News2017February
News from the Graduate Program in Critical & Creative Thinking
University of Massachusetts Boston7 February 2017
Student Matters
CCT Program Spring 2017 Orientation and Introduction to Reflective Practice Portfolios
Monday, February 13th, 7:00-8:30pm EST, on campus and online
On campus: Wheatley Hall, 4th floor, room W04-170
Online in Google+ Hangout: http://tiny.cc/CCTRefPrac
All new and continuing students are invited to join this discussion, where we'll reconnect to start the spring term and discuss ideas and examples related to the Reflective Practice Portfolios developed through the CCT Program. RSVP: cct@umb.edu
Please note important dates on the academic calendar for CCT courses: Add/change deadline: February 13; Withdraw deadline: April 20; Holidays: Monday, Feb. 20 & Monday, April 17.
CCT Community
CCT Events
Spring 2017 Dialogues on Reflective Practice in a Changing World
Please join us for one or more of these events, free and open to the public.
Attend in person, or online through Google+ Hangout. RSVP to cct@umb.edu and look for additional details in future newsletters.
Upcoming event: Monday, March 6, 2017: Public Dialogue on "Reflective Practice to Support Creative Habits"
Future events:
Monday, April 3, 2017: Public Dialogue on "Reflective Practice to Build Resilience Through Life Transitions"
Monday, May 1 and Tuesday, May 2, 2017: Students Presentations (completion of Critical and Creative Thinking Synthesis projects, and Reflective Practice projects).
Reflective Practice refers to ways that people continually develop or change the practices that they use in their workplaces, schools, and lives. Through reflection, we examine our experiences and seek to understand how they can guide us to make those changes. In this series of participatory dialogues, we'll explore together how we might then relate our individual directions to the bigger picture -- the changing world around us.
Alum and CCT associates Notes
CCT alums and associates are encouraged to send items of interest to the Critical and Creative Thinking community to be included in future newsletters. Please submit events, announcements, and opportunities through this form: http://bit.ly/CCTSICWi
EventsPanel Discussion: Contested Transformation: Race, Gender, and Political Leadership in 21st Century AmericaMonday, February 13, 2017, 6:00pmAt UMass Boston, McCormack Hall, 3rd Floor, Ryan Lounge, Rm. 721
Join the McCormack Graduate School for a discussion of a new book, Contested Transformation, and how gains in political leadership and influence by women and men of color holding elected office are transforming the American political landscape, but have taken place within a contested political context, one where struggles for racial and gender equality continue. Discussion will feature Carol Hardy-Fanta, McCormack Senior Fellow and Author of Contested Transformation; Ayanna Pressley, Boston City Council at Large; Ann Bookman, Director of the Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy; Paul Watanabe, Professor and Director of the Institute for Asian American Studies.
Science & Environment: A Journalist's Perspective
Thursday, February 16, 2017, 4-5:30pm
The Westin Copley Place Hotel, 10 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02116
Panel Discussion followed by cocktail reception and hors d'oeuvres. This event is free & open-to-all.
Science and policy issues in energy and the environment have become a rich source of material for authors and journalists across the media spectrum. In particular, both the science of climate change and the reportage on that science have both become heavily politicized, posing unique challenges for journalism. This panel discussion explores the evolving role of authors and journalists who work in the energy and environment fields. Each panelist will discuss the evolution of their professional experience and the challenges of writing and reporting in these fields, especially in the wake of the 2016 presidential election.
Panelists: Joe Romm, Meera Subramanian, Seth Borenstein, Naomi Oreskes, John Rogers,
Panel Discussion followed by cocktail reception and hors d'oeuvres. This event is free & open-to-all.
RSVP and more details:
http://www.bu.edu/ise/rsvp-science-environment-a-journalists-perspective-february-16-2017/?mc_cid=bf3ade4f82&mc_eid=e4a25e8f2f
Hosted by: Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy & Union of Concerned Scientists
Arts Matter Advocacy DayMarch 28, 2017 in Boston, MASponsored by MASSCreative
Show your support for arts and arts education in Massachusetts! Join us for a morning at the Paramount Center in downtown Boston and an early afternoon at the State House. After a morning of mingling, celebrating arts & culture, and sharpening our advocacy skills at the Paramount, we will travel together in an “Arts Matter March” to the State House. When we arrive, we will meet with our legislators about arts and cultural issues, including the state budget. Together, let’s send the message: arts matter in Massachusetts. l partners to the event, helping to make a larger impact beyond their attendance on March 28. For more information and to RSVP: http://www.mass-creative.org/amad17rsvp
World Creativity and Innovation WeekApril 15-21See the web site for events taking place around the world in various cities. World Creativity and Innovation Week was developed as an annual event to celebrate problem-solving and creativity in addressing today's global challenges.
