IAP 99 Non-Credit Activities by Category


Politics and Social Sciences

A Nuclear Plant That Can Compete with Natural Gas?
Dr. Andrew Kadak
Thu Jan 14, 10am-12:00pm, 26-302

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
The MIT Nuclear Engineering Department has been working on an advanced design nuclear plant that is projected to be able to compete with today's natural gas plants. How can they do this? Common knowledge is that nuclear plants are expensive to build and operate and create regulatory headaches for management. The MIT group is facing these issues head on and believes that they can do it. The secret? Small modular, gas-cooled nuclear plants whose major components are factory assembled and shipped to the site. The design seeks to address the most common criticisms of nuclear power: safety, economics, proliferation, and waste. Some have dubbed the design as the first "politically correct" nuclear plant. This project started last year as a wild idea during IAP. Come and learn what an idea at IAP can become.
Contact: Dr. Andrew Kadak, 253-0166, kadak@mit.edu
Sponsor: Nuclear Engineering

American Incomes and Income Inequality: Reviewing the Basics
Frank Levy
Mon Jan 25, Tue Jan 26, Wed Jan 27, 01-02:30pm, Room 3-401

No limit but advance sign up required
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Three lectures will review the evolution of U.S. incomes and income inequality from the close of World War II through the present. Will review basic statistics and trends and major explanations for them. Topics will include post-war growth of middle class, post-1973 slowdown in income growth, post-1979 rise in association between earnings and income, proposition that we have become a "winner take all" economy, etc.
Contact: Heena Zalawadia, 7-337, x3-1907, heena@mit.edu
Sponsor: Urban Studies and Planning

Do French People Really Hate Americans? French Exceptionalism Today
Vanessa Ruget
Wed, Jan 6, 13, 20, 27, 02-04:00pm, 2-136

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
This seminar will summarize the elements which account for the "French snobbish critical political and philosophical" view of American culture and society. Starting with the historical foundations of France's recurrent claim to have "something to say to the world" we'll analyze the dimensions of French exceptionalism in politics, economics, culture and diplomacy. Then we'll review the main reasons why the French "elite" are very critical towards American society (and present the response to those critics in America) through books, journals and newspaper articles. We'll conclude the study with an empirical survey - food testing!
Contact: Vanessa Ruget, vaness@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science

Ecocrisis or Ecomyth? Historical and Philosophical Roots of Environmental Policy
Prof. Leo Marx , Prof. Jill Ker Conway
Tue Jan 19, 02-04:00pm, E51-165

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
We will lead a discussion on the case for and against the idea that a global ecological crisis presently exists. We will introduce the issues with a brief review of the arguments about population growth, climate change, ozone depletion, the nuclear threat, and the accelerating rate of species extinction and resource depletion. We also will state the case for the view that ecological facts have been distorted by a tendency to frame ecological problems in the context of the various apocalyptic myths generated by Western eschatology. The new book by Kosta Tsipis and Philip Morrison, "Reason Enough for Hope" (MIT Press,1998), will be used to exemplify advanced current thinking on this set of issues.
Contact: Leo Marx, E51-284, x3-4056, leomarx@mit.edu
Sponsor: Science,Technology & Society

Economic Development in Bhutan: A New Frontier
Richard Eckaus
Wed Jan 6, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-372

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: None
Bhutan is still emerging from its centuries-old isolation and trying to find a unique pattern of development that will preserve its culture, religion and environment. The difficulties of such a development path and the strains it will impose will be described.
Contact: Caroline Smith, E52-380, x3-3630, crsmith@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

Entry and Market Structure? Where's the Beef?
Otto Toivanen
Thu Jan 28, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-390

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: None
Otto Toivanen will discuss empirical modelling entry in a duopoly market. Michael Waterson, his co-author, and he are using data from the UK fast food industry to answer a variety of questions relating to entry behavior in oligopoly.
Contact: Otto Toivanen, E52-251D, x3-8556, toivanen@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

European Unemployment: Is There Any Progress?
Prof. Franco Modigliani
Tue Jan 19, 01-02:30pm, E51-315

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
A review of the process of European unemployment, of the cures that have been proposed, and in particular in the Economist Manifesto and the progress since the appearance of that document.
Contact: Joelle Rogers, x3-6853
Sponsor: Economics

