Reading List post-A DIRECTOR PREPARES (A. Bogart)

The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property by Lewis Hyde;

The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco;

Camino Real by Tennessee Williams;

Our Town by Thornton Wilder;

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller;

The Dramatic Imagination by Robert Edmond Jones;

Four Essays on Formalism by Bertolt Brecht;

Notorious & Suspicion by Alfred Hitchcock;

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce;

A Sense of Direction by William Ball;

[essay] ‘Tradition and the Individual Talent’ by T.S. Eliot;

Growtowski’s Objective Drama Research by Lisa Wolford;

[essay] ‘Fascinating Fascism’ by Susan Sontag;

The Courage to Create by Rollo May;

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Man by Julian Jaynes;

Six Memos for the Next Millenium by Italo Calvino;

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot;

today was really productive! as was yesterday (when i went to dance class, a costume design meeting, a scriptbrainstorming meeting, and a props design meeting with Jack + James). i also watched Zeitgeist, which was awesome.

today i had a lighting design meeting with Josh which really helped me map out the script; then i met with Sassy which was also super helpful. after that i went to accept my Fluenz (French-learning) software; then I went to the library and printed a bunch of stuff and organized my folders. THEN i went through Sassy's notes and questions and highlighted what i felt was important for us to talk about in our upcoming meeting on thursday. i also had a sound design meeting with James which helped me to map out the entire 1st scene including ideas for audio + video! having a lot of breakthroughs! :-D exciting!

i also began a map of my family tree (using post-its on the wall), sent out an additional homework assignment to the design team (via Jack); finalized production contracts; and sent detailed emails to 2 of the actors.

WHEW. goodnight

I think I did a lot today. I had my third dance rehearsal from 2-4PM which was so amazing. We then had a showing for some of the production meeting which led into a production meeting at my mod. We talked about a lot of important stuff and I really feel like we're getting the ball rolling. After the production meeting I did one of the writing exercises that Sassy suggested and then transcribed our meeting from November 6th. Then I mapped out the script so far on my walls on 8 pieces of paper. Now I'm going to read a play called "Goddess City" that Sassy recommended to me. All in all: pumped. Actor auditions tomorrow: Word.

Goodnight

realization.

it is OKAY and VALID to know things in your BODY before you can articulate them in your mind and through your mouth. MMK?

Tuesday, October 30th 2012

today was weird.
moved into a new mod, which took up most of the afternoon|early-evening.

then i went to a CYL|CPSC event around "Community Engagement & Critical Consciousness Training", which was cool. We began with welcome & introductions before a 'Stand Up, Sit Down' exercise that led us into considering the praxis model in a visual way. Charting out a diagram that Lori [the facilitator] seemed useful, we discussed the relationship between the following interworking negotiations:
1| theory + beliefs + knowledge|skills
2| actions
3| reflection*

we discussed the importance of reflection, and one participant|observer noted a sharp distinction they often make between conflict resolution + conflict transformation; seeking instead to create new spaces of dialogue within the realm of seemingly non-negotiable and|or dis-regardable circumstances.

social capital = networking, trust + sharing resources

as volunteers|interns we must ask ourselves, "WHAT CAN I BRING?"

we can reflect through writing evaluations + self-evaluations. we can also plan group debriefing sessions that help to create a new space within which to reflect upon our experiences.

someone raised the important question: "HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE UP AGAINST THESE SYSTEMS THAT OPPRESS US?"

we then broke up into groups for a pair + share and discussed the three phases of working with non-profit|activist|anti-racist|anti-oppressive community organizations. 

during your 1st + 2nd semesters working with a new organization, you bring to the table: skills, hobbies, a work ethic, a fresh mindset, an outsider perspective, excitement, and passion. before taking action you can ask yourself: "WHAT ARE SOME SYSTEMS IN PLACE?" regardless of whether you end up cleaning, taking control of social media and|or simply building trust amongst your co-workers and community members. 

during your 2nd + 3rd semesters you may bring a new awareness which benefits from your added positionality as a Hampshire College student with a preemptive tendency towards deconstruction. 

KEEP IN MIND! --> systems can be sturdy.

---

after the meeting i had a wonderful meeting with my sound designer, James Glass. he spent the past week collecting field recordings for our first 'movement' which is thematically focused on 'Wall Street|Context' and catharsis. 

he collected some really amazing stuff! so i put them all on a flash drive and rated them in itunes and then made a folder just for that section of the show. super excited to be working with him.

---

after that i had a nice phone convo with Sassy (assistant director), and we're going to have our first dance rehearsal this coming saturday. also i'm going to learn how to delegate tasks (which i will discuss with her and jack-- production manager-- this coming thursday).

---

i spent the rest of the night preparing to TA the OWS class tomorrow. reviewing the readings of Ranciere etc and examining the relationship between political rule and the determination of 'the citizen'. i gotta take out some Hannah Arendt she seems cool! so much inspiration for scores!

---

i took melatonin! i'm going to go to bed! will go over things i haven't been able to blog about super soon.
 <3

11. Sept 12: Occupy + History

++ what makes a historical moment significant?

- how does one write the history of such a moment?

Francis Fukuyama, "The End of History?"

"cold war": the name given to the relationship that developed primarily between the United States and the USSR after WWII. Dominated international affairs for decades + many major crises occurred - the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Hungary, and the Berlin Wall. the growth in weapons of mass destruction was a major concern.

[via - historylearningsite.co.uk]

"the Cuban missile crisis": the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. 

U.S. vs. Soviet field commanders in Cuba (building missile installations in order to 1| double their arsenal 2| deter the U.S. from attack) --> crisis averted by JFK + Premier Nikita Khrushcher

1962 Soviet Union behind U.S. in the arms race.

soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe but U.S. missiles could take out the entire Soviet Union.

[via - library.thinkquest.org]

Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union, which included not only Russia but countries such as the Ukraine + Georgia which are independent states today.

