update!

Hope everyone's having a terrific summer ... this is the one-month-to-first-class countdown:

• thanks to Lauren for calling Nigel Dower to our attention. He's an excellent resource for us and so ...

• go ahead and buy Nigel Dower's An Intro to Global Citizenship. It's a superb primary text for our venture. A first read before class begins would be advantageous. Dower's other two books World Ethics: The New Agenda and Global Citizenship: A Critical Reader are recommended but not required.

For the first day:

• bring your 100 images (local | tourist | emigrant). We’ll cruise thru them on-screen; if you set them up as a multipage pdf we can view them as a slideshow in Preview.

• bring a typeset, succinct and easy to read list of 10 possible project ideas; for each also note 2 references. We’ll pass these sheets around for peer review. All the miniprojects we'll work on during the first semester will be customizable to your individual interests.

Some folks have still not signed on to the blog. If anyone is in touch with Stephanie Albinski, Modesto Laboye Eliza, Laura Pepitone, or Mariah Toscano, give them a nudge.

Y'all were also asked to make at least one contributiion to the blog over the summer (suggesting a resource); only a few people have done this, so the rest of you don't hold back. Thanks for Dower, Watts, film recommendations, etc.

Lots of interesting stuff shaping up for Fall and Spring.

TED - Technology, Entertainment, Design.

another great web resource
TED

"The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). "

talks by stefan sagmeister here

and tons of lectures on global issues, but some big people that have lots of influence.

that cave sounds great

i know i will be down there this coming weekend and then a couple more coming up and i would love the recordings and a trip to this strange cave you speak of. best way to contact you? phone number?

hello!

Check out this book:

Global Citizenship: a critical introduction, by Nigel Dower

from amazon's review: A central tenet of globalization is that we now have all become "citizens of the world." Whether or not we are global citizens is a topic of great dispute, however those who take part in the debate agree that a global citizen is a member of the wider community of humanity, the world or a similar whole which is wider than that of a nation-state. This collection seeks to introduce readers to some of the central issues of this debate. Through four main sections, the contributors discuss global challenges and attempt to define the ways in which globalization is changing the world in which we live. Offering a breadth of coverage to the core theme of the individual in a global world, Global Citizenship combines two factors-the idea of global responsibility and the development of institutional structures though which this responsibility can be exercised.

you can get it on amazon, used, for around $15. Also check out Nigel Dower's other books regarding global citizenship. look at half.com! extremely good deals.

also, those in New Paltz, let me know. I just got here last week and looking to kick it.

Stay up,
Lauren ::

Kris, (or anyone) If you are in the New Paltz area over the summer I can just give you some Alan Watts recordings. And if you are interested in City of God then you should Google Fernando Mereilles to see the other work that he has done (City of Men is badass). I think the best way to discover to information and resources is to just pick around. If you find something that interests you in the slightest way than research it, and from that, your thought process will break off in many different directions. That's how you'll find something that your brain will enjoy.

On an unrelated note, to anyone who is in New Paltz over the summer and is interested in adventures... I just found a cavern in the mountains that has an underground stream and lots of cave wildlife (animals with no pigment). If anyone is interested in exploring. Get in touch with me.

Alan Watts

I was amazed to see the authors name posted on the board. I have been holding on to the book, "Does it Matter?: Essays on Man's Relation to Materiality," Considering to show some things to the class next time we would meet. I was given the old (1970), worn, and falling paperback from a professor a few years ago. I have lent the book to friends and family since I received it, because I felt that they should all read it. It is funny how often i find myself thinking back on the book and even referencing it in papers because it touches on so many issues. I had no idea that Watts had such an extensive amount of publications and media. Thanks for the suggestion, I am excited to look into his other works. Your right about him having a lot to say and he can sure put it in an agreeable manner. Stefan and Shawn, do you have any favorites or suggested material? 

Alan Watts is awesome. I have a few recordings of live "performances" that he has done if anyone is interested. He's like a comedian/philosopher and is definitely worth looking into. I think it may be valuable to experience him as a class so we can all talk about it together.

suggested listening

i have gotten into the habit of listening to podcasts by Alan Watts, he was a Buddhist philosopher in the 60's and 70's. his view of the world is just so different, and sometimes he is totally out there, but other times he is pretty dead on. more on him

it takes a while to understand the language he is speking, but its very enlightening afterward.

all you need is iTunes and this link and the free ones are just fine.

that's all for now, more coming soon.