As promised, I have created our class blog.
I hope this will become a collaborative space to share ideas, links, news, questions etc that are relevant to the course.
Everyone in the class is invited to check in here regularly and to make comments.
If you don't sign in with your own name then please do sign your comments at the bottom so we can acknowledge your efforts.
Why not try it right now with a comment on this posting? Any thoughts on the course so far?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
25 comments:
I should have explained that to leave a comment you should click on the link which says "# comments". If you are reading this then that is what you have already done. So now you can leave a comment if you want!
Paul
Having this blog is a great idea since this provides an opportunity for everyone to say their piece :)
As I was thinking over the activities that we will be doing for the semester, I realized that the introductory course might prove challenging for those who have already done some form of policy work as part of their job. Learning is manageable but it is the UNlearning / RElearning that can be tough. For instance since I have already adopted a framework of analysis in a specific policy area then it could be difficult to change mindsets and shift the thinking process to accommodate new and sometimes 'strange' ideas. Perhaps the 'helping' component of class participation will prove crucial in broadening our understanding of the policy world :).
Kathy
Hi
The unlearning process is somewhat also known as De-learning...which is very difficult...you are right in suggesting it that it would be very difficult for a person who has already worked at a macro level. But I guess, for a person like me, who has worked more on the regulatory level on projects, and who was primarily involved with implementation of log frames, it will be something new for me and I guess it stands the same for many individuals in the class.
Interesting. De/un-learning is something I talk about in my negotiation course, but had not considered for this course.
Thinking out loud, I'm not sure how much de-learning will be required in this case. That would imply that your observations and reflections upon your experiences are "wrong," and that whatever models and frameworks we provide were "right." The world of public policy is too complex and varied to capture in any one particular model. Your observations will always be needed to fill in the missing pieces, modify, or sometimes remove some of the ideas and frameworks that Paul and I put forward to the class. As I said, we are not giving you a toolbox, nor would one work. Instead, we hope that you will become better able to question the various public policy contexts that you and encounter and formulate strategies and analyses that will be effective in them.
Boyd
Thanks to Mr.Paul Barter and Boyd Fuller. It is great to open such a blog for exchange and discussion,where we can learn more. :)
This blog is an extremely good idea since we get to read from each other and have both Paul and Boyd read and steer the conversations. I sort of understand where Kathy is coming from, but I think those of us who have worked for some years before coming here have a great opportunity of relating practise to theory and vice-versa. The bonus is that we can review and strategise everyday public policy questions without necessarily running the same risks that we may have had to in our work life...! Here is looking forward to more sharing.
Bharath
It's a nice place for us to share the ideas. Thank Paul and Boyd. I will share more comments next time. LOL
I think this is a very nice way to help the students like me who do not participate as much in class. Some peolple will like to think and rethink and analyse before they can say something so this avenue will be more suitable and really helpful for people such as i. Thankyou.
mangiza
Flexibility is the key... but let's not be indecisive!
BTW, JT here. Got my own blog and all, so this is the 4th blog(!!!) I'm involved in!
So, any ground rules for actual posts? I'm thinking of putting up some links to... uhm... provocative thinking sites.
JT
JT,
link us up!
Zak
Haha! I don't have access to the template! I can't put up link in the sidebar, so just here in the comments, since I'm not sure if we can put in actual posts.
So here're some interesting links. Some of these are pretty famous around the net already, but it never hurts to remind people of the vast extremes of viewpoints in the world, left or right or wrong.
Be warned! Some of this is pretty explosive stuff!
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/
http://www.samizdata.net/blog/
http://www.hitchensweb.com/
http://www.dailykos.com/
http://www.climateaudit.org/
http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/
http://mises.org/
http://humanknowledge.net/
http://isteve.blogspot.com/
i share the sentiments of Kathy, Kumar, and Bharath. i guess it would be good for all of us in the class, regardless of experience or previous training in policy analysis, to keep an open mind for new and different things to learn from one another. the public policy world is indeed complex, which makes it very interesting to understand and challenging to engage.
I must say that this is a very nice way to share ideas, we can learn more by sharing. The students can post their experiences and ideas over here which would really help others to understand things in a better way.
Thanks to Prof Paul and Boyd!
Kiran
This blog is brilliant. It's probably as interactive as learning can get short of 1-1 sessions. I'm expecting a lot of fun as well as challenges in this course.
P.S. The readings are killer but really really interesting. Would anyone have more to recommend? =)
Thank you very much for Mr. Fuller and Mr. Barter. I agree that creating this blog is such a great idea that everybody in the class can communicate and contribute openly. I hope this blog will lead to our new learning experience more attractive and bright with the brilliant ideas and opinions of us, smart students. :-)
Hah! Got linked to you Zak! Foodestrian, eh? :D
Now, to bone up on hockey sticks and (pre-)historic CO2 levels...
The idea of this blog is indeed useful for some who are either shy or may not have the opportunity to voice out comments in the class.
I agree with Wilson that the readings are immense but definitely interesting. It could prove alittle challenging too since coming from an Engineering background.
Nonetheless, i anticipate whats to come for us and the challenge we would face.
Thank you Professors for this marvellous idea! Hooray to technology.. =)
~Kevin
Thoughts on the course: I think the class is a good venue for us to challenge any current frameworks we might be using (consciously or unconsciously). It’s an opportunity to reflect and evaluate the way we think and analyze things and hopefully in the process acquire a better understanding of how policy works.
That said, I’m wondering if there is any framework that would take all the aspects of public policy in account. Part of the reason why I think most politicians don’t have a "clear" idea of what they are doing is because they too are limited (in terms of knowledge and skills). Thus, I think it’s also important to emphasize that we shouldn’t be restricted by just frameworks. =)
-Kim
Thanks to Professors Boyd and Paul for creating this blog which will enable us to learn from each other.
My general feeling is that, it is not always easy to think and act immediately on the spot on any topic/issue. Learning takes place gradually and helps to understand things better. I am optimistic that what we we learn now would definately help and have positive impact in our future decision making process. As far as I understand the school strives to teach and guide us how effective policy decisions are made.
As some of our friends have expressed that it may be difficult to change the way that their government has been working but we could always work better with more ideas and recommend the right way or solution.
This is going to be very helpful to some of us like Mangiza has mentioned.
Once again 'Thank you' to Professors!
Dhendup
I support what Bharath said, having some kinds of work experience/ knowledge before would benefit us in anyway, we can rethink what we have done before and think how we can make things better and better later.
Cheers to this Blog!!!
Myo
Hi, sorry I am late. But will come here regularly from now on...
http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/envronmt/2003/1209nepal.htm
Please check this site to know more about the Global Warming in Nepal.
Saroj
Post a Comment