US + USSR shared a common enemy: Nazi Germany

Cold war [1945-1980]

- no actual fighting

- fought belief systems via client states who fought for their beliefs on their behalf

(e.g.) 1. South Vietnam

- anti-communist

- supplied by the U.S. during the war

2. North Vietnam

- pro-communist

- fought the South (and the Americans) using weapons from communist China

3. Afghanistan

- the U.S. supplied the rebel Afghans after the USSR invaded in 1979 but never physically involved themselves (thus avoiding a direct clash w| the USSR) 

So why were these two super powers so distrustful of one another? --> 

America

- free elections

- democratic

- capitalist

- 'survival of the fittest'

- richest world power

- personal freedom

- freedom of the media

VS.

USSR

- no elections or fixed

- autocratic/dictatorship

- communist

- everybody helps everybody

- poor economic base

- society controlled by NKVD (secret police)

- total censorship

[via - historylearningsite.co.uk]

"Mikhail Gorbachev" (b. 1931): soviet official, the general secretary of the communist party of the soviet union (CPSU) from 1985 to 1991, and president of the soviet union in 1990-91. 

His efforts to democratize his country's political system and decentralize its economy led to the downfall of communism + the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. In part because he ended the Soviet Union's postwar domination of Eastern Europe, Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1990. - brittanica.com

"kremlin": a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. during the cold war the government of the USSR was located in Moscow kremlin. - wikipedia.org

"ayatollah": a religious leader among Shiite Muslims - used as a title of respect - merriamwebster.com

 "paroxysm": 1| a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity 2| a sudden recurrence or attack of a disease; a sudden worsening of symptoms

"absolutism": 1| (a) a political theory that absolute power should be vested in one or more rulers (b) government by an absolute ruler or authority: "despotism"

"bolshevism": 1| the doctrine or program of the Bolsheviks advocating violent overthrow of capitalism 2| Russian communism

---

20th c. developed world = 

- sudden expression of ideological violence

- liberalism vs. absolutism (despotism)

- bolshevism + fascism + marxism 

the "triumph of the west" = 

evidenced by the total exhaustion of viable systemic alternatives to western liberalism 

Karl Marx + George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Alexandre Kojeve (French-Russian) --> "universal homogenous state"

"solipsism": a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing; extreme egocentrism

---

++ the meaning of Hegelian idealism: 

- consciousness is cause and not effect, and can develop autonomously from the material world; hence the real subtext underlying the apparent jumble of current events is the history of ideology.

 Marx adds,

* the entire realm of consciousness is relegated to a "superstructure" that is determined entirely by the prevailing mode of production

* marxists are often disinclined to believe in the autonomous power of ideas.

++ Max Weber:

according to economic theories that posit man as a rational, profit-maximizer, raising the piece-work rate should increase labor productivity. but in fact [...] raising the piece-work rate actually had the opposite effect of lowering labor productivity.

* because he values leisure over income

(contrary to)

vs. Marx:

the material mode of production, far from being the "base, was itself a superstructure w| roots in religion + culture, + that to understand the emergence of modern capitalism and the profit motive one had to study their antecedents in the realm of the spirit.

pre-condition for capitalist economic growth =

1| free markets 

2| stable political systems

Q: Could ideological incentives replace material ones in stimulating a highly productive modern economy?

++ consciousness will ultimately re-make the material world in its own image.

+ man's very perception of the material world is shaped by his historical consciousness of it.

"the common ideological heritage of mankind"

"anomie": social instability resulting from a breakdown of standards + values; also personal unrest, alienation, and uncertainty that comes from lack of purpose or ideals.

20th C. - two major challenges to liberalism =

1| fascism 2| communism

[...] the root causes of economic inequality do not have to do w| the underlying legal + social structure of our society, which remains fundamentally redistributionist, so much as w| the cultural + social characteristics of the groups that make it up, which are in turn the historical legacy of premodern conditions. thus, black poverty in the U.S. is not the inherent product of liberalism, but is rather the "legacy of slavery and racism" which persisted long after the formal abolition of slavery. 

++ Japan follows in the footsteps of the U.S. to create a truly universal consumer culture that has become both a symbol + an underpinning of the universal homogenous state:

+ does economic liberalism promote political liberalism?

(ideological)

communism = threat to liberalism

"perestroika": the policy of economic + governmental reform instituted by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union by the mid-1980s.

+ Russian "perestroika": literally, restructuring.

"anachronism": the state or condition of being chronologically out of place.

"sanguine": confident, optomistic

there is a virtual consensus among the currently dominant school of Soviet economists now that central planning + the command system of allocation are the root cause of economic inefficiency, + that if the Soviet system is ever to heal itself, it must permit free + decentralized decision-making w| respect to investment, labor + prices. after a couple years of initial ideological confusion, these principles have finally been incorporated into policy [...]

"subsidy": money granted by state, public body, etc. to keep down the prices of commodities, etc. 

subsidies are often regarded as a form of protectionism or a trade barrier by making domestic goods + services artificially competitive against imports. subsidies may distort markets, and impose large economic costs.

++ what would be the social consequences of ending consumer subsidies + other forms of dependence on the state sector?

Q: If we admit for a moment that the fascist + communist challenges to liberalism are dead, are there other ideological competitors left? 

+ are there contradictions in liberal society beyond that of class that are not resolvable? 

(contradictions)

1| religion

- religious fundamentalism

- modern-liberalism = a historic consequence of the weakness of religiosity-based societies

2| nationalism + other forms of racial + ethnic consciouness

---

While they [the world's nationalist movements] may contribute a source of conflict for liberal societies, this conflict does not arise from liberalism itself so much as from the fact that the liberalism in question is incomplete. Certainly a great deal of the world's ethnic + nationalist tension can be explained in terms of peoples who are forced to live in underrepresented political systems they have not chosen.

IV. What are the implications of the end of history for international relations?

"mired": stuck

Hobbesian view of politics = aggression + insecurity are universal characteristics of human societies rather than the product of specific historical circumstances

Q: Is ideology a superstructure imposed on a substratum of permanent great power interest?

