The Specter of Nuclear War: Why the World Lives in Its Shadow
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AN ORIGINAL COURSE THE SPECTER OF NUCLEAR WAR Why the World Lives in Its Shadow Prepared in collaboration by Kathleen Kanet, RSHM Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace and William J. Russell Educational Consultant RUSSELL, WILLIAM JAMES RUSSELL--William James. Passed away on Thursday, June 1, 2006 of natural causes at the age of 90 years. William was born in Clinton, MA, in 1915. He was a graduate of Clark University where he received his bachelor's degree and Syracuse University for his master's degree. Shortly after WWII began he enlisted in the Air Force. He was a navigator on B-17's and completed two tours totaling 50 missions. Mr. Russell was discharged from the service as a first lieutenant in 1945. Upon returning home he married Virginia Nichols and began working in education. William was a teacher and ultimately a principal for Pelham High School from 1945 to 1973. He ended his career in 1976 as a principal at Port Washington High School. William J. Russell was loved dearly and will be missed by many. Kathleen Kanet, RSHM, Kathleen in collaboration with others ….. ---Taught and was a principal in an elementary school ---Worked in developing and implementing peace education and human rights for youth and adults locally, nationally and internationally. ---Worked as a caseworker and then as supervisor for preservation of families with a mother who is/was incarcerated. ---Developed a peace and justice education and training program with several colleagues designed for educational leaders and presented it in Catholic Schools for 50 USA dioceses and in several in Canada, Germany and the Philippines. ---Developed an educational process for adults to learn structural analysis, implemented nationwide. LEAVEN Program sponsored by Sisters of Mercy ---Co-founded several organizations nationally and internationally promoting peace and justice including Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace NYC, Center of International Learning, and Network for Peace through Dialogue. The Specter of Nuclear War: Why The World Lives In Its Shadow This course is designed to foster and require individualized research. Research is guided by a series of questions in every cycle, questions which are judgmental, not retrieval, in nature. Answers to questions are to be written on the pages of the course. The space provided is deliberately limited to demand precision and conciseness in the expression of judgments. It is the judg ments that are entered on the pages of the course. The research upon which these judgments are based will vary with each indivi dual and will be recorded as necessary in note books. This is, then, not a textbook. There is no sustained narra tive, although introductions to each cycle serve the function of orientation. Library resources, and liberal access to library are indispensible to any use of the course. A minimum biblio graphy has been carefully prepared and included as a basis for planning and purchase of materials by individual school libraries. The expanding literature on nuclear arms control must, of course, continuously be evaluated for inclusion in any minimum library of resources. Seminar interaction is built into the course as the process by which judgments are exchanged, tested, sharpened and modified. Dialogue, indeed enlightened dialogue, on the vital issue of nu clear arms control is the supreme value, particularly as it leads to effective participation in national policy debates and to some measurable impact upon decision making. Prepared in collaboration by: Kathleen Kanet, R.S.H.M. Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace 20 Washington Square North New York City, NY 10011 and William J. Russell Educational Consultant Copyright 1981 The Specter of Noclear War: Why the World Lives in its Shadow An Original Course prepared In Collaboration by Kathleen Kanet, RSHM Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace William J. Russell Educational Consultant Single copies of this cours~, commercially xeroxed and unbound are available at $15.00 postpaid. This price is set at cost. The Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace is not a profit making institution. It engages in a wide variety of activities designed to promote peace and justice throughout the world. In relation to the nuclear arms race, its purpose is to foster enlight ened dialogue, to develop commitment to peace and disarmament and to encourage effective participation in national policy formation. To this effect, it is involved in coordinating a continuing pro gram of adult seminars utilizing the materials and methods of a course on "The Specter of Nuclear War: Why the World Lives in its Shadow." These seminars are offered without cost to participants. It is our hope and intention to extend and broaden this program. Uith this in mind, the privilege of reproducing this copyrighted course is being granted, without limit, except as stipulated be low, in recognition of a donation of $50.00 or more to the Inter commun~ty Center for Justice and Peace. Such donations will be deeply appreciated and effectively utilized. Stipulations for Reproduction of course 1. All reproduced copies are to be restricted to internal institutional use. 2. No reproduced copies will be sold, although costs of re production may be reclaimed. 