“Ackerman: What we will not say in philosophy class - Daily News Tribune” plus 4 more |
- Ackerman: What we will not say in philosophy class - Daily News Tribune
- Artio Global Investors Inc. Announces September Month-End Assets Under ... - PR Inside
- Brasch Words - American Reporter
- Dominican University presents Thomas McGonigle in annual Mazzuchelli ... - Catholic Online
- Hingham students intern at Statehouse - Abington Mariner
| Ackerman: What we will not say in philosophy class - Daily News Tribune Posted: 13 Oct 2009 05:38 AM PDT As Brown University's fall semester got under way, I began by telling students my usual ground rules. This presentation goes approximately as follows: "I expect you to come to class, but you don't have to give me explanations for any absences. I will suggest paper topics and completion dates, but you don't have to stick to them. I have one strict rule, though. In my courses, we never, never, never, never ..." At this point, I add that I hope all these "nevers" are arousing everyone's curiosity. Sometimes I ask students to guess. What is it that we never do? We never discuss our personal lives. My rule surprises some students. After all, I teach bioethics and also courses on philosophy in novels and short stories, and such material raises issues relevant to personal life. My rule disappoints some students. After all, aren't their own personal lives the most fascinating things in the world? Actually, no. My own personal life is the most fascinating thing in the world. Unfortunately, however, no one else seems to find my personal life as fascinating as I do. I point out to students that the same probably goes for their personal lives. I also discuss a deeper reason for my rule. My courses use readings that deal with illness, disability, obesity, abortion, discrimination, competition, rape and other possible sources of distress in students' lives. Intellectual discussion requires the unconstrained exchange of views and arguments. Fear of treading on tender wounds impedes such discussion. How freely will students criticize a fictional rape victim for not reporting the rape if they know that one of their classmates is agonizing over having made the same choice? How freely will a grader criticize a paper that discloses the writer's sufferings? Many teachers defend the use of personal material. Here are some reasons I have encountered. Reason 1: Sharing personal experiences can enrich class discussions. But the risk of derailing intellectual interchange outweighs any such possible benefits. Furthermore, diverse backgrounds can enrich class discussions without drawing the class into students' emotional lives. One of my recent bioethics seminars included a Costa Rican student. She enriched class discussions through her information about health care in Costa Rica. She did not discuss her own health or her feelings about being Costa Rican. Reason 2: Discussion of students' personal lives can "reinforce the validity of personal experiences." This claim comes from a 1994 article in an academic journal. But my teaching does not aim to reinforce the validity of students' personal experiences; it aims to make students more rigorous thinkers about philosophical issues. Reason 3: Teachers who share their personal experiences can be more effective role models. I don't want to be a role model. I want my students to think for themselves, not to model themselves on me. Reason 4: Students can better appreciate abstract issues by relating them to personal matters. No doubt this is sometimes true. But it does not mean that students should "share" intimate personal insights with classmates or teachers. Moreover, seeing issues in such personal terms can be limiting. People are already interested in themselves. Education should stimulate their interest in other things. Not all roads lead to oneself. Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University. This piece originally appeared in The Providence Journal. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | |
| Artio Global Investors Inc. Announces September Month-End Assets Under ... - PR Inside Posted: 13 Oct 2009 01:59 PM PDT 2009-10-13 23:00:04 -
Artio Global Investors Inc. (NYSE: ART) today reported preliminary month-end assets under management of $55.8 billion as of September 30, 2009, compared to $53.3 billion as of August 31, 2009. Artio Global Investors Inc. (the "Company") is the indirect holding company of Artio Global Management LLC ("Artio Global"), a registered investment adviser headquartered in New York City that actively invests in global equity and fixed income markets, primarily for institutional and intermediary clients.Best known for International Equities, Artio Global also offers a broad range of other investment strategies, including High Grade Fixed Income, High Yield and Global Equity, as well as a series of US Equity strategies. Access to these strategies is offered through a variety of investment vehicles, including separate accounts, commingled funds and SEC-registered mutual funds. Since 1995, Artio Global has built a successful long-term track record by taking an unconventional approach to investment. Based on a philosophy of style-agnostic investing across a broad range of opportunities, we have consistently pursued a global approach that we believe provides critical insights in adding value for clients over the long term. For more information, please visit www.artioglobal.com :
Investors:Artio Global Investors Inc.Peter Sands, +1 212-297-3891Head of Investor Relations ir@artioglobal.com : mailto:ir@artioglobal.com orMedia:Intermarket This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | |
| Brasch Words - American Reporter Posted: 13 Oct 2009 11:14 AM PDT Brasch Words | EVEN IN FRESNO, FREE SPEECH IS NOT AN ISSUE by Walter Brasch American Reporter Correspondent Bloomsburg, Pa.