A: The way in which any state defines its national interest is not universal but rests on some kind of prior ideological basis, just as we saw that economic behavior is determined by a prior state of consciousness.

Explicit foreign policy legitimizing expansionism

- the legitimacy of imperialism:

whatever the particular ideological basis, every "developed" country believed in the acceptability of higher civilizations ruling lower ones.

+ this led to a drive for pure territorial aggrandizement + the great war. 

"aggrandize" (v): to enhance the power, wealth, position, or reputation of...

19th C. imperialism --> German fascism

The death of this ideology [marxism-leninism] means the growing "common marketization" of international relations, + the diminuation of the likelihood of large-scale conflict between states.

- wesjones.com/eoh.htm

---

 

Sunday, October 7th, 2012 | Part. 1

IRB GUIDEBOOK
9|29|12

I. Intro
A. the history of the human subjects protection system 
*'the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential'
--> 1| capacity to consent
2| freedom from coercion
3| comprehension of the risks + benefits involved
+ a| minimization of risk + harm
b| a favorable risk|benefit ratio
c| qualified investigators using appropriate research designs
d| freedom of the subject to withdraw @ any time.

B. the Belmont Report: Ethical Principles + Guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research (1978)
1| respect for persons:
- the need to obtain informed consent
--> involves a recognition of the personal dignity + autonomy of individuals, + special protection of those persons w| diminished autonomy 
2| beneficence: 
- the need to engage in a risk|benefit analysis + to minimize risk
--> entails an obligation to protect persons from harm by maximizing anticipated benefits + maximizing possible risks of harm
3| justice:
- subjects must be fairly selected
--> requires that the benefits + burdens of research be distributed fairly 

[practice vs. research]
(therapy)

'informed consent' = 
1| sufficient information
+ on which whether or not to participate --> including:
1| the research procedures
2| their purposes, risks + anticipated benefits
3| alternative procedures (where therapy is involved)
4| a statement offering the subject the opportunity to ask questions + to withdraw @ any time from the research

2| comprehension:
--> subjects must be able to comprehend the information that is given to them + the presentation of info must be adapted to the subject's capacity to understand it.
+ each class of persons should be considered on its own terms (e.g. minors, ppl w| impaired mental capacities)

Points the IRB will consider:
1| does the principal investigator have the appropriate qualifications, experience + facilities to ensure that all aspects of the project + follow:up will be conducted rigorously + w| due regard for the safety + well-being of the subjects?
2| are there adequate procedures in place through which the research will monitor the project + report problems to the IRB?
3| what is the investigator's past record w| regard to approved research?

(basic IRB review)
A. Risk|Benefit Analysis
- 'benefit': a value or desired outcome; an advantage
- 'minimal risk': a risk is minimal where the probability + magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the proposed research are not greater, in + of themselves, than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of physical or psychological examinations or tests.
- 'risk': the probability of harm or injury (physical, psychological, social or economic) occurring as a result of participation in a research study. both the probability + magnitude of possible harm vary from minimal to significant. 

1| identify the risks associated w| the research, as distinguished from the risk of therapies the subjects would receive even if not participating in the research;
- embarrassment|shame
- job loss
- racial discrimination

2| determine that the risks will be minimized to the extent possible;
- protect participant identity whenever possible
- seek to represent all participants in an honest and yet positive light
- check in w| participants as the process goes along 
- send participants text from the script + have it approved before January rehearsals

3| identify the probable benefits to be derived from the research;
- a true examination of what occurred
- informing audience members of Black history + an providing a contextual understanding (case-study) of the 2008 financial crisis 
- further evaluation of public schools Yonkers, New York (+ localities throughout the U.S.) w| regard equality + accessibility
- my father being respected for the honorary man that he is
- to tell a great story; one that is mine as much as it is his

4| determine that the risks are reasonable in relation to be benefits to subjects, if any + the importance of the knowledge to be gained;
- participants are already experiencing embarrassment|shame, job loss + racial discrimination
- if anything the production of this play would work to systematically reduce the above symptoms

5| assure that potential subject will be provided w| an accurate + fair description of the discomforts + anticipated benefits;
- i will personally meet + discuss (of the record) the discomforts + anticipated benefits of the project
- i will include a clause in the informed consent waiver that acknowledges that said conversation has taken place + that the participant(s) understand the discomforts + anticipated benefits of the project

6| determine intervals of periodic review, + where appropriate, determine the adequacy of the provisions in place for monitoring the data collected;
- i will check in w| participants on a monthly basis
- i will keep track of participant approval of interview text in the final performance

7| determine the adequacy of the provisions to protect the privacy of subjects + to maintain the confidentiality of the data +, where the subjects are likely to be members of a vulnerable population (e.g. mentally disabled), determine that the appropriate additional safeguards are in place to protect the rights + welfare of those subjects.
- i will sign a waiver ensuring the privacy of subjects + disclose which participants wish to remain anonymous
- i will not share the data w| anyone without the permission of the participant(s)
- additional safeguards are in place to protect the rights + welfare of the subjects; who are all members of a vulnerable population as a result of their involvement in the NAACP case


*(1) is the invasion of privacy involved acceptable in light of the subjects' reasonable expectations of privacy in the situation under study? 
- Yes. The invasion of privacy involved is acceptable in light of the subjects' reasonable expectations of privacy in the situation under study.
(2) is the research question of significant importance to justify the intrusion?
- Yes. My research seeks to test the following hypothesis: 'Is there a connection between physical action and the struggle for an actively anti-racist world? And if so, what is it and how can you foster it?' This question is of significant importance to justify the intrusion because it is a story about people - about what's been lost. It seeks to abide by the essence of why this was done and its impact on real people through an interdisciplinary approach that engages the study of culture and human development, economics + socio-political theory and the philosophy of education.
(3) can the research design be modified so that the study can be conducted without invading the privacy of the subjects?
- Yes. If necessary I can base my studies solely in primary research such as newspaper archives + court records, but the current research design invades the privacy of the subjects to a very minimal degree.

