[P2P-F] Fwd: [commoning] The Co-operative University
Michel Bauwens
michel at p2pfoundation.net
Thu Dec 19 04:59:32 CET 2013
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Wolfgang Hoeschele <whoesch at truman.edu>
Date: Wed, Dec 18, 2013 at 5:06 PM
Subject: Re: [commoning] [P2P-F] The Co-operative University
To: commoning at listen.jpberlin.de
Dear all,
I have only been able to briefly read posts in this thread, as I have been
extremely busy grading student work at the non-commons university where I
am employed. However, I do find this thread very interesting and can see
myself participating in a cooperative university of some kind at some point
- possibly the one in Germany if that's a possibility!
Meanwhile, on the Commons Abundance Network's NORA knowledge base, we have
a page on the need for "opportunities to learn" (
http://commonsabundance.net/wiki/opportunities-to-learn/) - which, you will
find, includes an analysis of "scarcity and abundance" in education and
learning today, as well as a list of "approaches toward abundance" (each of
which should in future lead to a page devoted to that approach toward
abundance), and a list of links and literature. Once I have time to sift
through this discussion thread, I can add more relevant links and
references; in the meantime, if you can send me recommendations of sites to
link, or give feedback on the content of the page, I'll appreciate that.
I'm not ready at this point to create a page on cooperative universities,
but if somebody would be ready to do that, I could help in the editing
process, making sure it fits in the NORA format requirements (these
requirements are important to ensure that it becomes clear how everything
is connected to everything else, and how different efforts can
synergetically contribute to meeting needs while using resources
sustainably).
One of my students has also created a page on cooperative schools - i.e.,
the primary and secondary level of education, rather than universities, but
any suggestions on further improvement on this page will also be welcome:
http://commonsabundance.net/wiki/co-operative-schools/.
While I'm at it, let me also provide a link to our most recent newsletter
on CAN: http://commonsabundance.net/docs/december-2013-newsletter/.
All the best,
Wolfgang
On 12/18/2013 6:47 AM, Silke Helfrich wrote:
> Dear all,
> just a short note:
>
> Once the new university-like "institution" I was talking about is running
> ("classes" start by early January 2014, and I hope official recognition is
> underway) I'll post some more information via this list.
>
> There is a huge need to show that also our educational systems can be
> remodeled as commons; and the good thing is, this is nothing new at all, we
> can learn from practices worldwide.
>
> May be at some point we should think about putting all this experience
> together and discussing it in depth!
> For me -for instance - the zapatistas approach is extremely inspiring (but
> different from what we also need to do here in Germany); or the campesino a
> campesino programms all over the world - so how to get this into higher
> education in countries like mine?
> Perhaps sbd want's to start collecting these experiences (EDUCATION AS
> COMMONING) on the P2P website?
>
> Very best
> Silke
>
>
> Am 18.12.2013 06:54, schrieb davste at spektral.at:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> I just get home from big student protests after the new austrian
>> government abrogated the 'ministry of science and research". It's now
>> part of the 'ministry for economy'.
>>
>> I am also quite interested in the free university projects going on. My
>> overall interest is in co-operative learning not only within the
>> academic sphere but outside of the university, also
>> academic-and-non-academic learning together.
>>
>> Since we are trying out a kind of 'free and open university' project in
>> Graz I am facing many questions.
>> There're concerning:
>> * learning from (urban) commons projects.
>> * How can we use the city as resource? How can we participate in urban
>> development to create a city for our needs? (Since german commons
>> summerschool with silke I am thinking of how to 'activate' people in
>> participating in urban development. This can also be seen as a kind of
>> strategy against enclosure of urban commons)
>> * the integration of people of different social groups (e.g. academic
>> and non-academic, from different cultures/countries) and of different
>> age for learning practices, also research and working on solutions in
>> one's everyday life.
>>
>> Our project in Graz is (right now) in the very beginning and we are
>> still searching for people who have knowledge and experience about
>> education. So far we are trying out different things: skill sharing,
>> using online courses, reading circles and practical stuff. Our first
>> trial is concerning gardening. Ecology and biology is too theoretical,
>> so we wanna use the community gardens in Graz. We are trying to include
>> very different groups and people of different age (starting with
>> kindergarden, also people in retirement).
>>
>> Best
>> David
>>
>> Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Interesting Silke.
>>
>> Feels already closer to a "Cooperative of Learners" :)
>>
>> Is it a face to face real world living space you imagine ?
>>
>> I am interested in projects that could happen in Germany.
>>
>> How big would you imagine to start off ?
>>
>> Can it build on something existing ?
>> Some existing faculties ? Possibly a continuation of a program, to
>> start with ?
>> If so, which ones would be interested , as to help learned to bring
>> research and projects further into life, beyond conventional Phd's ?
>> And feeding a commons ?