Since its founding in 2001 in Canada, people in over 50 countries in businesses, schools, associations, organizations, communities and homes have celebrated every year.
The Power of Dialogue: Constructive Conversations on Divisive IssuesWorkshop sponsored by essentialPartnersMarch 9-11, 2017 in Cambridge, MAYou are invited to join us for our flagship workshop, "a comprehensive “deep dive” into our time-tested method for transforming conflicted conversations about divisive issues. Even within the most contentious issues or fraught situations, the right tools enable a community to foster understanding, restore relationships, and move forward. The Power of Dialogue is a highly interactive workshop that offers a widely applicable skill set for those with a range of experience levels. As a facilitator, you will learn how to create conversations that foster mutual understanding between groups and individuals divided by deep differences." (from www.whatisessential.org).For more information, registration, and costs, see http://www.whatisessential.org/workshop/power-dialogue-constructive-conversations-divisive-issues
One-day course: Presenting Data and Informationled by Edward TufteOptions to attend in Boston, MA on March 14th, March 15th, and March 16th.For more information on the course, fees, and registration, see https://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/courses
OpportunitiesOnline magazine The Artifice is currently seeking writers for its publication covering several art forms, including Film, Anime, Comics, Literature, Games, and Arts. It is collaboratively built and maintained by the writers. Undergraduate and graduate university students and faculty are invited to join. For more information, see http://the-artifice.com/and http://the-artifice.com/write
ResourcesThe Foundation for Critical Thinking offers publications, workshops, conferences, and other resources for those seeking to develop teaching and other work through the perspective of critical thinking. The 2017 Fall International Fellows Academy on Critical Thinking will be held from September 16-20, 2017 in northern California; applications are sought for those seeking professional development as well as those pursuing certification of the Paul-Elder Approach to Critical Thinking. For more information, see the Foundation for Critical Thinking website and details about certification.
Food for Thought
(additional web links and posts can also be found on CCT's Diigo pages. General critical and creative thinking focus: https://groups.diigo.com/group/ccreflect; Science in a Changing World focus: https://groups.diigo.com/group/sicwumb)
To Watch:What is Zero? Getting Something from Nothing (The Royal Institution)
May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications (YouTube)
Adidas: Break Free (Adidas)
To Read:I Don’t Speak for Laura (New York Times)
The Ten Behaviors of Strong Personal Leadership (eblin group)
3-D Paper Art (Copenhagen artist Huskmitnavn)Texas Board of Education Votes to Keep Evolution-Doubting Language in High School Biology Textbooks (San Antonio Current)
The Backfire Effect: Why Facts Don't Win Arguments (Big Think)
Against Self-Criticism: Adam Phillips on How Our Internal Critics Enslave Us, the Stockholm Syndrome of the Superego, and the Power of Multiple Interpretations (Brainpickings)
How East and West think in profoundly different ways (BBC Future)
The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives (NPR)
what3words adopted by six national mapping agencies (Geospatial World)
The Delusion of Alternative Facts (Scientific American)
Critical thinking is vital in an era of fake news, panel says (Billings Gazette)
A Point of View: The ethics of the driverless car (BBC News)
The 'untranslatable' emotions you never knew you had (BBC Future)
Study: There Are Instructions for Teaching Critical Thinking (Big Think)
Satre vs. Camus: How did the 20th century’s most glamorous intellectual friendship go wrong? (Aeon)
The Genocide That Is Being Ignored by The World (The AntiMedia)
12 Tools That Made The Biggest Difference In My Teaching (Teachthought)
University of Washington could offer course in 'BS' (KOMO News)
Why weird things happen (Salon)
Study: Teaching and Research Not Tied (Inside Higher Ed)
Muslim-Owned Eatery Making News For Very Un-America-Like Business Practices (Good)
A Dietitian Puts Extreme 'Clean Eating' Claims to The Test – And the Results Aren't Pretty (Science Explorer)
HumorA Prayer for Father's Day (Leunig.com.au)