*Social+Economic Harms
--> Some invasion of privacy + breaches of confidentiality may result in embarrassment within one's business or social group, loss of employment, or criminal prosecution. - a researcher's plans to contact such individuals for follow:up studies should be reviewed w| care.

NOTE: IRBs should obtain complete information regarding experimental design + the scientific rationale (incl. the results of previous animal + human studies) underlying the proposed research + the statistical basis for the structure of investigation

*Are the investigators competent in the area being studied, + are they serving dual roles (e.g. teacher, or employer in addition to researcher) that might complicate their interactions w| subjects?
- identify any potential conflicts of interest;
1| i am telling my own story as well as the story of my father
2| i will maintain an unbiased approach to the process + stay as true to the facts as possible; whilst continually checking-in w| subjects in order to protect the privacy + minimize the risk of those involved
3| i will get both sides of the story

*will the research design yield useful data?
- consult biostatistician|statistician?

--> incorporating adequate safeguards into research design is a useful method of minimizing risk.
a| frequent monitoring
b| the presence of trained personnel who can respond to emergencies 
c| coding data to protect confidentiality
d| debriefing subjects after participation
--> often suggested in behavioral research involving deception or incomplete disclosure, esp. if the research may induce psychological distress, guilt or embarrassment.
--> gives the investigator an opportunity to explain any deception involved + to help the subjects deal w| any distress occasioned by the research.
*I will use good judgement + evaluate potential risks on a case-by-case basis.

*Assessment of Anticipated Benefits
1| benefits to subjects
2| benefits to society

- how to determine whether or not risks are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits?

Points to Consider
1| are both risks + anticipated benefits accurately identified, evaluated + described?
- Yes. 
2| Are the risks greater than minimal risk? Have you taken into account any special vulnerabilities among prospective subjects that might be relevant to evaluating the risk of participations?
- The risk are not greater than minimal risk. I have taken into account all vulnerabilities among prospective subjects that might be relevant to evaluating the risk of participants.
3| If the research involves the evaluation of a therapeutic procedure, have the risks + benefits of the research interventions been evaluated separately from those of the therapeutic interventions?
- The research does not involve the evaluation of a therapeutic procedure. In the event that I choose to evaluate the research as a therapeutic produces during the debriefing process, I will evaluate the risks + benefits of the research interventions separately from those of therapeutic interventions. 
4| Has due care been used to minimize risk + maximize the likelihood of benefits?
- Yes. Due care has been used to minimize risk + maximize the likelihood of benefits.
5| Are there adequate provisions for a continuing reassessment of the balance between risks + benefits? Should there be a data + safety monitoring committee?
Yes, there are adequate provisions for a continuing reassessment of the balance between risks + benefits. There will not be a data + safety monitoring committee. 

the Nuremberg code - developed by the int'l military tribunal that tried Nazi physicians for the 'experiments' they performed on unconsenting inmates of concentration camps.
--> subject should be made known of the nature, duration + purpose of the experiment; the method + means by which it is to be conducted; all inconveniences + hazards reasonably to be expected + the effects upon his health or persona which may possibly come from participation.

*Federal regulations require the following info to be provided to each subject:
(1) a statement that involves research, an explanation of the purposes of the research + the expected duration of the subject's participation, a description of the procedures to be follows + identification of any procedures which are experimental.

American cities operated under systems of oppression rooted in slavery until the Brown VS. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of the 1960s found segregated educational facilities to be inherently unequal when two parties don't have equal power. The Civil Rights movement that rose soon-thereafter foresaw the case's pertinence and sought to enforce it on a national-level. In the aftermath of this 1960s quest for social justice; the city of Yonkers, New York remained chock-full of people of color who held heart-wrenching grievances regarding housing discrimination and segregation within the public school system. The subsequent NAACP VS. The City of Yonkers decision of the 1980s and 1990s found the city guilty of violating the freshly amended United States Constitutional standards for racial equality. 

This project crosses disciplinary boundaries for two reasons. One is that in order to truly understand a historical moment it is necessary to take an interdisciplinary approach. Mine has consisted of classes in economics and economic development, social and political theory, childhood and education, critical race theory, cultural and media studies, business and social entrepreneurship, gender studies and labor history. Another way that this project crosses disciplinary boundaries is that this final production will incorporate several of the interdisciplinary arts including text, movement, video and sound. Additionally I will be working with Childhood, Youth and Learning and Hampshire Youth Connect to cast First Generation [a Springfield-based youth performing arts troupe that makes performance about oppression and liberation] in my final production.

I feel adequately prepared to embark on this ambitious project because of my experience working with First Generation and the Paul Robeson Freedom School. During January-term 2012 I raised money for my current internship with First Generation through ticket-sales for Let the Body Speak: An Arts and Performance Project. Additionally I taught at the recently-founded Paul Robeson Freedom School in Brooklyn, New York. The school, recently opened by activists from the Yes Men, Occupy Wall Street and Occupy the Hood emphasizes a radical education that provides youth with an understanding of the true history of our nation as well as the tools necessary to compete against and function within a complex industrialized world. At the Paul Robeson Freedom School, I taught classes on Dance and the History of Social Movements (my Division II Concentration) that incorporated both physical movement and lessons in radical history. 

(2) a description of any reasonable foreseeable risks of discomforts to the subject;
- When my father resigned from the bar in 2004, the Klu Klux Klan's national website posted a GIF of two beer mugs clinking together above text that read, "Buddington lost his law license!" and his picture made the front page of the Yonkers Journal News. Did my father make the cover because of his attempts to make peace? Or was it a search warrant distributed to perpetuate the sinister forces that created these conditions? 
- I need to have full accountability of all participants because of the danger. My father has asked that my Division III research be under the radar. Until he is reinstated to the bar in 8-10 months it is necessary that I discuss details of the case quietly. 

(3) A description of any benefits to the subject or to others which may reasonably be expected from the research;
- (see above)
- As an advanced learning activity: I am going to teach an EPEC course that the cast + crew will be required to take during January-term 2013. The class [open to community members as well] will cover a wide-range of skills necessary for the production, including: authentic movement, contact improvisation, and performance in detonated language [voice for actors]. In order to adequately prepare the cast for the context of the play, the course will also review the history of Black radicalism.

