed consistently over time, sometimes catastrophically. The Electoral College, modeled on the British Parliamentary system, has succeeded for centuries: It pursues unanimous consent by giving each voter large fair power over the outcome. To correct its failure in poorly-contested states we should give Electoral votes in proportion to votes cast, not to census population: A voter can then punish a dominant candidate she rejects with a blank ballot; the newly-powerful votes cast represent consent to the outcome. We calculate voting power, trace its paradoxes and oddities, examine its relationship to the design of the rules of baseball, and show how Fermat’s Rule would have resolved Florida’s deadlock in 2000—and changed its outcome.
Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Alan Natapoff, 37-147, 617 253-7757, NATAPOFF@MIT.EDU
Is It Immoral to Watch the Super Bowl? An Open Forum for Fans and Foes
Christopher Capozzola, Professor of History
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Jan/29 | Thu | 12:00PM-01:30PM | E51-315, Bring a lunch; coffee and snacks provided. |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
From concussion policies to stadium construction, economic opportunity to off-field violence, football captured the headlines in 2014. Get ready for Super Bowl Sunday by joining an open discussion on the place of football in America’s past and present. The session draws its title from an essay by Steve Almond published in the New York Times on January 24, 2014, available online or through the MIT Libraries. Participants should read that in advance, and are also encouraged to read Almond’s Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto. Bring a lunch; coffee and snacks provided.
Sponsor(s): History
Contact: Christopher Capozzola, E51-284, 617 452-4960, capozzol@mit.edu
Marxism today: fight against another world war.
Felix Kreisel
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: Read the WSWS.ORG
World capitalist order, established by the US at the end of World War II and based on its economic hegemony, has crashed and the United States is at the center of economic and political convulsions. The American ruling elite is trying to reverse its long-term economic decline through frenetic military interventions in Ukraine, the Middle East and elsewhere, and by exporting its crisis to competitors. Collapse of the Soviet Union and other so-called "socialist" states has exacerbated rivalries among the advanced capitalist countries and flashpoints of future wars are growing around the world.
Contact: Felix Kreisel, NW21-109, 617 253-8625, FJK@MIT.EDU
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Jan/06 | Tue | 06:00PM-08:00PM | 4-270 |
From Greece, to Russia, to the US, capitalism is characterized by widening inequality as governments redirect resources to enrich a tiny elite, impoverish the working class and reverse social gains of the past century. In response we see an eruption of mass struggles: the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement, etc. Class struggle to oppose capitalist dictatorship is again the driving force of history.
Felix Kreisel
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Jan/09 | Fri | 06:00PM-08:00PM | 4-270 |
The United States, Germany and their friends staged a coup in Kiev a year ago to bring this country firmly into the orbit of the West. The "democratic" West used local fascists and Nazis to destabilize the country and plunge it into a civil war. Nato is now on the borders of Russia, and for the third time in a century Ukraine is becoming a field of battle.
Felix Kreisel
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Jan/13 | Tue | 06:00PM-08:00PM | 4-270 |
We shall introduce and view a documentary film "Tsar to Lenin", with original footage from the Russian Revolution. The preview can be seen here: http://tsartolenin.com/ The film will be followed by discussion. Suggested reading: Trotsky's "History of the Russian Revolution".
Felix Kreisel
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Jan/20 | Tue | 06:00PM-08:00PM | 4-270 |
We shall review the history of the Soviet state over its 74-year lifetime, examine its internal contradictions, great strides forward, achievements and bitter defeats, the ruling Stalinist regime's crimes against its own people and its betrayal of socialism. We shall examine the collapse of the USSR and suggest lessons for the future. Suggested reading: Leon Trotsky's "The Revolution Betrayed".
Felix Kreisel
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Jan/27 | Tue | 06:00PM-08:00PM | 4-270 |
What is the balance sheet of capitalist restoration in the former Soviet Union after its demise? While high oil and gas prices have propped up the Putin regime and the energy exporting Russian economy, its overall health is fragile. Ukraine has little oil and its decline is more dramatic. We shall examine the economic, political and social trends and see where Russia and the other successor states are heading.
Felix Kreisel
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Jan/30 | Fri | 06:00PM-08:00PM | 4-270 |
Prosperity and stability under capitalism are impossible; world politics is characterized by wars, plagues, destruction of whole societies, militarism and preparation of new wars. Social inequality grows in every country and between regions. Humanity is facing a dilemma: socialism or barbarism.
