One summary of "Beartown" is that it is a study of the many ways that people respond to assault when the attacker is in a position of power/prestige. Before attending instructor training I had not considered an explicit statement of what is unacceptable as something I should include in my own classes. "Don't be evil" and the common American social contract seemed like enough.
The problem with "Don't be evil" though is how arbitrary it is. It demands a large group of people with a common view of what unacceptable behavior is AND the will to censure unacceptable behavior. Every fall at my institution an email goes out reminding faculty of the (well-intentioned but toothless) "statement of inclusive excellence" we may optionally include in our syllabi. This year in response to that I sent out a link to the SWC Code of Conduct, which I now include in my syllabus as a precondition for taking my classes. Several people emailed back thanks with comments along the lines of "It's so concrete!" I commend the book to you. Beartown, F. Backman. One other way to think about this, perhaps, is that people (high-school athletes in the book) will not do what you tell them to, but they might not do what you forbid them to do. Nathan ________________________________ From: Discuss <[email protected]> on behalf of Michael Koontz <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 3, 2018 10:22:05 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Discuss] Instructor training anecdote Nathan, Can you say more? Why did that line remind you of the code of conduct and demotivation? (here’s the link to that part of Instructor Training for folks following along: https://carpentries.github.io/instructor-training/08-motivation/) Creating a Positive Learning Environment: Motivation and ...<https://carpentries.github.io/instructor-training/08-motivation/> carpentries.github.io In order for learners to step out into new and familiar terrain, they will need encouragement. This section discusses typical ways that learners are motivated (and ... -- Michael Koontz — website<https://michaeljkoontz.weebly.com/> ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8276-210X<https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8276-210X> Graduate Group in Ecology Plant and Environmental Sciences<https://www.google.com/maps/place/Plant+and+Environmental+Sciences+Bldg,+University+of+California,+Davis,+Davis,+CA+95616/@38.5427751,-121.7570251,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x808529085c693a13:0xe20b0046ee4eb4f7>, Room 2211 University of California, Davis Davis, CA 95616 On Jan 3, 2018, at 8:01 AM, Moore, Nathan T <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: I received a copy of Fredrik Backman’s “Beartown” as a Christmas gift. It’s an interesting story, but repeated several times is a line that goes something like, “culture is not what we encourage, culture is what we permit”. Reminded me of the code of conduct and the demotivation part of instructor training. Nathan _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://lists.software-carpentry.org/listinfo/discuss
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