4| A disclosure of appropriate alternative procedures or courses of treatment, if any, that might be advantageous to the subject;
5| A statement describing the extent, if any, to which confidentiality of records identifying the subject will be maintained;
6| for research involving more than minimal risk, an explanation as to whether any medical treatments are available if injury occurs + if so, what they consist of, or where further info may be obtained;
7| an explanation of whom to contact for answers to pertinent questions about the research + research subjects' rights + whom to contact in the event of research-related injury to the subject;
- I can be reached by phone at 914.374.8391 or by email at formingamovement@gmail.com
8| a statement that participation is voluntary, refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled, + the subject may discontinue participation @ any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled;
- 'Participation in 'forming a movement' is voluntary. Refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which the I am otherwise entitled, and I may discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which I am otherwise entitled.'

+ (additional info):
a| a statement that the particular treatment or procedure may involve risks to the subject which are currently unforeseeable;
- 'I understand that the procedure of 'forming a movement' may involve risks to me which are currently unforeseeable.'

b| anticipated circumstances under which the subjects' participation may be terminated by the investigator without regard to the subjects' consent;
- 'In the event of unanticipated circumstances, the investigator may terminate my participation without my consent.'

c| any additional costs to the subject that may result from participation in the research;
- 'I will communicate any additional costs to me that result from participation in the research to the production manager [Jack Spagnola] of 'forming a movement'.'

d| the consequences of a subject's decision to withdraw from the research + procedures for orderly termination of participation by the subject;
- There will be no consequences in the event that a subject decides to withdraw from the research.
- Orderly termination of participation by the subject will be orchestrated by the assistant director [Sassy Oriana Blum Jensen] and Stage Manager [Rebekah Merck] in dialogue with the director [Idalia Buddington]

e| a statement that significant new findings developed during the course of the research which may relate to the subject's willingness to continue participation will be provided to the subject; +
- 'Significant new findings developed during the course of the research which may relate to the subject's willingness to continue participation will be provided to the subject.'

f| the approximate number of subjects involved in the study;
- There will be approximately 10-20 subjects involved in the study.

*don't think of informed consent as a form that must be signed, but as an educational process.
- the nature of the proposed subject population:

'My methodology will involve conducting an ethnography of the NAACP VS. The City of Yonkers case. In addition to interviewing activists who were directly involved in the case; I will interview local residents who have been inadvertently impacted by the city's racist housing system and educational structure. Simultaneously I will review primary research from court records and newspaper archives.

- the type of information being conveyed:

'forming a movement' is an ethnographic dance-theater event about a segregated America; it seeks to contextualize the NAACP VS. The City of Yonkers case as but one microcosm of a centuries-long citizen's revolt against America as an inherently segregated superstructure.

- the circumstances under which the consent process will take place (e.g. manner, timing, place, personnel involved) 


Points to Consider

1| do the investigators plan to involve a particularly vulnerable population?
- Yes, I plan to involve a particularly vulnerable population.
2| do the proposed explanations of the research provide an accurate assessment of its risks + anticipated benefits? is the possibility (or improbability) of direct benefit to the subjects fairly + clearly described?
- Yes. The proposed explanations of the research provide an accurate assessment of its risks + anticipated benefits, and the possibility (or improbability) of direct benefit to the subjects is fairly + clearly described.
3| Is the language + presentation of the information to be conveyed appropriate to the subject population? (Consider the level of complexity + the need for translation into a language other than English)?
- Yes. The language and presentation of the information to be conveyed is appropriate to the subject population. If necessary, I will consider the level of complexity and the need for translation into a language other than English.
4| Are the timing of + setting for the explanation of the research conducive to good decision-making? Can anything more be done to enhance the prospective subjects' comprehension of the info + their ability to make a choice?
- [Post-mortem|Debriefing] Questionnaire: 'Was the timing of + setting for the explanation of the research conducive to good decision-making? Could anything more have been done to enhance your comprehension of the information and your ability to make a choice?'
5| Who will be explaining the research to potential subjects? Should someone in addition to + other than the investigator be present?
- I will be explaining the research to potential subjects. No one other than me will be present.
6| Should subjects be reeducated + their consent required periodically?
- I will periodically require consent from subjects.
7| Should the IRB monitor incoming data to determine whether new information to be conveyed to participating subjects? How often should this occur? Who is responsible for bringing new information to the attention of the IRB between scheduled reviews?
- The IRB need not monitor incoming data to determine whether new information to be conveyed to participating subjects. I will check in with the IRB on a monthly-basis. I am responsible for bringing new information to the attention to the IRB between schedules reviews.
8| If a waiver of some or all of the consent requirements is requested, does the importance of the research justify such a waiver? Is more than minimal risk involved? Can the research design be modified to eliminate the need for deception or incomplete disclosure? Will subjects be given more information after completing their participation? Would the information to be withheld be something prospective subjects might reasonably want to know in making their decision about participation?
- The importance of the research does not justify the waiver of some or all of the consent requirements. More than minimal risk is involved, and the research design has been modified to eliminate the need for deception or incomplete disclosure. Subjects will be given more information after completing their participation, and will be given gratuitous tickets to final performances. I will not withhold information that prospective subjects might reasonably want to know in making their decision about participation. 

