Megan and I are still preparing our final CAST schedule, but I wanted to show you a preview of what we have in mind.
This semester, all CAST meetings are scheduled back to the classic time of Tuesdays at 2:00pm. The first meeting of the semester will be during week 2, on September 1, in Room 1046. During that session, we will figure out exactly what sort of content we want for the duration of the semester. So if you have ideas, please attend or send them our way!
A big change this semester is a greater emphasis on discussion groups. Last spring, I hosted a total of eight discussion groups on four different essays. Each essay had both a Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning group. The discussions we had were stimulating and eye-opening as we heard from a variety of people. Attendance varied, however, and some groups only had one other participant besides myself.
We hope that our new time helps more of you attend. And, to make discussion groups a more regular feature, we will host one CAST discussion group every other week beginning on week 3, September 8.
While we are still figuring out all of the texts we’ll discuss, we have a few picked out:
1. Paulo Freire: We had two discussion groups during FDW, but some people said they want more. We’ll try to cover new ground to keep things interesting, while tying it back to the original text.
2. John Dewey: A few different people told me independently that they’d love to read John Dewey’s “Democracy and Education,” and I’m happy to oblige! I’ve read some of his short essays, but none of his longer texts. I’m excited for this one.
3. Coming in the Spring, we’re featuring another sponsored book club on Bell Hooks’s book, Teaching to Transgress. I have yet to read her and I’m excited. Just like with Freire and other books, we have copies for those interested.
As for the rest of the semester, this is currently our tentative schedule. Leave a comment if you would like to see anything added or changed!
Week 1: Off Week
Week 2: Welcome Back/Planning Meeting/Discussion of Goals, Interests.
Week 3: Discussion Group: John Dewey, Part 1. Short reading selection from Democracy and Education.
Week 4: Off Week
Week 5: Discussion Group: John Dewey, Part 2. Short reading selection from Democracy and Education.
Week 6: General Session: TBD
Week 7: Discussion Group: Paulo Freire Revisited. Including some non-PotO Freire piece.
Week 8: Off Week
Week 9: Discussion Group: TBD
Week 10: General Session: TBD
Week 11: Discussion Group: TBD
Week 12: Off Week
Week 13: Discussion Group: bell hooks Primer?
Week 14: General Session: TBD
Week 15: Discussion Group: Problem Question/Reflection on the semester.
Week 16: Off Week/Grading Party
The Harold Lounge 
Cookies!