New address

The url of the Rhizome blog has changed, the new url is:

rhizomehelsinki.blogspot.com

Bringing Critical thinking into Life in the Academia - 1st session

The first session of "Bringing Critical Thinking into Life in the Academia" was held 19th September and what a great day we had! We organized groups that are going to produce amazing things during the year and professor Frank Furedi gave us an excellent lecture about critical thinking.

At https://wiki.helsinki.fi/display/bctla2013/Group+discussions you can find the group descriptions here is the wiki-platform for the workshop. There will bee all the materials from each session.

And by the way, we asked at the beginning of the day what everyone wanted to do during the workshop and what participants thought about critical thinking and this is what we got:

Interview of Professor Ilsley

Professor Paul Ilsley got interviewed by Newshub just before the first Rhizome-meeting. You can listen the interview at http://newshub.fi/archives/955.

1-year Workshop on Critical Thinking in the Academia

Lämpimästi tervetuloa herättämään henkiin kriittistä ajattelua ja kollektiivisuutta yliopistossa!

HOW TO BRING CRITICAL THINKING INTO LIFE IN THE ACADEMIA is an international and multidisciplinary 1-year Workshop providing a unique opportunity to gain new understanding and foster critical thinking in teaching and research in the Academia.

The Workshop is built around enthusiastic, appraised and well-known guest lecturers who will provide presentations in various areas related to critical thinking. To involve all the participants in the process, dynamic group-work and non-formal ways of learning are used in addition. During the process participants will engage in the following questions:

- What does it mean to be critical in the Academia?
- What are the conditions that foster critical thinking?
- How can critical thinking be put into work in teaching and research?

To enroll, please send a 500 words description of your research and/or main interest to Katariina Mertanen (katariina.mertanen@helsinki.fi) by 16.8.2013. Please also explain why this Workshop is important to you and how you will engage with the whole process.

Programme: 

Session 1, 19th September 2013 - Critical Thinking as a Powerful Process

Opening Words - The Power of Critical Thinking
Docent Kristiina Brunila, University of Helsinki

Criticality as a Process
Docent Ulpukka Isopahkala-Bouret, University of Helsinki

Cultivating Intellectual Independence: Getting the balance right between knowledge and
analytical skills
Professor Frank Furedi, University of Kent

Session 2, 25TH Oc tober 2013 - Reading the World through Other Eyes

Ethical Internationalism in Higher Education: Diss ent, intelligibility and solidarity
Professor Vanessa de Oliveira, University of Oulu/University of Alberta &
Professor Lisa Taylor, Bishop's University.

Discussing Privilege. Challenges and Pitfalls
Professor Ina Kerner, Humboldt University

Session 3, 31ST January 2014 - Education, Knowledge and Power

What Might Foucault Teach Us about Teaching in Higher Education?
Professor Andreas Fejes, Linköping University

Reflections on Feminist Knowledge and Politics for Critical Thinking
Academy Fellow Researcher Johanna Kantola, University of Helsinki

Session 4, 4TH Ap ril 2014 - Pedagogical Encounters

The Spectacle of (De)Composing Data
Professor Liz Jones and Dr. Rachel Holmes, Manchester Metropolitan University

The Art of Deconstruction in Teaching
Professor Päivi Naskali, University of Lapland

Session 5, May 2014  - Bringing Critical Thinking into Life in the Academia
Presentations of the participants

Workshop sessions take place at Minervatori, Siltavuorenpenger 5 A, Helsinki. The final workshop takes place in Suomenlinna. All sessions begin at 10 am and last ‘till 3 pm.

Examined Life - Judith Butler & Sunaura Taylor

Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor went for a walk and engaged in a terrific conversation about disability as not merely some physical status but largely a social status, and that is also true for so called "able-bodied" persons.

Welcome to Rhizome of Critical Studies in Education of Adults Colloquium

Date: Fri 21 Sep 2012, at 12-16 pm
Venue: Siltavuorenpenger 1 B, K69
Event is bi-lingual (English – Finnish)
Registrations (before Tue 17 Sep): elina.ikavalko@helsinki.fi

During this colloquium we strive for new thinking, explore critical theories and provide planned and open short forum presentations concerning the mission and current state of critical studies in education of adults. The purpose is to discuss shared research interests, to promote new ways of collaboration, and to enhance
possibilities for a collective academic culture. This event is brought to you by a new and emerging multidisciplinary network, Rhizome of Critical Studies in Education of Adults.

Programme Friday 21 September

12:00 Welcome
Dean Patrik Scheinin

12:10 The importance of making room for a critical research in the era of knowledge capitalism
Rhizome godmothers Dr. Kristiina Brunila & Dr. Ulpukka Isopahkala-Bouret

12:40 Striving for a decent place to work, supportive colleagues and a mission of authentic internationalism
Rhizome godfather Professor Paul Ilsley

13:00 Discussion & coffee

13:30 Discussions that tickle our brains: reflections from collective analysis within KUFE research community
Professor Elina Lahelma

13:50 Ethics and Dissent in times of Scarcity and Uncertainty in Academia
Professor Vanessa de Oliveira

14:20 Discussion

14:40 Kuljeskelevaa tutkimusta, Drifting within Research
Rhizome researchers Elina Ikävalko & Tuuli Kurki

15:00-16:00 Sparkling Future of Rhizome – collective brainstorming


Rhizome of Critical Studies in Education of Adults is a newly-established, decentralized and collaborative research network, hosted by the University of Helsinki. It brings together scholars from wide, multidisciplinary backgrounds who share an interest in critical theories and methodologies. Members of Rhizome are interested in questions concerning social justice, equality, diversity, global issues, and collectivism. Politics and practices of education are studied in various contexts, such as adult education centers, vocational education, higher education, work places, project-based education, and life transitions.

The Rhizome aims to provide a support structure for critically-minded scholars and to promote inclusive, non-hierarchical and collaborative academic culture. The concept of rhizome reflects theory and research that allow always in process and multiple ways of doing. There is no particular shape rhizome has to take and no particular territory to which it is bound. Rhizome also encourages refining and improving research. Through collective involvement, we are vigilant about policies regarding the education of adults. Our hope is to engage in holistic visioning for the purpose of education of adults in Finland and beyond and to find realistic ways of achieving those visions. Furthermore, we strive for authentic internationalism in research and
research collaboration. We are inclusive.

Members of the network are invited:
- to conduct and share research related to education of adults
- to drive for new thinking, critical theories and creative methodologies
- to create collaborative research agendas and to engage in relevant research projects in multi-disciplinary ways, also to establish a platform for greater funding
- to help each other’s in our research by avoiding neoliberal individualization
- to provide mentoring for graduate students
- redefine the politics and practices of education
- and while doing all that have fun of course

Foucault & Chomsky

"This is an excerpt from the Chomsky-Foucault debate which was aired on Dutch television in 1971. The moderator seen here is Fons Elder. I am unaware of any full length copies of the original video, however the debate has been reprinted (and translated, of course) several times. For a copy of this debate and several interesting interviews that followed, see Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, _The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature_ (New York: The New Press, 2006)."