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

things have been pretty hectic but awesome.

i passed Div 2 yesterday! the meeting was emotional + crazy but i'm done w| dat ish.

tomorrow is the deadline to apply for the CBD grant so i spent today working on my proposal. my chair [Will MacAdams] wrote me such a wonderful faculty recommendation on such short notice, i'm really lucky to be working w| such a good team. 

other than that. just gonna keep working on the grant proposal + hopefully finish my reading for the class that i TA [Occupy Wall Street: History|Theory + Practice] by tomorrow.

g'night folks!
edie

Sunday, September 30th, 2012

this weekend was great and weird. on Saturday i spent several hours in the library reading the IRB guidebook so that i can really understand what the deal is when submitting my application. soon i will post a summary of my findings as well as the key points that i will consider in writing my application. i must also complete my CDB grant situation by Wednesday October 3rd. 

in addition to beginning reading the IRB handbook i played a bunch of guitar and watched Ronald Reagon in the 1984 presidential debate (notes from which i will post later).

today (sunday) i woke up and played guitar for hours. learned a bunch of new songs! as a self-teacher i feel really rewarded and am getting more and more comfortably playing + jamming w| groups. (the open box music collective for example, just started up. its just a bunch of musicians jamming out in an Enfield mod on Saturday afternoons.)

after a lot of guitar playing i went to the Music + Dance Building + practiced piano, something i haven't done in a while. then i had Crazy Pitches from 6 - 8:30. after THAT i was music-d out and i came home and did pilates|yoga + danced to Britney + Gaga w| my roomate + ate delicious spicy wild rice w| cashews. 

i've decided that i'm going to become a morning-worker. div 3 for me is going to mean a lot of getting up at 9am + getting my butt to the library. i'm starting to see the night as this sacred space for relaxation + unwinding, as opposed to being a time to wind-UP + go to sleep stressed out slash so bored|frustrated w| working.

after the work-out slash delicious yum-yum i was totally ready to hit the sack. (after a few rounds of iphone Jeopardy, obviously). but THEN to my surprise, i had an email from my Div 2 chair saying that my Div 2 portfolio is still incomplete. (my pass meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at 5:30PM, after already being moved from last Thursday)

so i spent the past 4 hours drafting an email trying to validate my life, essentially. not to mention 2 hours into that process i accidently hit CTRL + R instead of CTRL + C and deleted the entire thing and started crying + had to start all over.

luckily my roomate Maris heard that i was awake, knocked on my door + helped diffuse my freak-out by listening to the email-in-progress + giving me advice|understanding. living off-campus last year definitely forced me to grow up a lot but being on campus has been just really oh so amazing thus far. 

anyway today is hectic + my life is hectic + crazy. + instead of working on the CBD proposal or IRB application i am going to have to spend the morning freaking out over the missing components of my Division 2 portfolio.

i know my committee|the public will probably read this someday soon but all i gotta say is:

fuck it.

and also #yolo


goodnight|happy october.
- idalia isadora buddington.
9|31|12


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PS. check out these weird things i forgot about:

1| a video of the beginning stages of my final solo entitled 'L'Entre Deux Guerres': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ayneWMS_7U&feature=player_embedded

2| a video of a dance that a program participant + i choreographed + performed at the season opening of a museum in Noyers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ayneWMS_7U

3| a video that i directed + edited alongside videographer Antoine Debombourg in Melisey, Bourgogne: https://vimeo.com/50514701

4| a video i co-directed, edited + performed in|choreographed for Constance's 'Fleeting Images: Choreography on Film' class during 2011|fall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BWxLa5DiBA

5| another video from the class that i shot, co-directed + performed in w| Josh Oleksak: https://vimeo.com/33439293

+ lastly 6| here is a video i performed in for our final experimental music video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eD7v4muatw

Friday, September 28, 2012

this week has marked the first full week of my division three project: 'forming a movement.'

earlier in the week i met with my production manager [jack spagnola] + assistant director [sassy oriana blum jensen] re: the start of the process. soon i need to meet with other members of the team such as the lighting|projection designer [josh oleksak] + stage manager [bexx merck] as well.

by next week i will have devised an artist statement, which is specifically different than a process plan. a process plan is more of 'what am i going to do this year?' versus an artist statement which is more of 'why am i making this work? what is my process? what am i dreaming?' 

a big part of my process will be having showings where i can ask questions + receive feedback as the show is being put together. sooner rather than later, i need to talk to my father + decide whether or not the show will focus on my relationship w| him + our experience of his losing his law license + the financial crisis of '08, versus an inquiry into the impact of legislature on the community itself. 

i also need to speak w| Julie Lichtenberg, the executive director|founder of The Performance Project + First Generation. it looks like First Generation may in fact be my cast for the show. sassy is working to figure out how we may obtain funding from CYL at Hampshire via Hampshire Youth Connect. 

since CYL doesn't have that much $$ at the moment we were referred to Culture, Mind|Brain + Development [CBD], who have many available grants although the application deadline is October 3rd so i will need to complete my submit my application by then. 

i sent a working-description of the show + publicity blurb to the production manager [jack spagnola], so that he can plan a showing of a documentary that covered the case entitled, 'Brick by Brick: a Civil Rights Story'. this will give the production team a little bit of context re: the show. 

it will be important for me to discuss the total investment of j-term in terms of my cast + crew. especially w| regards to First Gen + school hours. i hope to have the play ready to go at least 2wks in advance so that we have at least 1 wk of just run-throughs before opening night. this means getting started now.

the production manager [jack spagnola] + i will work to figure out how to break-up rehearsal so that it is tolerable for both cast + crew. it is vital to me that my actors + production team understand my vision. Will asked me last week, 'Why are you doing this?'

i'm thinking, how can i make this work to everyone's schedule? what kinds of incentives for participation are available to me?

how can i let people know when + if they are needed well before-hand? how can i make classwork during my EPEC course relevant to subsequent rehearsals?

what ages are the First Gen-ners that i will be working w|? will they be in-school or out-of-school during Jan-term? will they be able to stay focused after a long 8-hour school day? 

i am really set on having a police ensemble of ballerinas en pointe. the idea stems from a reading i did about the police|public space + the idea of circling. 

the production manager [jack spagnola] met w| Amy this Tuesday re: trainings in the space for production team members, but i have not heard back w| him yet about Amy's availability. 

Will asked me today, what aspects of the design are most important to you?

