Digital Dialogue

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Contents 1 Socratic Politics in Digital Dialogue 2 Team 3 Vehicles of Digital Dialogue 3.1 Digital Dialogue Podcast 3.2 Blogs 3.3 Multi-Media 3.4 Other Modes of Communication 4 Traditional Academic Vehicles of Exposure 5 Bringing Graduate and Undergraduate Courses into Dialogue

Socratic Politics in Digital Dialogue

TLT Summer Faculty Fellowship Project
Christopher Long, Associate Professor of Philosophy

In Plato’s dialogue Gorgias, Socrates claims to be one of the only Athenians who attempts the true art of politics. As is well known, Socrates haunted the public places in Athens looking for young people with whom he could converse. During these discussions, Socrates was intent on turning the attention of those he encountered toward the question of the good and the just. It is difficult to understate the lasting political power these dialogues have had over the course of time. Yet the emergence of social Web 2.0 technologies opens new possibilities for this ancient practice of politics, which Socrates fittingly called in the Gorgias, a “techne,” or art.

"Socratic Politics in Digital Dialogue" is designed to explore the opportunities digital expression offers to enhance, deepen, expand and promote my academic scholarship in philosophy by focusing on issues related to the Socratic practice of politics. I have worked closely with the Teaching and Learning with Technology staff to brainstorm ideas, produce digital content, develop new and enhance existing tools of digital expression in order to model a practice of using Web 2.0 technologies as a mode of philosophical research that is also socially and politically engaged. The point is not to research the impact of technology on philosophy, but to explore the possibility of pursuing rigorous academic philosophical research and teaching using digital media and innovative technology. The main outcome of the project will be an integrated academic digital profile that serves to strengthen my scholarship and teaching in philosophy. One important dimension of this profile will be the creation of a digital community around some of the central philosophical ideas that animate my teaching and scholarship.

Team

The original ETS team working with Chris Long was:

• Allan Gyorke - Team Leader
• Matt Meyer
• Ryan Wetzel

Vehicles of Digital Dialogue

Here are some of the modes of communication used to open my research to a wider audience.

Digital Dialogue Podcast

The Digital Dialogue podcast is designed to generate discussion around questions concerning but not limited to the nature of digital dialogue, its political possibilities, the excellences associated with it and the impact is might have on our pedagogical practices.

