Where social theory meets critical engagement with the production of scientific knowledge

New England Workshop on Science and Social Change, April 17-20, 2010

 

INSTRUCTIONS for written evaluation

Reread the NewSSC objectives and the specific workshop description at http://www.stv.umb.edu/newssc10a.html

At the end, compose five statements, questions, and/or reservations that are important to you concerning any items.

---------------

 

Participant 1.

1.              A monthly follow-up Skype conference call/session might allow people to nurture the threads and grow them before they dissipate.

2.              The workshop (before, during, and after) needs an assistant/backup, which at the very least would remind the organizer/lead facilitator not to proceed without a sense of being assisted.

3.              The rough edges (internal & external, at various scales) could form the basis for theorizing, but this form of theory-generation may have limits without a focal area of engagement.

4.              How can such an interactive processual workshop build in a place for deep, systematic insights such as Marx had.

5.              A topic for a future workshop could be how to engage STS-ers in a venture/direction they don't make space for- or perhaps even resist- or perhaps just don't admit they would like to make space for.

---------------

Participant 2.

1.              Preparedness for action through conceptualization of structure & going beyond boundaries. Hum. Participants already engaged in multiple disciplines; (re) conceptualizations may emerge later on.

2.              Training. There was some, mostly learning by example. Consolidation of knowledge may happen through future practices. Some increase in self-confidence to experiment doing it.

3.              Evolving workshops. Highly likely. Would be great to do it in Portugal!

4.              Very tired at the moment...

5.              High point of the workshop: multiple connections with all the participants.

-Rita Serra

---------------

Participant 3.

1.              This workshop may be described as an exercise in... (justified (?), situated) collaborative theory-building.

2.              Critical engagement has appeared in a range of different forms, but we may say that two main logics of engagement (intervention) are recognizable: one is led by research questions and concerns, the other by concerns arising in committees or groups that the researcher is becoming involved with.  Although these two intra/intersect, the "triggering" interaction may be different.

3.              This seminar brought up a question which should be engaged with in a way more explicit and ... way when dealing with collaboration/participation: violence and the forms of its expression.

4.              A topic which should be taken up as well is that if how new ... are emerging from the deployment of a technoscientific imaginary,...

5.              The workshop allowed a new approach to engagement/intervention to start taking shape, which requires coping with the continuities and discontinuities between research-oriented and intervention-oriented approaches.

---------------

Participant 4.

1.              Through the mapping process the workshop helped me to remind + re-construct social structures and processes as a basis for interpretation and action.

2.              Well done!

3.              More pervious preparation seems to be necessary. Activities should be discussed or planned before the workshop??

4.              The format provided responds successfully to this goal [?=goal 4 of repeatable, evolving workshops?]

5.              Repeating assistants should be more involved in the workshop planning?

---------------

Participant 5.

1.                                The workshop helped me clarify and "bring to life" many aspects of social theory-through examples- even if we didn't talk explicitly about theory a lot. Really.

2.                                We built community across generations of scholars and across the disciplines- so much so that this year's group really wants to "continue meeting"in some way.

3.                                It is a very special place. Four days is wonderful- it doesn't feel like "too much" in any way- at all.

4.                                The workshop helps (re) build a sense of integrity. I felt very appreciated.

5.                                I'd like to engage more with politics. The workshop was inspiring in that way.

-Atsushi

---------------

Participant 6.

1.                       The main point of my attendance [at] this workshop was to make contacts and get a broader view of the research going on in this field. At the completion of the workshop, I feel that I have been successful.

2.                       Even though I am at the very end of my time as a student, I am still a student and therefore think of student needs. Thus I would love to see more students in attendance at this workshop because we are in need of these engagements.

3.                       Maybe it is because of the intensity of the workshop, my inability to sit still for long periods of time, or the fact that I loved having discussions with fellow participants outside of the structured sessions, but I feel that a little more free time should be scheduled in.  Though in saying that, I acknowledge that time is limited and we all want to get as much out of this experience as possible.

4.                       I would LOVE to attend again!

5.                       I would also love to bring others whom I believe would benefit from this experience.

-Andrea

---------------

Participant 7.

1. Being among many activists here raised my work-field (my own practice work with single client/couples, classroom ² 50) as diminutive. Raised, challenged, then affirmed my commitment to improving self as a means of improving world, out of compassion for the many.

2. Workshop helped me to recognize that my social theory/moral practice is radical & simple. Be the change...

3. My 'concern' about science/technology in society remains to be fleshed out: do our proliferating technologies help or hinder making people's lives work better, improve how we live our lives as human beings on this planet?

4. The father of STS quoted above did mot understabnd the mission of the philosopher. But then neither do many philosophers.

5. Peter. Thank you. Our lives are greatly improved by your being in them.

-Wendy

---------------

Participant 8.

1. Although set activities were good and worked well, it would have been nice to schedule more "free" unstructured time to connect with people and our projects.

2. Some good workshop lessons leaned from some of the training exercises & group activities.

3. Go to stage 2 of workshop and work on a common project that everyone can brig something concrete to.

4. Would like for [objectives] 2, 3 & 4 to keep growing- Good beginning in future workshops or interaction.

5. Why did we focus so much time on mapping? We could have approached it differently in less time and...

---------------

Participant 9.

1. Is it valuable to include time for integration during the workshop?

2. Does the intense pace allow for breakthroughs?

3. Communication opportunities for participants to share spin-off workshops.

4. Look at how communities are using/accessing scientific knowledge without the mediation of the academy.

5. More pre-workshop interactions.