[SSC] Notes from meeting 19th November 2011

[Joss Winn]

Hello everyone,

Here are mine and Sarah Amsler's notes (attached) from Saturday's SSC meeting. I know others were taking notes, too, so please do reply to this thread with any additions/modifications. Thank you.

# Social Science Centre
19th November 2011

## Apologies
Jonathan Coope, Sara Motta, Joyce Canaan, David Young, David McAleavey, Laura Stratford

## Attending
Mike Neary, Richard Hall, Ed Bacon, Sarah Amsler, Joss Winn, Sandie Stratford, John Andrews, Richard Keeble, Lioba Suchenwirth

## Matters Arising
* Working Group on Values (Richard, John)
* Design meeting in the Collection
* Paper on student selection (to be written for January meeting)
* Worker's Enquiry Group (in process. Leave for January meeting)
* Working Paper on Curriculum

## Next meeting: January 5th 7.30-9.30pm, Croft Street.

## Chair: Sarah Amsler (rotating alphabetically - Ed Bacon next)

## Agenda
1. Values
2. Scope and representation as a collective.
3. Curriculum
4. Design for SSC

## Minutes
1. Current Statement of Values focuses on anti-discrimination. 

Additional Statement for discussion: 

* Free education is a right for all.
* All engaged in the educational process are considered equal in the search for understanding, happiness and knowledge to promote peace, direct democracy and justice. 
* Education should encourage social, economic and political awareness for engaged citizenship and individual empowerment.

2. Scope: Extending the scope, extending the list of values may lead to alienating people. For some, the SSC is a critique of the current state of higher education. A broad political project. Wait for AGM or agreed constitutional review meeting to make amendments of constitutional documents. Problematise certain keywords with the intention of building new ones. Discussion on mailing list for one month. Decide on Statement at January 2012 meeting. No further amendments until annual AGM (May 2013). Representation: With caveats about personal position. Should remain aware of our larger co-operative project. Mustn't be frightened about what we say. Should be saying more. Should try to find ways of representing the SSC as much as possible. 

3. Curriculum: Need to have something to offer new students as a framework. Should not be too far away from current offer in universities but with opportunity to negotiate it with students. Look for common themes across what is taught. Need to make a list of what we can teach. How to keep check on power in classroom and problem of exclusion? **WE** are powerful. Focus on pedagogical issues as part of curriculum. Learn from Critical Education/Pedagogy. Issue of authority of teacher. Need to be able to resolve conflict creatively. 

See attached document for outline framework

Could members who are able to teach face-to-face in Lincoln, please add to this spreadsheet on what we can teach:

http://bit.ly/uLJSEK << SSC members should edit this spreadsheet

4. Meeting at Collection about design: Pre-meeting discussion around visuals. 

Ideas:

* Crazy Idealists. History of CAT. DIY, alternative
* George Orwell collected essays. Joy of search for understanding. Collection of books, library. Struggle to understand. 
* Rob Johnson (Singer). Margaret Thatcher: My Part in Her Downfall. Protest music. Songs are works of art. Activism. Inspirational. 
* An open path. Zapatista. "May all roads open before you". 
* Drawing of sea serpent. Potential of children. Learning is something children understand they can do.
* Set of drafts of work being revised, negotiated, critiqued. Old paper. Face-to-face. Extended periods of time. 
* Paper aeroplane. Children experimenting. Putting things to second use. Energy behind creativity. 
* Zapatistas. Poster from Chiapas. Picture of a woman. The woman with rebellious dignity. Red, black, Energetic. Poetic. Cheers me up. 
* Edward Burra (painter): English Surrealist. Harlem, NYC. Jazz, street scene. Political. Life and politics. Surrealist ethic. Painterly. Full of human life. Dignity, failure. 
* Community. "Small is beautiful". Involved in something together. William Bird, Lincoln Choral composer. Sublime chorus. 
* Activist posters. 
* R/evol/ution (love)

## Actions:

* Design meeting at Collection: date?
* Next meeting Thursday January 5th 7.30-9.30pm (Sandie)
* Book AGM in May (26/27th weekend) (?)
* Paper on curriculum (?)
* Paper on quality (Sarah)
* Paper on student selection (Sandie)
* Spreadsheet for curriculum offerings (Joss)
* Proposed amendments to discussion list on values (Richard)

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