Final Blog: Episteme, Techne, Phronesis and Metis

I enjoyed professor Ellerman's class for Law and Society. The open discussions really helped me become aware of issues outside of my own life and understand how other people from different backgrounds see things. I took this class before at Cosumnes river college a few years ago and noticed big differences. Basically, the class I took at CRC was boring and I noticed that Professor Ellerman really wants his students to participate in the class and express their opinion. This may be why I lost interest in the class at CRC and dropped it. For the record, I never missed one day of law and society this semester so I suppose there is a reason why.

 I think Ellerman's approach for this class was effective and proved to teach things that people may not realize exist in their daily lives. Most of all, in this class you can see how laws clash with society and Vice versa when you and others are creating/discussing laws. Every person in society has a different idea of how things should work yet, whether or not we agree we still have to abide by these laws. Discussing these things with others helped me realize why these laws are in place to begin even though I may not personally agree with them.

Episteme: I learned a lot about relevant law subjects that are controversial currently such as "stand your ground", Structures of government, and stupid laws (California:No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour?). I also got a better understanding of what the constitution consists of and why it makes it great to be a citizen in this country as opposed to other countries.

Techne: I was surprised that I never missed a class. Did I learn to be punctual? I have had years of work experience and with that being said I have worked with many people but it was different than a work environment because at work we are not suppose to talk about issues that people feel strongly about. Many people feel so strongly about these issues that it creates problems and people simply can't work together. The subjects that are not allowed to be brought up at work are allowed in class and I appreciate the fact that everyone in class was polite and respectful to others opinions both in class and on the blogs. It is interesting to see people speak freely about their opinions on these confusing and troubling issues that cannot be spoken about outside of class.

Phronesis: When we watched "This emotional Life" I could feel many of the people's passion and heartache. It is interesting to see how much other's go through all over the country (and world). Sometimes I would begin to think "Do these people know how great they are?' or "Does this person realize how much they are hurting themselves/loved ones?". Some of the tragedies really hit home and I could imagine that at one point or another everyone in the class felt empathetic for the people on the show.

Metis:I think there should be more to do with the Nation state game. Given that the subject to learn is street smarts I think that there should be more reasons to trade and more reasons to go to war. After all, life consists of many battles to fight and many things to be gained so it would be good if perhaps there were a little bit more going on. I liked the natural disasters and the efforts groups had to make to build a wonder but once these things have been taken out there is no motivation to trade or go to war.

looking back......I enjoyed the class and would take it again if I could. It was both enjoyable and a great opportunity to learn about current events, laws, nature of government and the people that make society.

CISPA

Before I choose to return to college, this past fall 2011, I already had a fairly poor opinion on what and how our elected government officials, from local all the way to the president of our country, did the jobs we (US citizens) elected them to do. Since my return to college several of my courses have opened my eyes even more to politics. Now things like:  falling asleep to infomercials and late night TV, dreaming up new wonderful things to add to my “happy place”, the phrase “make the bad people go away”, and pondering things such as: is our nation empire going to fall in mine or my kids life time, why did I have kids, what countries might I be interested in moving to and so on, are a part of my daily life, AHHHHH!!!! Thanks a lot college! All kidding aside though, I am truly clueless as to what to do and what to think.

When I turned 18 and could vote I didn’t understand why my mom and dad pushed and pretty much insisted that I register to vote as well as actually doing it. I thought it was stupid because how could my one vote really make a difference and if what or who I voted for didn’t win then I was still stuck with something I didn’t want in turn leading me back to the 1^st argument of what did my one little vote count for anyway. I had a bad attitude, like many Americans, close to my age and era did and I believe still do.

“One of the most critical ways that individuals can influence governmental decision-making is through voting.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, recognizes the integral role that transparent and open elections play in ensuring the fundamental right to participatory government. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Article 21 states:
Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his/her country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot or by equivalent free voting procedures.” (University of Minnesota Human Rights Center)

CISPA, SOPA, PIPA sound like words a 3 yr. old might make up while eating alphabet soup but they are federal legislation bills that Congress has been trying to pass. SOPA and PIPA were bills that Congress attempted to pass with the stated intention of stopping reproduction of copyrighted materials. CISPA, a new and similarly scrutinized bill, which takes away our online privacy (supposedly to protect Americans against “cyber-crimes”) has passed through the House of Representatives and is on its way to the Senate. 

If passed, CISPA would amend the National Security Act of 1947  to allow government agencies to swap customer data from Internet service providers and websites if that data is a threat to "cyber-security." On a basic level the bill is meant to provide a means for companies and the government to share information with one another to fight against cyber threats. We already had a perfectly functional model that's been in place for 15 yrs for law enforcement to share 'Cybersecurity' info with companies. ”In 1997, long-time FBI agent Dan Larkin helped set up a non-profit based in Pittsburgh that “functions as a conduit between private industry and law enforcement.” Its industry members, which include banks, ISPs, telcos, credit card companies, pharmaceutical companies, and others can hand over cyberthreat information to the non-profit, called the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA),which has a legal agreement with the government that allows it to then hand over info to the FBI.Conveniently, the FBI has a unit, the Cyber Initiative and Resource Fusion Unit, stationed in the NCFTA’s office. Companies can share information with the 501(c)6 non-profit that they would be wary of (or prohibited from) sharing directly with the FBI.”(Hill) This means, either that the Congressional authors and supporters of this bill were completely ignorant of this or CISPA is really meant to sneak through something worse. Neither makes CISPA or its supporters look very good.