>>
>> Could it be in collaboration with existing "Open Universities", or
>> platforms such as Gaia University ? http://www.gaiauniversity.org/
>>
>> Somehow, what you suggest, with support to the learners / students
>> costs, reminds me also of the Steiner backed Youth Initiative
>> Program http://yip.se/
>> ( if not already in touch, I ll gladly support with networking )
>>
>> I somehow imagine it like small co-living / co-learning spaces,
>> which could be networked within one same area.
>>
>> I also remember vaguely ( do not remember the references )
>> some project in Berlin which focused on networking various places (
>> including work spaces ? ) open to sharing learning ?
>>
>> ///
>>
>> Is there any convergence space online where it is already possible
>> to stay updated in relation to the vision you express ?
>> If not in the short term, for whenever there is a more specific
>> definition of such vision ?
>>
>> Just stumbled on this mail and links , which are likely common
>> knowledge to most people on this list ? :
>>
>> https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/op-n-m/NaFQsXmBU4k
>>
>> Note : or instead of an opposition between a limited capitalist
>> market Vs commons,
>> are we rather talking about *non-monopolistic commons based markets *?
>>
>> *Markets in the form of available information with a variety of
>> criteria* - not only based on price in terms of monopolist tokens ?
>>
>> http://p2pfoundation.net/Logic_of_the_Market_versus_
>> the_Logic_of_the_Commons
>>
>> http://commonsblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-commons-
>> year-one-of-the-global-commons-movement/
>>
>> also reminds me of Festivalism
>> http://p2pfoundation.net/Festivalism
>> http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/papers/Festivalism_at_Work.html
>>
>> also see Kevin Carson's :
>> http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/contents/
>>
>>
>> The Table
>>
>>
>> The Logic of the Market versus the Logic of the Commons
>>
>> *Market* *Commons*
>> *Focus*
>>
>> What can I sell?Exchange value
>>
>>
>>
>> What do we need?Use value
>>
>> *Core beliefs* Scarcity Plenty
>> Homo oeconomicus Homo cooperans
>> It's about resources (allocation)/./ It's about us.
>> *Governance* Market-State Polycentric / Peer-to-Peer Governance
>> Decision making hierarchical horizontal
>> Command (Power, Law, Violence) Consensus, Free Cooperation,
>> self-organization
>> *Social relationships* Centralization of power (monopoly)
>>
>> Decentralization of power(autonomy)
>>
>> Property Possession
>> Access to rival resources Limited by boundaries & rules defined by
>> owner Limited by boundaries & rules defined by usergroups
>> Access to nonrival resources Made scarce (to ensure profitability)
>> Open access (to ensure social equity)
>> Use rights Granted by owner Co-decided by user groups
>> *Dominant strategy* Out-compete Out-cooperate
>> *Results*
>> For the resources
>>
>> ErosionEnclosure
>>
>>
>>
>> Conservation Reproduction & Multiplication
>>
>> For the people Exlusion & Participation Inclusion & Emancipation
>>
>> * Source: The Commons: Year One of the Global Commons Movement by
>> Silke Helfrich (29. Januar 2011)
>> <http://commonsblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-commons-
>> year-one-of-the-global-commons-movement/>
>>
>>
>> http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/papers/Festivalism_at_Work.html
>>
>> **
>>
>> *Table One: Spectacle and Festival*
>>
>> *Spectacle*
>>
>> **
>>
>> *Festival*
>>
>> 1. Work
>> 2. Work or play time
>> 3. Imposed patterns of behavior
>> 4. Dead time
>> 5. Religions of consumption
>> 6. Pseudo desires
>> 7. Pseudo needs
>> 8. Loss of Self
>> 9. Colonized spaces
>> 10. Spectator
>> 11. Functionary
>> 12. Survival of the Fittest/Richest
>>
>>
>>
>> 1. Play
>> 2. Work and play
>> 3. Freely constructed behavior
>> 4. Live time
>> 5. Self
>> 6. Transparent desires
>> 7. Transparent needs
>> 8. Self-Management
>> 9. Free spaces
>> 10. Participant/Co-designer
>> 11. Self-Managed
>> 12. Coevolution and Co-survival
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Business_Models
>>
>> http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Economics#Towards_an_Ethical_Economy:
>>
>>
>> Towards an Ethical Economy
>> <http://p2pfoundation.net/Ethical_Economy>:
>>
>> * *The Ethical Economy <http://p2pfoundation.net/Ethical_Economy>.
>> Rebuilding Value After the Crisis. By Adam Arvidsson
>> <http://p2pfoundation.net/Adam_Arvidsson> and Nicolai Peitersen.
>> Columbia University Press, 2013*
>>
>> 1. Reciprocity. An Economics of Social Relations
>> <http://p2pfoundation.net/Economics_of_Social_Relations>.