Printable version of this story BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The Sunbird Conservatives, a student group, put out some pro-McCain literature at a recruiting table at Fresno Pacific University a week ago. Seemed innocent enough. The conservatives weren't harassing anyone, nor were they blocking any sidewalks. But, administrators at this Christian-based college didn't like it. A dean told the students to either remove the McCain literature or to agree to what he said was university policy to present both sides. The dean correctly noted that the First Amendment applies only to government intrusion. A private university, unlike a public university, may curtail any free speech it wants. The students still argued "free speech rights." Enter the provost, head of all academic affairs at the university. She reaffirmed the dean's demands. One of the members shouted: "free speech" at her. They challenged her, arguing that for a political organization to present both views would defy common sense. The provost's response, according to the conservative Leadership Institute, was "Shut-up! I'm the provost. That is disrespectful." The students were warned if they didn't comply with the administrators' demands, they would be restricted in future activities on campus. The Founding Fathers wanted all views to be heard. Channeling the revolutionary political philosophy of poet John Milton and judge Lord Blackstone, they believed that mankind is rational, and if all the facts were available, mankind would find the truth. That became the basis of the First Amendment. Now, the twist is that the Fresno Pacific administrators were wrong. Their own university actually believes that all views should be allowed, as long as there is the opportunity for opposing views. It does not require one organization to put out all views. But the Fresno Pacific administrators are also right. A private university can do what it wants to do. It can encourage or restrict free speech. Except in California. California is the only state that extends the First Amendment to private colleges, which as a matter of educational philosophy should encourage, not restrict, freedom of expression. This means that the wishes of the Founding Fathers have been extended into California, which many believe is a hellhole of liberalism. Disregard the fact that some rabid conservatives actively try to restrict free speech rights of others. Disregard the reality that conservatives who want to keep government out of our lives used both the constitution and state law to underscore their right to distribute political literature. It's time for all states, especially Pennsylvania where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written, to enact legislation to assure that the principles of the nation, and especially the rights of free expression, are extended to all sectors, both public and private. AR Correspondent Walter Brasch's latest book is the second edition of Sinking the Ship of State: The Presidency of George W. Bush (November 2007), available through amazon.com, bn.com, and other bookstores. Contact him at brasch@bloomu.edu mailto:brasch@bloomu.edu> or at his WebsiteHREF>.
Copyright 2009 Joe Shea The American Reporter. All Rights Reserved.
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| Dominican University presents Thomas McGonigle in annual Mazzuchelli ... - Catholic Online Posted: 13 Oct 2009 12:47 PM PDT | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RIVER FOREST, IL (October 13, 2009) - Dominican Universitys Siena Center will present Thomas McGonigle, OP, director of the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies at Providence College, in the annual Mazzuchelli Lecture on Thursday, November 5. The lecture, titled Samuel Mazzuchelli: Model of Dominican Service, will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the Eloise Martin Recital Hall, 7900 W. Division Street, River Forest. McGonigle will discuss Fr. Samuel Mazzuchellis life as a missionary, priest, pastor, teacher, and the founder of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. In remembering Fr. Samuel, the lecture will consider our own demands for creativity in the service of truth and love. This event is co-sponsored by the universitys Office of Mission Integration. McGonigle is an associate professor of history at Providence College in Rhode Island. He received masters and doctoral degrees in church history from Harvard University. He also received a bachelors degree and masters degree from the Aquinas Institute of Philosophy. In 1996, he co-authored A History of the Christian Tradition: From Its Jewish Origins to the Reformation. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, please call Dominican Universitys Siena Center at (708) 714-9105 or visit www.siena.dom.edu. Dominican University established the Siena Center to engage the critical issues of church and society in the light of faith and scholarship. The center was named for St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th century laywoman who worked for the reform of the church and justice in the world. Her passionate devotion to the central issues of church and society inspires the work of the center in its schedule of lectures, symposia, workshops, retreats, research and seminars.
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| Hingham students intern at Statehouse - Abington Mariner Posted: 13 Oct 2009 11:50 AM PDT
Hingham residents Benjamin McGuiggan and Max Kirby worked as summer interns at the Office of State Sen. Robert L. Hedlund. Ben, the son of Dan and Amy McGuiggan, is now a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University where he is studying psychology and public health. Ben is a 2008 Hingham High graduate. Max, the son of Paul and Elizabeth Kirby, is a junior at the University of Virginia. A 2007 Hingham High graduate, Max is studying political philosophy and law. Bob Hedlund said he was pleased to have the two Hinghamites working in his office over the summer. He said they both proved to be assets to the State House office.
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