General News: Pre-Texts
Pre-Texts Workshop at Jorge Tadeo Lozano
On March 21st and 22nd occurred on the premises of the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University’s Library, a Pre-Texts workshop leading by the Pre-Texts Group UJTL, with students from different careers. During the 3 sessions, the Pre-Texts protocol was followed and the participants found the methodology different and enjoyable. They said that Pre-Texts is a very interesting method to explore new ways of reading, and the activity allowed them to put in question the way they use to behave in the Library. The participants didn’t knew the Pre-Texts methodology, but as they were invited personally they had a lot of expectations and curiosity, both that were satisfied at the end, encountering the experience as captivating and effective.
Latin America on STEAM:
Pre-Texts Workshop
As part of the new Latin America on STEAM initiative, Prof. Doris Sommer and Dr. Antonio Copete led a Pre-Texts workshop at Harvard University, tailored specifically for work with scientific and technical texts. Participants represented a diverse set of Latin American countries and professional backgrounds, from Art History and Design to Plant Biology and Astrophysics, and experienced some of the enormous potential of introducing arts-based methodologies to the study of technical disciplines, or the so-called STEAM approach.
On the first day of the intensive 2-day workshop, participants worked with the introduction to Cosmos, by Carl Sagan, coming up with a set of creations ranging from abstract visualizations of outer space to Vallenato songs. The second day brought a more challenging and highly technical text, a Nature Reviews scientific article on the human microbiome and its association with a wide range of medical conditions. Still, through a combination of artistic activities including sculpture, photography, drawing, audio recording and gaming, participants developed an understanding of both the big-picture processes described in the text, as well as some of its challenging technical terms. We look forward to more STEAM!
Symbolic Reparations Conference 2017
Dates: Friday March 31 – Sunday April 2, 2017
Location: Harvard University (Friday & Saturday); Boston University (Sunday)
Symbolic reparations have become a central feature of court-ordered programs of reparations to victims of gross human rights violations. In the pursuit of justice and social healing, human rights courts regularly mandate symbolic reparations – including a variety of memorialization practices— to ensure the preservation of historical memory, the restoration of victims’ dignity, and the non-recurrence of violence. Yet many questions remain regarding effective means of conceptualizing symbolic reparations in order to address both measures of satisfaction for victims and guarantees of non-repetition for society at large.
Presented by the Symbolic Reparations Research Project in partnership with the Cultural Agents, this conference will address the role of the arts (broadly defined) in symbolic reparations. The arts are uniquely positioned to help us think creatively and imagine new realities, and therefore give us a powerful means to transform and transcend current conditions of social violence.
Featured Story
Halt Militarization in Mexico,
Reform the Police
Pressured by the Mexican Army, Congress wants to pass a law that formalizes the militarization of the country. It is the pinnacle of the disastrous War on Drugs which has been waged for the past ten years with atrocious consequences. Mexico does not need more of the same. We want to stop the law from passing.
To see and share the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK6_3rbBm6k
Visit:
www.seguridadsinguerra.org
I Rest My Case
“I Rest My Case” proposes how current educational system is deteriorating students’ creativity and limiting them from their full potential and ability. Each student is different; Each acquire different dream, gifts, need, and potential. Therefore, current system needs a change by promoting diverse opportunities, curriculum, and programs. It is “our duty to customize education to upgrade a change… to bring the spirit of each student, that should be our task.”
Watch the video:
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