Felix Kreisel
Oil and Gas Investment Analysis
Ning Wu
Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
This one-day course presents students with the investment analysis tool widely used within the oil and gas industry, mainly the upstream, or Exploration and Production (E&P), and teaches students how oil and gas companies make their investment decisions. The course aims to help students understand the core part of the oil and gas business, and assist them in learning more about the investment career in the oil and gas industry. It does not intend to cover every aspect of the deal making or investment in oil and gas.
The course starts with an overview of the oil and industry, and the competition landscape in the US. Then it elaborates on the investment decision system and deal makings in the oil and gas industry, and the decision tool used to conduct investment analysis. As the core part of this course, a case study, 2 Billion US dollars’ investment on shale gas by an international oil major, is adopted to showcase the investment decision analysis and process. This case study can be done by groups and with discussions. Finally, the course will close by open-ended discussion on investment risks and risk management in the oil and gas industry, as well as career in business or investment track in this industry.
Advance sign up at http://goo.gl/forms/ML7G41gFSS.
Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning, Sloan School of Management
Contact: Ning Wu, ningwu30@gmail.com
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Jan/21 | Wed | 09:00AM-05:00PM | E51-145 |
Ning Wu
Planning, Funding, and Implementing Transportation Projects in the Real World (or How It Really Works)
Kate Fichter, Eric Plosky
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Jan/29 | Thu | 01:00PM-04:00PM | 9-450 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
As a vital and complex element of any urban or regional environment, transportation infrastructure both affects and is affected by land use patterns, economic development policies, political power-brokering and environmental resources, and so offers a lens through which to study many of the choices and constraints available to today's planners. This seminar will offer a practice-oriented overview of the issues, players and trends most relevant to contemporary transportation planning, as taught by two MIT/DUSP alumni currently working in the field.
Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Ezra Glenn, 7-337, x3-2024, eglenn@mit.edu
(CANCELED) Public Opinion Data Resources
Katherine McNeill
| Jan/27 | Tue | 01:00PM-02:00PM | 14N-132 |
Enrollment: http://libcal.mit.edu/event.php?id=849506
Sign-up by 01/26
Limited to 20 participants
Interested in studying public opinion in the U.S. and other countries? This workshop will teach you how to find data from public opinion polls, both summary statistics and individual response-level data files that you can analyze yourself. Covers the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research and other resources on topics such as government, the economy, and much more.
Please register for this session.
Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Katherine McNeill, E53-168c, x3-0787, mcneillh@mit.edu
Reducing the Danger of Nuclear Weapons and Proliferation
Aron Bernstein, Professor of Physics Emeritus
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None
This course will start with nuclear developments in India and Pakistan, one of the most
likely flash points for conflict between nuclear powers. It will discuss the capabilities,
doctrines, and trajectories of both states and their impact on crisis stability in the
subcontinent. The second topic will deal with Uranium enrichment, a key step in the
production of fuel for peaceful nuclear-power reactors which also can also be used to
make nuclear weapons. As nuclear power spreads, an increasing number of countries
will have the capability and motivation to build nuclear-weapon capable infrastructure.
This talk explores this changing landscape and the implications for international
security. The final talk will present a discussion of the dangers of the current US,
Russian rapid response nuclear weapons policy, an evaluation of the Iran and North
Korean nuclear proliferation situations, the upcoming May 2015 nuclear proliferation
treaty (NPT) negotiations at the UN, and the outlook for nuclear weapons reductions.
Sponsor(s): Lab for Nuclear Science
Contact: Aron Bernstein, 26-419, 617-253-2386, bernstein@mit.edu
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Jan/22 | Thu | 03:00PM-04:30PM | 26-414 |
Nuclear Weapons Policies and Dangers in India and Pakistan, by Prof. Vipin Narang
Vipin Narang - Professor of Political Science
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Jan/26 | Mon | 03:00PM-04:30PM | 26-414 |
Uranian Enrichment and Proliferation, by Prof. Scott Kemp
Scott Kemp - Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering
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Jan/28 | Wed | 03:00PM-04:30PM | 26-414 |
Outlook- Nuclear Weapons and Non-Proliferation, by Prof. Aron Bernstein
Aron Bernstein - Professor of Physics Emeritus
Starr Forum Friday Flicks: "A Forgotten Crime"
John Tirman, Executive Director, Center for International Studies
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Jan/30 | Fri | 12:00PM-01:30PM | E40-496, Lucian Pye Conf Rm |
Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Limited to 50 participants
"A Forgotten Crime" (Elli Safari, Remmelt Lukkien, The Netherlands, 2014, color)
Film screening and discussion with John Tirman, executive director and principal research scientist, MIT Center for International Studies. Author of Deaths of Others, and many other books and publications.