One of the more concerning aspects of CISPA that sets it apart from SOPA/PIPA is the number of technology companies that support it; one of the key points that backers of CISPA have made throughout the debate on the bill. Facebook re-pledged its support, however has stated that the bill needs to be fixed to address privacy concerns. It would make more sense to pull your support until the bill is fixed instead of re-pledging your support.  Similarly, Microsoft is now admitting that there are some privacy concerns with CISPA and has softened its stance on it slightly, while not completely pulling its support. Declan McCullagh at CNET reports, “In response to queries from CNET, Microsoft, which has long been viewed as a supporter of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, said this evening that any law must allow "us to honor the privacy and security promises we make to our customers." Microsoft added that it wants to "ensure the final legislation helps to tackle the real threat of cybercrime while protecting consumer privacy." What sparked significant privacy worries is the section of CISPA that says "notwithstanding any other provision of law," companies may share information "with any other entity, including the federal government." It doesn't, however, require them to do so.

Professor Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, is warning consumers of his creation against Google and Facebook, as well as the government’s attempts to censor the Internet. In his interview with the Guardian he is quoted, "[It] is threatening the rights of people in America, and effectively rights everywhere, because what happens in America tends to affect people all over the world,” he says of CISPA. “Even though the SOPA and PIPA acts were stopped by huge public outcry, it's staggering how quickly the US government has come back with a new, different, threat to the rights of its citizens."(rt.com) Rep. Ron Paul, warned on April 23 that CISPA represents the "latest assault on Internet freedom" and was "Big Brother writ large."

One of the dozen amendments the House added right before passing the bill is: H.AMDT.1022 to H.R.3523 Amendment to limit government use of shared cyber threat information to only 5 purposes: (1) cybersecurity; (2) investigation and prosecution of cybersecurity crimes; (3) protection of individuals from the danger of death or physical injury; (4) protection of minors from physical or psychological harm; and (5) protection of the national security of the United States. (The Library of Congress) Reps. Rogers and Ruppersberger say their bill is necessary to deal with threats from China and Russia and that it "protects privacy by prohibiting the government from requiring private sector entities to provide information." In addition, they stress that "no new authorities are granted to the Department of Defense or the intelligence community to direct private or public sector cybersecurity efforts." Previously, CISPA allowed the government to use information for "cybersecurity" or "national security" purposes. Those purposes have not been limited or removed. Instead, three more valid uses have been added: investigation and prosecution of cybersecurity crime, protection of individuals, and protection of children. Cybersecurity crime is defined as any crime involving network disruption or hacking, plus any violation of the CFAA. Somehow, incredibly, this was described as limiting CISPA, but it accomplishes the exact opposite.

This is violating our4^th Admendment rights because it offers a simple, warrantless means to acquire personal data and using the data to investigate and build cases against American citizens without regard for the laws that would normally protect their privacy. The government would be able to search information it collects under CISPA for the purposes of investigating American citizens with complete immunity from all privacy protections as long as they can claim someone committed a "cybersecurity crime". The government could do whatever it wants with the data as long as it can claim that someone was in danger of bodily harm, or that children were somehow threatened. CISPA is now a completely unsupportable bill that rewrites (and effectively eliminates) all privacy laws for any situation that involves a computer and is now an explicit attack on the freedoms of every American.

You have been an awesome professor and have taught me things I didn’t expect to learn in taking this class. Having to write this blog post and reflect on this semester has made me realize I learned more than I thought I had. This has been my favorite class to come to and I have felt so comfortable; that it has made for a more positive learning experience. The time always went by quickly and left me excited and looking forward to coming week after week. I have a 3 hour business class that compared to this one feels more like 6 hours and I can’t wait to get out and go home.

Episteme

I have a broader and better understanding about the laws that govern us, our rights as humans, and the powers that make up our government. Learning about our rights and what it means to have those rights is an extremely important bit of knowledge that I don’t think is taught enough to us as we grow up. Without this knowledge it makes it hard to function in society.

Techne

Working in our blog groups was a fun and positive experience and where I learned and grew the most. Working with others and depending on and trusting them to do their part is a hard thing to do. Once we all started to get to know each other and everyone showed that we were each committed to putting in the work expected of us it got a lot easier. We

Phronesis

I learned so much in this area. Social skills and emotional intelligence factors are a major part in what shapes the communities, states and country we live in. Laws are created and influenced by social issues all the time and what cause a need for those laws.

Metis

When it comes to being part of society and co-existing with people it takes more than acquired book knowledge, You have to be savvy and cunning to influence and negoiate what you want. Just because someone looks smart on paper doesn’t make them smarter than the hustler who is a high school dropout. When going out in the world and trying to apply what they have learned from books you have to have be able to work with others and a lot of that comes from “street smarts”

Thank you for an enjoyable and positive learning experience this semester!!