+ i said, 1| firstgen having a say in the design process + 2| the projection is the set --> i have to find out whether or not the lighting designer [Josh Oleksak] can both lighting design + projection design. i also need to get in contact w| a potential videographer|editor at Mt. Holyoke, who may work w| me to film site-specific films in Yonkers as part of the dramaturgical elements. 

today i learned that there is a difference between responding + leading. i concluded that i have a vision for the end product + i plan to bring in materials + lead activities that will facilitate that vision. i hope to work w| a CEL-1 who will transcribe the interviews for me. as per Wills advice, i should google 'Transcriptions' + get some averages on Transcription times vs. text, etc.

i should also look at Liz Lerhman + Anna Halprin as pioneers of collaborative|participatory dance. i'm going to make an annotated bibliography, an artists statement + a process plan (+ timeline) by next week.

Will has also asked me to potentially submit something to the Money Play Reader, which i'd be super into.

most importantly is that i meet with the lighting designer [josh oleksak] technical director [riley] + stage manager [bexx merck] as soon as possible. i need to find out their skillsets. what are things that they already understand + what are things that they could use training on?

---

Katie Martin is letting me audit her contemporary dance technique class on Mondays + i am so pumped. she's my dance hero + i've been working on a paper for her about postmodern dance in general, studying in depth her influences: Trisha Brown, William Forsythe + Susan Sgorbati. these influences will all greatly influence the movement-inspired rhythm of what i hope to be a truly collaborative + postmodern work.

---

Notes on Money|Power + Wall Street [video]

CDOs turned into Credit Default Swaps.

Bankers were asking themselves: how to reduce risks? (credit risks)

credit became a more available asset. bankers thought to themselves, 'we are identifying a need!'

*risk can be traded. this led t a global credit boom_

derivates became a private market which was hidden from view (opaque).

'most people in banking assume risk can be eliminated... but all you can do is move it around from one party, to another.'

citicorp - reversal (repeal) of Glass-Steagal [depression-era reform]

'+ so Wall St. figured out the rewards of funding the American Dream'

*bundling mortgages 

'sub-prime (lending) market'

- you could securitize --> you could sell it on Wall Street.

'predatory lending'

*Roy Barnes (gov't)

*Georgia Fair Lending Act

housing people think they'd bought protection through Credit Default Swaps.

'synthetic CDOs' - ppl could bet on a bundle of debt

- a pure debt in which the better has no economic interest in what they're betting on.

*risk flaws to the person who least understands it.

*Goldman Sachs - bet against their own clients so that they profit from borrower's failures.

its not easy to hold these things w| your heart.

2009 IKB German Bank - 1st to fail

'financial shell game' - 'the risk was not leaving the banking system'

rise in vacant + abandoned properties --> loans lost in a huge financial crisis

'the greed of wall st. broke main st.'

---

last Friday i went to my co-chair [Will MacAdams] presentation in Franklin Patterson Hall. he often asked during his creative process, 'What is my voice? What are the steoreotypes of young people? What are the stereotypes of police?'

i was really inspired by some images he showed us of his adaptation of the play 'Our Town', as well as the character of 'Naomi Wallace': a little girl who's hiding. the set for that show had no walls + a dusty floor [so Pina Bausch]; the plot encountered a boy counting bodies alongside teenage sexual exploration in a set intertwingled w| feathers and lightness.

i was happy to hear that Will is very inspired by Anna Deveare Smith's 'Fires in the Mirror'. i watched that performance during 2011|fall in Performing Identity: Race|Gender + Sexuality w| Jaclyn Pryor + was exteremely inspired by Smith's performative interpretation + redistribution of ethnographic research.

during the talk someone noted the interesting realization that African-American people of color play non-POC roles all the time, however the reverse of these circumstances often cause much distress in non-POC young actors|theatrical ensembles.

i was also really inspired by the elements of Will's work that signified class differences w| design. for example in one production all of the wealthy characters had red on the bottom of their shoes. 

Will spoke of that moment in time where its just 'electric', + you're like 'oh! that's community!' -- i hope to acheive this moment in my process. 

script adaptation is never something i have really thought about but definitely something i need to consider in the future. 

cool idea from Will: perform the piece every day, somewhere, for someone -- in order to develop it. 

audience participation?? how can i do it? --> i want to look at more Jean-Luc Godard films + experiment w| the ways in which he fools w| spectatorial desire + point of view.

song needs to be a part of my show. also three ideas:

fireflies | butterflies | itch.

NEW QUESTION: what does it mean to be 'First Generation'? 

i need to see footage of the performance that Will directed where all we know about one character is that her arms are covered w| wild flowers, the wind says 'Speak', there are 6 dancers, and said character doesn't speak until the end.

---

last Friday night i stumbled upon an article about Badiou, a French Marxist whose philosophical texts i was only exposed through as a result of my TA'ing the course: Occupy Wall Street: History|Theory + Practice taught by Michele Hardesty + Margaret Cerullo. 

this text, catching my eye: quoted French activists of the 1960s:

'c'est interdit. c'est interdire' as: the idea of Revolution.

it went on to say:

'Sartre's 'les mots' "he found words, often beautiful words, w| which to pick out + dramatize the elusive 'thisness' of modern life, to show what it is like to be living now + thereby in some way that was hard to express in other words - which in any case were not needed, since he gave us words enough - to capture + make sense of the extraordinary metaphysical loneliness which haunts the world in which we live.'

+

'they offer tantalizing linguistic constructions that suggest meanings too deep for words, + hide their god in the realm of the indescribably. the name of this god is Revolution. however, that is all we know about this god, + the time has come, surely, to own up to this, + to say, borrowing Wittgenstein's words, that a nothing would do as well as a something about which nothing can be said.'

- 'A Nothing Would Do as Well'|Alain Badiou - The Adventures of Fr. Times Literary Supp. 8|31|2011

---

so today i figured out how to apply for the Institutional Review Board [IRB]:

(application process)

step 1| complete CITI training.

- i registered online but i need to start reading the Belmont Report so i can take the 1st quiz.

step 2| read 'terms of review'.

- what type of review process will my proposal require?

ex: exempt|expedited|full?

step 3| submission form.