For Better or Worse: The Legal Battle for Same-Sex Marriage
Damon Suden
Wed Jan 27, 05:30-07:00pm, 6-120

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
An historical account of the legal struggles for equal marriage rights, followed by a look at the current state of same-sex marriage. Included in the discussion will be a positioning of the fight for marriage rights within the context of the broader queer movement.
Contact: Damon Suden, sudend@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science

Globalization without a Global Government
Prof. Lester Thurow
Thu Jan 21, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-345

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
A century ago some technological break-throughs led us to move from local to national economies. Today a similar set of technological break-throughs is leading us to move from national economies to a global economy. We learned in the last century that national economies required some national regulations. But how are we to make a global economy without a global government?
Contact: Doris Hagen, E52-450, x3-7190, dhagen@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

How to Save a Million Dollars
Prof. James Poterba
Wed Jan 27, 01-02:30pm, E51-315

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
Retirement saving programs such as Individual Retirement Accounts and 401(k) plans are changing the way Americans save for retirement. This seminar will discuss the wealth-building potential of these saving programs, and emphasize their practical role in retirement planning.
Contact: Liz Carlson, E52-352, x3-6840, carlson@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

Inefficient Financial Markets
Andrei Shleifer
Wed Jan 20, Thu Jan 21, 02:30-04:00pm, E51-345

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: none
The lectures will deal with the questions of efficiency of financial markets from the perspective of behavioral finance. Some of the topics covered will include financial market anomalies, limits of arbitrage, and investor sentiment.
Contact: Caroline Smith, E52-380, x3-3630, crsmith@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

Introduction to the Contemporary Politics of Inequality
David Spector
Fri Jan 29, 02:30-04:00pm, E51-361

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
What are the causes of the general increase in inequality in the last 30 years? Why did the welfare state adjust to it in such divergent ways across countries?
Contact: Alterra Gionfriddo, E52-252, x3-3971, alterra@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

Joint Staff Crisis Action Planning Exercise
Colonel Mike Thumm, USMC , Lt. Col. Ed Rios, USAF
Tue Jan 12, Wed Jan 13, Thu Jan 14, Fri Jan 15, 10am-12:00pm, E38-615

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Lecture and exercise using a real world scenario to allow faculty and graduate students to learn about the military crisis action and planning process.
Contact: Col. Mike Thumm, x8-9440, mthumm@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science

MIT Washington Summer Internship Program Information Session
Charles Stewart , Tobie Weiner
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
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. Come to one of these sessions and find out how to apply. It's not too late to apply for summer 1999!
Web: http://web.mit.edu/summerwash/
Contact: Tobie Weiner, E53-484, x3-3649, iguanatw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science

MIT Washington Summer Internship Program Information Session 2
Charles Stewart , Tobie Weiner
Come to an information session and find out about the MIT Washington Summer Internship Program. It's not too late to apply for summer 1999!
Tue Jan 26, 04-05:00pm, TBD

Summer Internship Program Information Session 1
Charles Stewart , Tobie Weiner
Come to an information session and find out about the MIT Washington Summer Internship Program. It's not too late to apply for summer 1999!
Wed Jan 20, 10-11:00am, TBD

Markets, Growth and Good Government: The Annual Workshop of the Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies in Developing Areas (SPURS)
John deMonchaux
Tue Jan 26, Wed Jan 27, 09am-05:00pm, Room 10-401

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Presentation of current development topics by experts from research and multilateral organizations, followed by discussions by SPURS Fellows and workshop participants.
Contact: Nimfa de Leon, 10-400, x3-5915, nvdeleon@mit.edu
Sponsor: Urban Studies and Planning

Postmortem (or Postnatal?) Analysis of the 1998 Elections
Steve Ansolabehere , Charles Stewart, James Snyder, Brandice Canes
Thu Jan 7, 02-04:00pm, E51-151

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Roundtable discussion of the 1998 Congressional and state-level elections, with reference to the media and campaigns, party ideology, public policy, impeachment proceedings, Gingrich's resignation, and possible implications for the race in 2000.
Contact: Tobie Weiner, E53-484, x3-3649, iguanatw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science

Social Security Reform
Prof. Peter Diamond
Tue Jan 12, 02-03:30pm, E51-151

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
Social Security is out of actuarial balance. Proposals for reform include traditional "fixes" of lower benefits and more coverage. They also include policy innovations of Trust Fund investment in stocks and individual accounts. Background and policy analysis will be presented.
Contact: Liz Carlson, E52-352, x3-6840, carlson@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