• Episode 1: Opening the Dialogue Interlocutors: Allan Gyorke & Ryan Wetzel.
• Episode 2: Openness Interlocutors: Allan Gyorke, Matt Meyer and Ryan Wetzel.
• Episode 3: Sincerity Interlocutors: Allan Gyorke, Matt Meyer and Ryan Wetzel.
• Episode 4: Social Practice Interlocutors: Michael Brownstein & Allan Gyorke.
• Episode 5: Identity Interlocutor: Joshua Miller.
• Episode 6: Attentive Listening Interlocutor: Marina McCoy of Boston College.
• Episode 7: Humanism Interlocutor: Leigh Johnson of Rhodes College.
• Episode 8: Public Sphere Interlocutor: Shannon Sullivan, Head of the Philosophy Department at Penn State, on Noelle McAfee's book Democracy and the Political Unconscious.
• Episode 9: Erotic Politics Interlocutor: Jill Gordon of Colby College.
• Episode 10: Summer Wrap-up Interlocutors: Allan Gyorke, Ryan Wetzel and Matt Meyer.
• Episode 11: Sophists and Philosophers Interlocutor: Christopher Johnstone of Penn State Department of Communications Arts and Sciences.
• Episode 12: Eros and Democracy Interlocutor: Mark Munn, Professor of Ancient Greek History, Greek Archaeology, and Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Penn State.
• Episode 13: Psychology and Politics Interlocutor: Sara Brill, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Fairfield University.
• Episode 14: The Politics of Persons Interlocutor: John Christman, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Political Science and Women's Studies at Penn State.
• Episode 15: Plato's Analogical Thinking Interlocutor: Holly Moore, Visiting Asst. Professor of Philosophy at Colby College.
• Episode 16: Emerson and Self-Culture Interlocutor: John Lysaker, Professor of Philosophy at Emory University. Recorded at 2009 SPEP.
• Episode 17: Parmenides Interlocutors: Rose Cherubin, George Mason University, Jill Gordon, Colby College and Sara Brill, Fairfield University. Recorded at 2009 SPEP.
• Episode 18: Political Unconscious Interlocutor: Noelle McAfee, ICAR and George Mason. Recorded at 2009 SPEP.
• Episode 19: Politics After Rights Interlocutor: Adriel Trott, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, Pan American.
• Episode 20: Sophocles in Utah Interlocutors: Marina McCoy, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Boston College and Michael Shaw, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Utah Valley University.
• Episode 21: Rhetoric and Philosophy Interlocutors: Axelle Karera and Nicolas Parra from my Fall 2009 PHIL553 graduate seminar on Ancient Philosophy.
• Episode 22: Transformative Dialogue Interlocutors: a group of students from PHIL200 doing a semester round-up podcast.
• Episode 23: Robert Bernasconi on Philosophy and Race Interlocutor: Robert Bernasconi, Edwin Earle Sparks
• Episode 24: Emma Bianchi on the Feminine Symptom Interlocutor: Emma Bianchi, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
• Episode 25: Jeremy Engels on Uncivil Speech Interlocutor: Jeremy Engels, Assistant Professor of Communications Arts and Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 26: Jaimie Oberdick with Christopher Long on Blogging Philosophy Interlocutors: Jaimie Oberdick with Christopher Long, Associate Professor of Philosophy, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 27: Kathryn Gines on Philosophical Exchanges Interlocutor: Kathryn Gines, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 28: Leonard Lawlor on Friends of Passage Interlocutor: Leonard Lawlor, Edwin Earl Sparks Professor of Philosophy, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 29: Falguni Sheth on the Unruly Interlocutor: Falguni Sheth, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Political Theory, Hampshire College.
• Episode 30: Richard Lee on the Logic of Force Interlocutor: Richard A. Lee, Jr., Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at DePaul University.
• Episode 31: Ryan Drake on Long's Protagoras Interlocutor: Ryan Drake, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Fairfield University.
• Episode 32: Long's Protagoras and Bowery Response Interlocutor: Anne Bowery, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Baylor University.
• Episode 33: APS Summary and discussion of Catherine Zuckert's Keynote address with Jill Gordan and Sara Brill Interlocutors: Sara Brill, Associate Professor of Philosophy Fairfield University and Jill Gordon, Charles Dana Professor of Philosophy at Colby College.
• Episode 34: Robert Metcalf on Heidegger on Aristotle Interlocutor: Robert Metcalf, Associate Professor of Philosophy University of Colorado, Denver.
• Episode 35: Sean Kirkland on Socrates Interlocutor: Sean Kirkland, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, DePaul University.
• Episode 36: Mark Shifmann on Plutarch and Socrates Interlocutor: Mark Shifmann, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Villanova University.
• Episode 37: Matt Jordan on Jazz and the Power of Music Interlocutor: Matt Jordan, Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 38: Cooperative Education Interlocutors: Cole Camplese, Director of Education Technology Services at Penn State, Allan Gyorke, Assistant Director of Educational Technology Services, and Sam Richards, Co-director of World in Conversation.
• Episode 39: World in Conversation Interlocutors: Laurie Mulvey and Sam Richards, co-directors of the World in Conversation Project.
• Episode 40: Engaged Pluralism Interlocutor: Vincent Colapietro, Liberal Arts Research Professor of Philosophy, the Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 41: Time and Motion Interlocutor: Francisco Gonzalez, Professor of Philosophy, University of Ottawa.
• Episode 42: Remembering Interlocutor: Walter Brogan, Professor of Philosophy, Villanova University.
• Episode 43: Death of Painting Interlocutor: Ryan Drake, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Fairfield University.
• Episode 44: Plato's Apology Interlocutors: Nicolas Parra, graduate student at the Universidad de los Andes, Sergio Ariza, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Universidad de los Andes, and Norman Mora, undergraduate student at the Universidad de los Andes.
• Episode 45: Aristotle and Heidegger on the Soul Interlocutor: Josh Hayes, lecturer at Santa Clara University.
• Episode 46: Public Philosophy Interlocutor: Cori Wong, Graduate Student, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 47: The Narrative Life Interlocutor: Clare Colebrook, Edwin Earl Sparks Professor of English, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 48: Truth as Justice Interlocutor: John Lysaker, Professor of Philosophy at Emory University, interviews Christopher Long on his book, Aristotle on the Nature of Truth.
• Episode 49: Poetic Pessimism Interlocutors: Karen Gover, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Bennington College, and Kalliopi Nikolopoulou, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at SUNY Buffalo.
• Episode 50: Efficient Cause Interlocutors: Tom Tuozzo, Professor of Philosophy at Kansas University.
• Episode 51: Digital Public Interlocutors: Mark Fisher, Assistant Director of the Rock Ethics Institute, Penn State, Ronald Sundstrom, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of San Francisco, Cori Wong, PhD Candidate, Penn State, Jessica Harper, Partner at Bodker, Ramsey, andrews, Winograd, and Wildstein in Atlanta, Vance Ricks, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Guilford College.
• Episode 52: Politics and the Phaedo Interlocutor: Sara Brill, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Fairfield University.
• Episode 53: Pindar and the Phaedrus Interlocutor: Christopher Moore, Lecturer in Classics and Mediterranean Studies and Philosophy, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Episode 54: Plato's Philosophers Interlocutor: Catherine Zuckert, Nancy Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame.
• Episode 55: Aristotle and the Tragedy of Life Interlocutors: Larry Hatab, Louis I. Jaffe Professor of Philosophy and Eminent Scholar at Old Dominion University with Emanuela Bianchi, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature, New York University and Erick Jimenez, Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Navarra, Spain.
• Episode 56: Organism and the Judgment of God Interlocutor: John Protevi, Phyllis M. Taylor Professor of French Studies and Professor of Philosophy at Louisiana State University.
• Episode 57: Plato and the Politics of Reading Interlocutor: Christopher Long offers a collaborative lecture on Plato and the Politics of Reading at the University of San Francisco, October 25, 2012. The lecture was live tweeted and our collective tweets were curated via a Storify story on Plato and the Politics of Reading.
• Episode 58: Recovering Socrates' Love of the World Interlocutor: Silvia Benso, Professor of Philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology.
• Episode 59: Anarchy and Animal Humor Interlocutors: Cynthia Willet, Professor of Philosophy at Emory University and Shannon Winnubst, Associate Professor of Associate Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the Ohio State University.

