Colloquium Series – Fall 2003
Coordinators: Paul Speer and Isaac
Prilleltensky
Fridays
Payne 110
The main aim of the
colloquium series this Fall is to build a coherent
theory that represents our knowledge and interests in human, organizational,
and community development. We wish to create a theory that will guide our
research, teaching, and interventions.
In order to meet
this goal we will engage in focused activities that build, critique, and revise
an emerging theory. Where we start is not where might end up at the conclusion
of the series. Unlike other colloquia in which speakers deliver interesting but
otherwise somewhat disjointed presentations, in this series participants will
be asked to address a particular topic or a set of concerns.
Multiple theories exist
and may be created to explain how human, organizational, and community
development are co-determined. In our judgment, there is one element that is
both promising and neglected at the same time. Power is a key concept that
remains under-theorized and under-utilized. As such, we will concentrate our
efforts on understanding how power affects human, organizational, and community
development.
Each week we will
deal with a different aspect of power in the social sciences. During the first
few weeks HOD faculty will discuss their work related to psychopolitical
validity, a concept that embodies psychological and political power to explain
and influence social phenomena. Following a period of discussion we will
develop criteria for a theory of power in the social sciences. Once we develop
emerging criteria for a theory of power in the social sciences, we will apply
it to a variety of readings, videos, and talks to test its utility. This will
serve as a testing ground to check whether our emerging concepts are indeed
helpful in explaining and analyzing social phenomena affecting human,
organizational, and community development.
Towards the end of the first semester we will re-evaluate our efforts
and collectively determine the next steps.
Schedule for Fall
2003
|
Date |
Topic/Presenters/Agenda |
|
1. 8/29 [This session ends at |
Video: People like us. Overview and
introduction to Power and Psychopolitical Validity. Paul Speer and Isaac
Prilleltensky |
|
2. 9/5 |
Case study of PPV in action Application
of PPV tenets to social intervention in |
|
3. 9/12 |
Panel
on Psychopolitical Validity (PPV) in multiple settings Brian
Christens, Doug Perkins, Maury Nation, Brian Williams, Diana Jones, Paul Dokecki. Authors of papers for special issue on PPV
present 5 minute summaries of papers. |
|
4. 9/19 |
Application
of conceptual criteria to reading on power by Haugaard: The constitution of power |
|
5. 9/26 |
Power in international perspective Presentation on
|
|
6. 10/3 |
Power in collaborative processes A conversation
with Bob Newbrough and Yolanda Suarez about the role of power in both the
content and the process of the Community Action Research Centers. |
|
7. 10/10 |
Power across different levels of analysis Power in
personal, interpersonal, organizational and collective domains. People from
HDC to talk about the personal and interpersonal. HOCD about organizational
and CRA about the collective. Students volunteer to go on police patrol
and/or other community experience and share with class their perceptions. |
|
8. 10/17 |
Power and life narratives Participants
use PPV and relate stories of power throughout their development. Volunteers
identified ahead of time. 5 minutes each Out for a drink…. |
|
9. 10/24 |
Power and race Panel of
internal and external guests. Group to
decide on exact format for this session. |
|
Date |
Topic/Presenters/Agenda |
|
10. 10/31 |
Power, health and policy issues Discussion of
power issues in health, mental health policy and administration (Vera
Chatman, Marsha Davis, Craig Anne Heflinger) |
|
11. 11/7 |
Power and policing Invited
speaker Police Officer Pawelski Discussants:
Brian Williams and Michael Stahl |
|
12. 11/14 |
Movie Night Group out for
movie with relevance to theme of power – TBA. |
|
13. 11/21 |
Video: Commanding heights. Session on
power, social policy and economics |
|
14. 12/5 |
Student presentation Students
taking class for grade present mini-talks on application of power issues and PPV
to material covered in other classes. Plan second semester |