>> Serge-Christophe Kolm. Cambridge University Press, 2008*[24]
>> <http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item1174852/?
>> site_locale=en_GB>*
>> 2. Macrojustice. The Political Economy of Fairness
>> <http://p2pfoundation.net/Political_Economy_of_Fairness>. By
>> Serge-Christophe Kolm. Cambridge University Press, 2005 [25]
>> <http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item1171540/?
>> site_locale=en_GB>
>> 3. Herman Daly. For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy toward
>> Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future
>> <http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?link_code=ur2&
>> tag=p2pfoundation-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&location=
>> http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0807047058%
>> 2Fref%3Dpd_sim_b_2%3F%255Fencoding%3DUTF8%26v%3Dglance%26n%3D283155>.
>> Beacon Press, 1994
>> 4. Natural Capitalism
>> <http://p2pfoundation.net/Natural_Capitalism>: Creating the Next
>> Industrial Revolution – Paul Hawken
>>
>>
>> On Monetary Economics and Transformation:
>>
>> 1. *The Future of Money <http://p2pfoundation.net/Future_of_Money>.
>> Creating New Wealth, Work, and a Wiser World. Bernard Lietaer
>> <http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Economics?title=
>> Bernard_Lietaer&action=edit&redlink=1>.
>> Random House* free pdf
>> <http://www.techrules.com/clients/aeatonline/docs/
>> Bernard%20Lietaer%20-%20The%20future%20of%20money.pdf>
>> 2. Local Money <http://p2pfoundation.net/Local_Money>: How To Make
>> It Happen In Your Community – Peter North
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 7:58 PM, Silke Helfrich
>> <silke.helfrich at gmx.de <mailto:silke.helfrich at gmx.de>> wrote:
>>
>> Dear John
>>
>> I very much agree with you and am therefor happy to participate
>> in a new attempt to open a University in Germany which is based
>> on exactly the ideas you mention:
>>
>> Students won't only pay (hopefully money the get as a gift from
>> somewhere/ that is what we try to organize - there has to be
>> gift-money in education), they also will receive the money, that
>> is they will - as a students organization - manage the fees by
>> themselves which to some extend will be the most important
>> infrastructure of the University. (I say "to some extend"
>> because there are still some rules to fit into the current
>> system to get the title of a University) .
>>
>> The concept is so consequent to say: "and if the students don't
>> need the University anymore, the University should close". As
>> you said: education is relational.
>>
>> Very best
>> Silke
>>
>>
>> Am 16.12.2013 15:22, schrieb John:
>>
>> Dear Folks,
>>
>> There is nothing inherently wrong with paying someone for a
>> service they
>> provide to you. Indeed, one of the absurdities of the present
>> educational set up is precisely that students have so little
>> say in the
>> educational services they pay for. There was a time when some
>> universities were operated as student-run educational
>> co-operatives in
>> which students subjected the professors that they were going
>> to hire to
>> scrupulous cross examination before approving their positions
>> as
>> educational service providers to the student body. This was
>> the case at
>> the University of Bologna until quite recently.
>>
>> So, one angle of approach is for students to have far more
>> control over
>> the selection of faculty, over the design and evaluation of
>> courses, and
>> of the running of the university itself – in partnership
>> with the
>> teachers themselves and other community stakeholders.
>>
>> Education is a classic /relational good/, that is, a good
>> that is
>>
>> co-produced by the provider and the recipient of the service
>> /together/. Education doesn't happen unless /both/ parties
>> are fully
>>
>> engaged in the exchange of knowledge relations, and it is
>> optimally
>> produced when the educational relationship is one of
>> reciprocity and
>> equality. This is the reason why authentic education is not
>> a commodity
>> – it is an exchange of human relations and revolves around
>> the question
>> of the nature of knowledge production.
>>
>> The creation of equality, of reciprocal educational
>> relationships, and
>> the provision of control rights to students is the heart of
>> how
>> educational institutions need to be reformed. Unless this
>> happens,
>> everything else is a sideshow and a distraction.
>>
>> John
>>
>> On 13-12-16 4:49 AM, Joss Winn wrote:
>>
>> On 16/12/2013 09:13, "mp"<mp at aktivix.org
>> <mailto:mp at aktivix.org>> wrote:
>>
>> On 15/12/13 19:03,anna at shsh.co.uk
>> <mailto:anna at shsh.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>> I certainly don't want to criticise the idea of
>> a cooperative
>> university and all the work you are doing at the
>> SSC. However the
>> fundamental distinction between students and
>> teachers is that the
>> former have to pay and the latter get paid.
>>
>> Is that what they call capitalism? Social relations
>> revolving around a
>> commodity form, in this case "education" as the
>> commodity? Giving
>> structure to a hierarchy, where there are experts
>> (controlling the means
>> of (knowledge) production) and followers (consuming
>> the produced
>> knowledge commodities, if they can afford it)?
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
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