The Social Science Centre, Lincoln
New course 2014-2015
Know-How: a course in do-it-ourselves higher education
This course ((Know-How is a term for practical knowledge on how to accomplish something purposeful, combining know-what (science) know-why (reason) and know-who (prosociality) )) introduces participants to the principles and practices of social science with the aim of achieving something for the benefit of ourselves and our local community. At the Social Science Centre, Lincoln, ((The Social Science Centre, Lincoln, is an independent cooperative with no link to any university or higher education provider.)) we believe strongly that social science can provide the resources for people to take some control over their own lives. Focusing on issues of interest and concern to those involved on the course, and using the methods of research and discovery, participants will develop understandings, create meanings and produce knowledge about things that matter to them and to their friends, families and communities. Work done on this course will be shared with others, e.g., as stories, photographs and creative writings, contributing to the store of general social knowledge.
The course starts on 16th October and carries on until the 18th of December, 7-9pm at Croft Street Community Centre, Lincoln. The course may be extended after the Christmas vacation if more time is required.
Structure of the course
The course is divided into themes related to the overall research project. Each theme may take more than one session.
Lively and Engaging
All of the sessions will be participatory, giving all scholars the chance to engage with the materials in ways that are lively and engaging. At the Social Science Centre (SSC) we refer to each other as ‘scholars’, rather than students and teachers, as a way of respecting each others’ intelligence and recognising that we all have much to learn from each other.
1. What is the Social Science Centre and who is it for?
The first theme will be about the nature and purpose of the Social Science Centre: who is it for and what does it do? The SSC has been set up by teachers, students and local residents as an alternative form of higher education. The SSC is free, in the sense that there is no fee for the course and participants are free to think beyond the learning outcomes that structure university degrees. A particularly important issue for the SSC is that participants are free to think beyond the financial imperatives that dominate higher education. This session is about how you might get involved with the SSC, how you can contribute and what you’d like to get out of this course.
Suggested Reading
Amsler, A., Canaan, J., Cowden, S., Motta, S. and Singh, G. (eds) ( 2010) Why Critical Pedagogy and Popular Education Matter Today, Centre for Sociology, Politics and Anthropology, Higher Education Academy, University of Birmingham.
Bonnett, A. (2013) Something new in freedom. Times Higher Education.
Collini, S. (2011) What are Universities for? Penguin Books, London and New York
Holmwood, J (2011) Manifesto for the Public University, Bloomsbury, London and New York
Social Science Centre (2013) An experiment in free, co-operative higher education, Radical Philosophy.
2. Planning our research and discovery projects
The second theme will look at research planning, incorporating the questions of the whole group as well as particular issues that people want to research. This session can offer support with research that participants are already working on.
3. Community Research and Discovery
The third theme looks more closely at the topic of research in a community setting. This will include thinking about ways of doing research that is public and participatory, promoting solidarity and social change between academics, activists and concerned individuals, as well as challenging power relations. This session will look at different approaches to doing this kind of research: feminist, Marxist, anarchist and enlivened learning, as well as the different methods we can use to learn from each other, e.g., structured conversations, social photography, extended case studies and other design frameworks.
Suggested Reading
Blackshaw, T ( 2009) Key issues in Community Research, Sage
Living in Lincoln: Abbey Ward,including Community Plan, published by Community First (n.d.)
Stacey, M. (1970) Tradition and Change: Study of Banbury, Oxford University Press Banbury
Chatterton, P. Fuller Routledge (2007) ‘Relating Action to Activism – Theoretical and Methodological Reflections’ in Pain, R and Kesby, M (eds.) Connecting People, Participation and Place, Routledge London 245-287.
Motta, S. and Estevedes, A. ( 2014) ‘Reinventing Emancipation in the 21st Century: the pedagogical practices of social movements’, Interface: A journal for and about social movements 6 1 1-24
Teamy, K. and Mandel, M. ( 2014) The Enlivened Learning Project
4. Adult Education in the Archive
The SSC has been invited to London by the librarian at London Metropolitan University to look at the archive for adult and trade union education in the UK. The archive has material relating to adult and trade union education in Lincoln. This session will prepare for the visit by considering the practical and conceptual issues relating to doing research in an archive.
Suggested reading
Derrida, J. (1995), `Archive Fever. A Freudian Impression’, Diacritics 25 2 9-63
Steedman, C. ( n.d.) ‘Romance in the Archive’
Steedman, C. (2001) Dust: The Archive and Cultural History, Rutgers University Press
Smith, B. (1998) The Gender of History: Men, Women and Archival Practice, Harvard University Press, Cambridge MASS
5. Exhibition Gallery
Scholars will present work they have done so far on the course to each other for comments and support.
6. Fun Palace
The Fun Palace ((The Fun Palace is the name of an alternative university developed by the actor, Joan Littlewood, and architect, Cedric Price, in the 1960s in London, England. The Fun Palace was also known as ‘the University of the Streets’ (Mathews, S. (2005) From Agit-Prop to Free Space: The Architecture of Cedric Price, Black Dog Publishing). The Fun Palace was never built but the ideas on which it was based have made it an inspiration for community education projects ( Neary 2015).)) is an event at Croft Street Community Centre on the 20th of December, where the SSC invites local residents and other community based projects to an evening of music, dancing, comedy, food and fun.
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