Final Blog

First of all I would like to thank Professor Ellerman, Andrew, and My Empire for probably one of the most entertaining, yet knowledgeable classes I have yet to take in my infinite quest for knowledge.

Pertaining to what I have learned in the class, I feel that with regard to Episteme I know have the knowledge of the constitution and laws to a greater level having actually researched it and writing my own Constitution.

 As far as Techne is concerned, I know now how to blog and use You Tube! I have learned so much from the video clips from class and have a greater understanding as how to use technology to my advantage.

Phronesis.... What can I say? Watching "This Emotional Life" no matter how outdated it was was to say the least educational. It really made me think about so many topics pertaining to relationships and interpersonal skills. I would have actually watched more of it, both in class and if I had the opportunity at home.

And finally Metis... To say the least the Nation State Game is cutting edge, and entertaining. This class gets so much "street cred" from me. I have taken other classes with Professor Ellerman that I have also thoroughly enjoyed. I would highly recommend this class to any of my fellow schoolmates.

Final Blog I would like to acknowldge that your class is the first class in my college career that I did not miss one class, the reason is because I was excited every week for the new information we would discuss. Episteme, I enjoyed reading the constitution, the last time I read the constitution was when I took government in highschool, which was over a decade ago. Therefore, it was new information. I enjoyed the way in which we learned the content in your class may differnet ways, through reading, video, and the news paper. This helped me retain the content. I enjoyed learning about differnt laws and right to bear arms. Techne, First, your class structure helped me learn how to use a blogging site, and how to email a spreadsheet. which I had no previous experience with before your class. I was the group leader which initially stressed me out. However, I adjusted quickly. I think I was codependent leader at first emailing people asking why they hadn't turned things in. Then after a couple weeks it was evident who was doing the work and who was not going to. I feel that I was able to accomplish a fear of mine in your class. I was able to allow my group to count on me to turn in there work if completed and leave the rest up to them. I definately learned new skills for working in a group. However I did find myself a little reserved. Which is differnt. Phronesis, I enjoyed watching the emotional life. Thank you for spreading it out over the semester. I was able to retain the information much easier than getting all the information at once. I think my group worked efficently with the free time at hand. I learned about compassion and acceptance, thanks to the emotional life. Metis, the NationState game was intersting and exciting. I apprecated how it was parallel to real life. The national disasters were like the curve balls we experience in real life. I found my self nervous and suspicous of everyone that was not in my group. I think the game help my group to bond and form comradery. It was interesting to see how each team handled it differently. Thank you!!

The empire Anthem Video

Here is the link for the Final presentation of "the Empire" anthem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYAHcjw2SjY&feature=youtu.be

FINAL BLOG

Thank you for this amazing class Professor Ellerman.  The fact that I was able to not just sit and "make it" through a three hour class, but truly enjoy this class, for me speaks louder than words.  I truly enjoyed your style of teaching evoking the students to participate in discussions.  This class was a unique experience and will be one of those classes that I will remember fondly.
EPISTEME- thank you for having us read The Constitution of the United States of America.  From that moment on when someone asked me if I had ever read the Constitutions and I said "Yes" I was no longer lying.  I enjoyed learning the difference between Federal Enumerated Powers and State Police Powers.
TECHNE- I enjoyed writing these blogs they are allot of fun.   I get to speak my mind and debate with people in a civil manner.  I get to see different peoples points of view without the cloud of judgement I would have face to face with someone.  I also learned how to work better with others and the importance of group dynamics.
PHRONESIS- I learned allot about my self in this area.  I have always been book smart and high functioning so whenever I get put into groups for any reason I always end up being overbearing and really in peoples face to get the task at hand done.  When put in groups with less then average ambitions I always end up doing most of the work and I get resentful at the group.  I saw this starting to play out in our group but after the midterm I found myself putting faith in my fellow country men and women.  I have found this to be an amazing experience because they have done a great job and I am not burnt out from doing all the work.  I have somehow been taught to chill-out(If you know me at all you will know how amazing that is).
METIS-The Nation State game was an unique experience.  I found the interacting with other nations to be very interesting and spoke to my mentality.  Every time some nation would want to trade or make a peace treaty I would always be incredibly suspicious.  So we went another route and became isolationist which costed us some law points.  This also reminded me the importance of relationships in all aspects of life.  I am a firm believer in the statement "Its not what you know its who you know."

My only criticism is that I wish we could of spent more time discussing issues.  I truly enjoyed our group discussions.

We the people of the empire,

marching victoriously

securing freedom from outside tyranny,

our nation represents individuality, integrity, and influence

WAIT A MINUTE.

YO-THAT'S WHACK.

THIS IS THE EMPIRE BITCH,

EM-EMPIRE BITCH,

EMPIRE BITCH,

EM-EMPIRE BITCH,

EMPIRE BITCH,

EM-EMPIRE BITCH,

CHECK YO'SELF BITCH.