'IRB Application Form'

- also list faculty supervisors [e.g. div 3 chairs] as investigators, along w| any other students who will be assisting you in data collection.

step 4| consent +|or other forms [refer to 'Informed Consent Guide']

- include a copy of each consent|asset form or a copy of the language of your oral consent in your proposal.

step 5| to conduct research of campus or commmunity organizations, i need to attain a 'Site Authorization Letter'

step 6| include additional materials (e.g. sample interview questions, survey items) in proposal. 

step 7| submit IRB application w| 'IRB Application Cover Sheet' to faculty advisor for review + signature --> div 3 chair must review before submission.

step 8| submit to the IRB secretary @ cole science (dean of faculty office)

*Questions? jcaska@hampshire.edu

Note: allow 1-3 wks prior to the IRB meeting date for IRB review. you will receive an IRB approval letter by mail. you must not initiate research until you have received written IRB approval.

---

IRB for research w| human subjects:
- subjects must be aware of their rights, as defined in Title 45, part 46 of The Code of Federal Regulations.

- obtain informed concent from participating.

*'IRB Guidebook from the Department of Health + Human Services'

- Contact Talya + Michael Drucker for more information.

Next Proposal Due Date: 10|9|2012

IRB Meeting Date: 10|16|2012

* 3:30PM in the Dean of Faculty Office

---

on Monday at 11:00AM i am going to get an eye exam at Health Services because i can't sign up for defensive driving w| an experied out-of-state license. 

---

today we had a really great interview talk w| will. i am now considering allowing cast members to write their own monologues for the performance. 

we discussed Anna Deveare Smith at length + the ways she sees character as being embedded in language + the way in which she sees speech more generally. when Smith works she cuts things out of the interview transcriptions but doesn't re-arrange the order. another interesting fact is that she always sees herself as the writer, although she is often quoting verbatim the words of others.

a question i now have to ponder is: 'am i using the community to make my own voice be heard?' according to Smith, 'the inability to articulate is when identity happens'. 

Will noted some artists who have acted as muses to his work. the first was Joe Corson, a southern theatre-maker, who just told the stories that people told. he wrote books on how to collect stories such as one who's title begins w| 'Spider Speculations. Joe Corson had this idea about the 'Dragon Passage': a ritualized transformative process that the play could be built through|a moment that cound act as the foundation to one's creative process. 

John O'Neill was a part of the Free Southern Theatre during the SNCC|Civil Right's Era. creating a persona inspired by w| African folklore, he used the 'Story Circles' technique as a device to democratize performance, + remind people of the act of telling. it works simply by a facilitator asking a question, which a group then goes around in a circle + answers one-by-one.

Will then spoke of The Civilians, a New York based performance company that would interview people without recording or taking notes in the hopes of creating what Will calls a 'fusion of me + you'. although they did not taperecord at first, the collective has since begun audio recording in order to maintain levels of legality + accountability to their fieldwork communities. 

we spoke of the Laramie Project's successful ability to showcase the voice of the interviewers simultaneously to the voice of the community.

things i need to investigate:

For Colored Girls|Alice Lovelace|Testimonios.

what do i do about this notion of *Anonynimity?

* How are you introducing yourself in the process?

How much verbatim text is in the play? [Credit]

Feedback Process

cornerstone --> series of readings of the script.

i need to get a copy of Will's poem!

*Resource Generation.

i want to learn 26 hour day by ear.

NOTE: the audience should know what's verbatim text + what's writing|transparency.

'Do you hear yourself in this?' - SHARE IT!

PENNYSAVER! [YONKERS] | 'it could be you' - Miranda July

Tumblr! networking

- call for participants?

what does it mean to use the word 'Parent'?

words: gay|queer, assimilation|resistance [via M. Drucker]

---

by noon on October 3rd, i need to turn in my CBD funding application to the CBD coordinator in ASH 100.

* it must engage two out of three of the following components: culture, mind|brain + human development.

* full proj. budget + potential resources.

+ Denise O'Neill Scholarship Fund:

- proposed research or project must relate to one of Denise's passions: medicine|anthropology|health care or child studies.

- award range: up to $1500

faculty contact: cynthia gill, x5358 | pam stone, x5775

thefprorg.wordpress.com

---

Notes on Matt Taibbi, Griftopia [for the OWS class]:

"it is, he [Alan Greenspan] would say in 2002, 'very difficult to definitively identify a bubble until after the fact - that is, when its bursting confirmed its existence.'" (58)

"there was still some 'bubble around'." (58)

"'[...] the bubble for all practical purposes had been defused'." (59)

*Y2K|2000 (63)

glass-steagall act: a Depression-era law that barred insurance companies, investment banks + commercial banks from merging (65)

--> designed to prevent the dangerous concentration of capital in the hands of a single megacompany, creating potential conflicts of interest in which insurers + investment banks might be pressed to promote stocks or policies that benefit banks not customers. (65)

the Commodity Futures Modernization Act [2000]: deregulated the derivatives market. 

"'to spot a bubble in advance'" (70)

*the Credit Union National Association Confererence? (72)

2007 = the collapse of the real estate market (74)

from 2001-2006, the dollar lost 24% of its value. (74)

America's international debt is somewhere around $115 trillion, w| our debt will over 50% of GDP. this is debt on a level never before seen in a modern industrial country. (74)

by October. 2008:

1| Bear Stearns, Lehman Bros + AIG Collapse

2| Massive Federal Bailouts (76)

the story of the Greenspan Era is not one of economics... it is a crime story. (77)

---

RSA - crisis of capitalism video:

1| human frailty

2| institutional failure

3| obsessed w| a false theory

4| cultural origins

5| failure of policy

*systemic risk.

---

PBS frontline|the warning.

- Alan Greenspan

'the less regulation, the better'

- Ayn Rand:Libertarianism

over-the-counter (OTC) derivates were unreglated.

Brooksley Born|Community Futures Trading Commission wants to regulate the derivatives market.

- Proctor & Gamble case - the Bankers Trust Tapes

- the concept release (CFTC document)

- Hedgefund LTCM (Long-Term Capital Management)

- Russia's financial crisis.