Milwaukee Evaluation Affiliate Inc - Wisconsin Idea Lecture Series

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Wisconsin Idea Lecture Series

August 25, 2016 1:46 PM | Anonymous

Announcing a free public lecture series...

15-Week Public Lecture Series - Course by the UW-Madison Sociology Department

Aims to Foster Public Discussion Of the Wisconsin Idea & the University of Wisconsin's Influence on Wisconsin

Taken from an article by Pat Schneider in the August 22^nd, 2016 online edition of the Capitol Times

The website for the UW-Madison Sociology Department

Chad Alan Goldberg, PhD, a Sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is introducing a course this fall that aims to foster public discourse about the University of Wisconsin's role in current issues in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea.

The new Sociology course, “FORWARD? The Wisconsin Idea, Past and Present,” will host free public lectures on 15 consecutive Tuesdays starting on Sept. 6^th, 2016 at 6 PM at the Pyle Center located at 702 Langdon Street in Madison, Wisconsin.

Each of the lectures will be filmed and made available on the internet for public viewing within 24 hours of each lecture. A social media outlet for the course is also being constructed.

The course combines a small undergraduate seminar with a public lecture series that examines the University of Wisconsin's relationship with the people of the state, the creators of the Sociology course state on their website at www.wiscidea.com

“At a time when powerful political forces are working to reshape the mission of the university, we think it’s important to foster a public conversation among students, faculty and the citizens of the state about the meaning and history of the Wisconsin Idea.” (Chad Alan Goldberg, PhD)

The Wisconsin Idea, a bedrock principle of the university, holds that its “beneficent influence” should reach into every home in the state. The tenet dates back to 1904, when UW President Charles Van Hise famously gave expression to the idea that knowledge produced at UW could help illuminate the state’s challenges and contribute to solutions.

“…President Van Hise brought the knowledge produced by the university to Wisconsin’s citizens and policy makers in the hopes that it would illuminate social problems and contribute to progressive and effective solutions. Bringing students and faculty in the UW System into a broader public conversation with the citizens of the state, we will examine how the knowledge produced in the university benefited the public in the past and can continue to do so today.” (From the UW-Madison Sociology Department website).

Gov. Scott Walker unleashed a public uproar in 2015 when his budget bill sought to remove such aspirational language from the mission statement of the university and replace it with a reference to workforce development. The public outcry forced budget writers to abandon the effort and leave the mission of the university intact.

Scheduled lecture topics include the future of higher education in Wisconsin, the politics of oligarchy and resentment, criminal justice and the role of the university in making public policy. They will be presented by UW-Madison faculty and other expert guest lecturers.

To enroll as a student or adult auditor or for further information, contact the UW-Madison Department of Sociology at 608.262.2921 or forward@ssc.wisc.edu.

15-Week Schedule of Lectures:

(Press Ctrl + Left Click on the lecture for each week to access more specific information about the presenter for each lecture.)

Week 1: John Bascom and the Origins of the Wisconsin Idea