What happened on Wednesday

[Jeanne Curran]

We figured out that working in small groups in the two offices and sharing the computers and discussions made more sense than a classroom lecture.  Most of you seem to be doing fine with lecture material on the site.  This way I can just work with you in small groups and answer your questions. Worked beautifully yesterday.

But that means that we do need to keep those offices open some of the time, so that people will realize we really use them. I just posted a tentative calendar for Week 3 at http://www.habermas.org/mccalendar02.htm .  I  left up names in time slots you had identified.  Just choose times that you really will be there and let me know so I can correct the schedule. For the great price of $10 the school will make you a key to my office, or the dear habermas office across the hall if you prefer.

I would appreciate if everyone would try to find an hour somewhere during the week when they could spend time, preferably with a class mate, to practice arguing, use the site on the office computers, and/or study. I'd like to leave this kind of like class attendance. It's important that we all spend some time there, so they know we exist. But it's not structurally violent.  No points for time spent, no policing. We will simply ask that each of us contribute to the welfare of the community by maintaining  the offices.

I haven't had the energy to get them cleaned out and decorated yet. Tyron painted the dear habermas office in December. Pat will come in soon and help clear that out and decorate it. The computer Help desk is sending someone to set up and fix the computers on Wednesday, February 14. Hopefully, from then on you'll have access to our programs.

The offices should provide excellent study and oral practice space with all the computer tools you need. Because moot court is about arguing orally, the oral practice time is essential.

I just uploaded two files today for a moot court issue on a critical sociological analysis of the Enron crisis and its importance as a social issue today.

 http://www.habermas.org/enron03.htm  and http://www.habermas.org/enron02.htm

They include discussion topics that will help you start to write. I'll try to get up specific instructions tomorrow. See also the updated Moot Court Page at http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/mootcourt.htm

love and peace, jeanne