Strategic Bidding in Auctions with Scoring Rules: A Real-World Application of Game Theory
Prof. Susan Athey
Tue Jan 26, 01-02:00pm, E51-361

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: None
Game theory predicts that auction bidders can, and will, "game" the scoring system, and they will try to use private information to their advantage. We'll show that real-world bidders use strategies predicted by theory, using data from Forest Service timber auctions.
Contact: Kelley Donovan, E52-252, x8-0777, kdonovan@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

The Crisis of World Capitalism: a Marxist Perspective
Felix Kreisel
Wed, Jan 6, 13, 20, 27, 06-08:00pm, 8-105

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Read the World Socialist Web Site at www.wsws.org
Only a few years ago the leaders of world capitalism were celebrating their "victory over communism" and the establishment of a "new world order". Instead, we see an intensification of all the contradictions of capitalism and eruption of ever more shocks and conflicts. 1998 was the year when the world economic system as a whole entered into a systemic crisis of deflation, contraction and recession.
Web: http://www.mit.edu/people/fjk/iap/iap.html
Contact: Felix Kreisel, NW21-207, x3-8625, fjk@mit.edu
Sponsor: Felix Kreisel, NW21 207, x3-8625, kreisel@psfc.mit.edu

The Economics of Smoking: An Economist's View from Inside Tobacco Legislation
Prof. Jonathan Gruber
Thu Jan 14, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-145

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
Jonathan Gruber was the chief economist for the Clinton Administration during their efforts in the Spring of 1998 to pass comprehensive tobacco legislation. He will discuss his experiences and the role that economics played, and didn't play, in shaping that legislation.
Contact: Ana Medeiros, E52-352, x3-3807, amede@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

The Long-Run Outlook for the US Stock Market
John Campbell Harvard University and MIT Fischer Black Visiting Professor
Tue Jan 12, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-345

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
Valuation ratios are often used to measure the level of stock prices; even after declines in mid-1998 these ratios are still unusually high by historical standards. This talk discusses how valuation ratios have historically related to subsequent stock market performance, and evaluates alternative explanations of the current high ratios.
Contact: Caroline Smith, E52-380, x3-3630, crsmith@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

The U. S. Economy: Lessons from 1998 and Prospects for 1999
Prof. Robert Solow
Wed Jan 20, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-345

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
Contact: Janice Murray, E52-383, x3-3362, jamu@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

Through the Looking Glass at the Fed
Hoyt Bleakley
Mon Jan 11, 02-03:30pm, E51-390

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: None
What it is like on the inside of the Federal Reserve and how The Fed has occupied itself in recent years (from the perspective of an MIT and Fed "alumnus.")
Contact: Hoyt Bleakley, E52-391, hoyt@mit.edu
Sponsor: Economics

What Are We Going To Do with Nuclear Waste?
Dr. Lake Barrett, Department of Energy
Mon Jan 11, 10am-12:00pm, 26-302

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Dr. Barrett, the leading Department of Energy official in charge of finding a solution to the disposal of high level nuclear waste, will answer this 50 year old question. The Department of Energy has been conducting a great deal of scientific exploratory research at the proposed disposal site in Nevada and at national laboratories across the country. DOE is about to release a "Viability Assessment" which discussed the feasibility of nuclear waste disposal at the Yucca Mountain site. Dr. Barrett will summarize the scientific results presented in this report which could lead to an answer to the nuclear waste question. Some may be surprised at the actual progress made and how close we could actually be to shipping spent fuel from commercial nuclear plants to a DOE respository and interim storage site.
Contact: Dr. Andrew Kadak, 253-0166, kadak@mit.edu
Sponsor: Nuclear Engineering

Working on Capitol Hill: Why, What and How
Jeff Vanness
Thu Jan 14, 02-04:00pm, 66-168

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Have you ever wondered about working full-time on the Hill? A former congressional staffer discusses both government and private sector opportunities, various jobs' responsibilities, how to get hired, and how to get the most out of one's stint in DC.
Contact: Tobie Weiner, E53-484, x3-3649, iguanatw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Political Science


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Listing generated: 14-Jan-1999