3. Title page, showing copyright and authorship• shall appear on every copy and/or every cycle. .. O~OER FORM To: Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace 20 Washihgt6n Square North New . Yorkt NYt 10011 Please send one copy of "Specter of Nuclear War : Hhy the WorlITives in its Shadow," commercially xeroxed and unbound at $15.00 postpaid. Check or money order for $ is enclosed. I understand that this purchase does not confer duplicati ng privileges Signature: Date: OR Please accept enclosed donation of $ to Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace. I understand that this donation ($50 . 00 or more) entitles me to unlimited reproduction ri ghts in relation to the course 11 Specter of Nuclear War : Why t he l4o r l d Li ves i n i t s S ha do w, " s u bj e c t on l y to the stipulations stated which I he reby accept. Date : -------- (Please print) (Name) (Institution/Organization} (Number and Street) {City/state/zip} THE SPECTER OF NUCLEAR WAR WHY THE WORLD LIVES IN ITS SHADOW An original one-semester course Prepared in collaboration by KATHLEEN KANET, R.S.H.M. Interconnnunity Center for Justice and Peace and WILLIAM J. RUSSELL Educational Consultant September 1980 FOREWORD The preparation of these materials was motivated by conviction and couunitment. That the risk of nuclear war is all the greater, the greater the ignorance, the indifference, the non-involvement, of people here and in all nations--this is the underlying conviction. The elimination of this ignor ance, the shattering of this indifference, the transformation of this non-involvement into articulated concern and enlight ened intervention--this is the commitment. Any use of these materials implies a matching conunitment. There is also connnitment to a process of learning. This process is library-centered, resource-oriented, individualized. Resources are not prescribed. There is no textbook. The com mon learning, organized around a core of questions requiring judgment, evaluation, critical thinking, is in fact as indivi dualized as each learner's motivation, depth and scope of re search, reflective capabilities. Whatever the depth and scope of research, questions are to be answered concisely, each answer virtually a precis, an abstract, of the learner's critical evalu ation of his/her ovm research. The process includes, as a vital component, interaction- interaction of learner with learner, in planned seminars, and of learner with a variety of human resources in panels. Panels are designed not as presentations, but as class interviews, class questioning, of cross-section panels representing a breadth of experience, opinion, expertise and role. This breadth should include students, faculty, connnunity, as well as the specialized expertise appropriate to the panel topic. The integrity of pa nels and seminars as settings for interaction should not be violated. Process involves its own commitments and obligations. Learners must have access to resources, whether of school libra ry, or of public and university libraries. Such access, on as liberal a basis as possible, is a sine qua non of any effective use of these materials. This acce~on one-level, requires the expenditure of school funds for the purchase of an authen tic minimum library of resources. On another level, it involves an organization of total school program that allows and encour ages extensive use of the school library during school hours. The seven-day cycle suggested for effective implementation of this course represents a basic minimum of learner access to resources and to the professional expertise of librarians. This cycle comprises, for a hypothetical class of 24-25, one full class panel session, two seminar sessions for each of two seminar groups of 12 with alternate library opportunity for the un scheduled seminar group, and two alternate-day op 4 '~tunities for teacher to work with individuals of each seminar group (remediation, motivation, specialized assistance) as necessary or appropriate. In each cycle, therefore, the student has a potential four days of access to library resources during re ularl scheduled class time. Additional opportunities, signi icantly transcen ing t e framework of this seven-day cycle, are urgently recommended, indeed realistically impera tive. If the school program provides its own adequate framework for teacher-student conferences, instructional flexibility in use of the basic core of questions is enhanced. Specific ques tions, or groups of questions, might for example be assigned in special situations to individuals or to connnittees in each seminar group, with appropriate reports to the respective group during the cycle day set aside for individualization. Should such an approach be deemed necessary at any time, the same in junction against "presentations" invoked in relation to panels and seminars would apply equally to individual or group reports.