During the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) Saddam Hussein bombarded Iran with chemical weapons, while the world looked on without interfering. In "A Forgotten Crime" political and military leaders, medical experts and contaminated people relate how this drama was experienced in isolated Iran. The film irresistibly drags the viewer into the ever increasing humanitarian, military and political drama of this chemical warfare, which has determined Iran’s position in the international political arena until this very day. Former UN Secretary General Perez de Cuellar and Joost Hiltermann, author of A Poisonous Affair provide additional information. Contains unique archive material. Mostly filmed in Iran. - See more at: http://www.idfa.nl/industry/tags/project.aspx?id=2958897d-386d-4dbf-9b60-d1b4e37ca0fd&tab=dfs#sthash.7Hq3K5Ff.dpuf
Light refreshments will be served.
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
Contact: Michelle Nhuch, starrforum@mit.edu
Starr Forum Friday Flicks: "Hearts and Minds"
John Tirman, Executive Director, CIS
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Jan/23 | Fri | 12:00PM-02:00PM | E40-496, Lucian Pye Conf Rm |
Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Limited to 50 participants
"Hearts and Minds" (Peter Davis, USA. 1974)
Film screening and discussion with John Tirman, executive director and principal research scientist, MIT Center for International Studies. Author of Deaths of Others, and many other books and publications.
Hearts and Minds is a documentary film about the Vietnam War. The film's title is based on a quote from President Lyndon B. Johnson: "the ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live out there". The movie was chosen as Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 47th Academy Awards presented in 1975.
The film premiered at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.
Light refreshments will be served.
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
Contact: Michelle Nhuch, starrforum@mit.edu
The Story Behind a Question: Using Storytelling to Further Community Engagement
Nse Umoh Esema, Director of Community Media Projects, MIT CoLab, Lawrence Barriner II, Interaction Institute For Social Change
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 12/31
Limited to 8 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Interested in exploring the intersection of storytelling, urban planning and community engagement? Then join us for this 8-day evening workshop over IAP!
This workshop will provide an opportunity for students to produce a multimedia story related to a new (and first of its kind) City of Boston effort focused on envisioning the city’s long-term transportation future. As part of the visioning process, known as GoBoston2030 (www.goboston2030.org), the Interaction Institute for Social Change is launching a citywide question campaign, a process designed to gather the voice of everyone in the city. The Campaign is focused on inviting everyone in the city to contribute his or her question(s) about transportation in Boston. Students will participate in question collection and will work closely with someone who has contributed a question to construct an authentic and compelling multimedia story. The purpose of this story is to make visible the knowledge, concerns, hopes, and aspirations behind the question that contributor has offered to the transportation visioning process. Through this hands-on workshop students will learn about the media production process as well as about the Question Campaign as a method for community engagement.
Please fill out this survey if you plan to join the workshop: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1K5EqDLtm8YfUUBywVHdZYFR_ljOepx6Dav3N3TeTzDA/viewform?usp=send_form
Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Nse Umoh Esema, 240 688-8799, nseabasi@mit.edu
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Jan/05 | Mon | 06:00PM-09:00PM | 9-451 |
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Jan/06 | Tue | 06:00PM-09:00PM | 9-451 |
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Jan/07 | Wed | 06:00PM-09:00PM | 9-451 |
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Jan/08 | Thu | 06:00PM-09:00PM | 9-451 |
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Jan/12 | Mon | 06:00PM-09:00PM | 9-451 |
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Jan/13 | Tue | 06:00PM-09:00PM | 9-451 |
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Jan/14 | Wed | 06:00PM-09:00PM | 9-451 |
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Jan/15 | Thu | 06:00PM-09:00PM | 9-451 |
Nse Umoh Esema - Director of Community Media Projects, MIT CoLab, Lawrence Barriner II - Interaction Institute For Social Change
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