[Xmca-l] Re: The Annotated Bibliography Project (ABP)

[mike cole]

Seems like things are cooking on the xmca infrastructure work.

A note. Whichever directions the "Newcomer Facility" takes, it seems two
issues are worth keeping in mind.

First, XMCA archives contain a very large collection of core materials, as
does the lchc wiki.

Second, to the extent that xmca is a scholarly educational undertaking, we
have felt justified in sharing key texts. I assume we are on thin ice
according to the letter of the American system of information distribution,
which is of course being more and more privatized. In so far as XMCA
contributes to the educational mission of the University of California, I
assume that LCHC, a research unit that studies the cultural organization of
social diversity, is engaged in its legitimate activities.

In thinking about the future, it seems worthwhile to give thought to the
institutional foundations you anticipate. The thing about institutions is
that, they are not fated to disappear within 100 or less years. Built as
they are from human labor, they can sometimes endure for quite a while.
Consider formal schooling as a non-random example.

So with XMCA. Linking it to an official state educational institution puts
it in what is left of the public sector, and legitimates the exchange of
ideas for the public good. Perhaps developing additional facilities such as
the newcomers information center will further legitimate its educational
function.

Hard to tell.
mike

On Mon, Dec 15, 2014 at 1:12 PM, Greg Thompson <greg.a.thompson@gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> Annalisa,
> Might be worth considering Greg M's suggestion about "upvoting". It could
> be intimidating for a newbie to confront 100+ text citations with
> annotations. I fear that would prove an overwhelming choice for a newbie.
> Instead, it seems like it would be nice for the newbie to have the list
> sorted based on which ones the XMCA community sees as the most important.
> Alternatively, you and Helena could come up with some kind of sorting into
> "essential" texts to start with (note that however you do it, this category
> would not be coterminous with the difficulty category - there may be an
> "essential" text that is not an easy read).
> But I'm thinking that maybe you have already addressed this issue.
> Apologies if so.
> -greg
>
> On Mon, Dec 15, 2014 at 1:07 PM, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Greg,
> >
> > Thanks for your message and suggestions therein!
> >
> > There is no need to fear that texts will get left out, because texts
> > aren't going to be voted upon. This is why I'd indicated that if the 100
> > count goes larger, then it goes larger. The idea is to create a space for
> > novices to pick their own way through the forest of texts and to provide
> > some cues by a (1-5) reading level designation (RLD) and deeper
> contextual
> > references with the comments, so novices can pick their way through.
> >
> > The only groundswell required is to offer texts you believe germane and
> > your comments! Helena and I will do the rest! When the list is ready for
> > prime time, there is nothing that says it cannot be shaped and edited
> > according to the communities needs, we are only writing in pixels, not
> pen
> > and ink, and certainly not cement!  :)
> >
> > As far as copyright, this won't be an issue because if there is a
> > copyright issue, the list item will only be listed as a citation. I don't
> > think listing a citation is against copyright, nor listing an abstract.
> So
> > we got you covered!
> >
> > The ABP is one part of the Newcomer's Project that Helena and I are doing
> > as a first step in a larger project. So if you wanted to create learning
> > modules for novices, I don't see why we couldn't incorporate that in this
> > cluster of texts intended to create access for novices. These modules you
> > suggest could link to different areas of the Newcomer's pages, no
> problem!
> >
> > No one is going to argue over definitions of words in the comments for
> the
> > texts. The comments are to help with reading, not to argue controversies,
> > and this is what the "take it outside" pages can be for. "Taking it
> > outside" is not because we want to stop debate, but to frame them
> > contextually and allow newcomers to view and decide for themselves. THAT
> > there is a controversy is a good thing for a novice to be aware of while
> > reading. These controversies will likely never settle, so I had no
> > intention of trying to do that here. I hope my thoughts on this concern
> > provides some relaxation!
> >
> > I'm glad to hear everyone's comments and concerns. This shows how much
> you
> > all care. None of this is falling on deaf ears! Thank you for coming
> > forward and speaking up!
> >
> > Kind regards,
> >
> > Annalisa
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> 880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
> Brigham Young University
> Provo, UT 84602
> http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson
>


-- 
It is the dilemma of psychology to deal with a natural science with an
object that creates history. Ernst Boesch.