Blogs

• The Long Road hosts three blogs:
  • My personal blog, the long road
  • My digital vita
  • The blog dedicated to Socratic Politics in Digital Dialogue: a site designed to investigate the nature of Socratic politics in digital dialogue.
• Other Related Blogs
  • Blog dedicated to Patriarchal Force and Political Power: a continuation of the course blog from the Spring 2009 semester.
  • Mapping the Long Road is a meta-blog where I reflect on blogging itself.

Multi-Media

• the long road
• YouTube Digital Dialogue Playlist
• Vimeo Channel
  • The Pedagogy of Blogging
  • Search for Justice
  • Teaching and Learning in Digital Dialogue

Other Modes of Communication

• Facebook Page: Digital Dialogue on Facebook
• Google Plus Page: Digital Dialogue on Google+
• Delicious tag: DigitalDialogue
• Diigo tag: DigitalDialogue

Traditional Academic Vehicles of Exposure

• Published books in Academic Presses
  • Manuscript on Socratic and Platonic Politics submitted to Cambridge University Press (under contract).
• Peer Reviewed Articles
  • "Crisis of Community: The Topology of Socratic Politics in the Protagoras," Epoché: a Journal for the History of Philosophy 15, 2 (2011): 361-377.
  • "Cultivating Communities of Learning with Digital Media: Cooperative Education through Blogging and Podcasting," Teaching Philosophy 33, 4 (2010): 347-361.
• Academic Presentations
  • Ancient Philosophy Society, April 22-25, 2010, Michigan State: "Crisis of Community: The Topology of Socratic Politics in the Protagoras" Podcast of the talk available here
  • Paper delivered at the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy (BACAP) entitled Attempting the Political Art, delivered on March 17th, 2011 at Boston College.
  • Paper delivered at the 2011 Freiburger Hermeneutisches Kolloquium entitled "The Politics of Finitude", delivered on July 2nd, 2011 at the Universität Freiburg.
  • Workshop on Philosophy and the Digital Public at the 2011 Advancing Public Philosophy conference in Washington, D.C. October 7-8, 2011.
• Education Technology Presentations
  • Blogging the Philosophical Life, February 19, Chicago, IL, on the Engaging with New Technologies Panel sponsored by the Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy.
  • 2010 Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium
  • HASTAC 2011: Digital Scholarship and the Institutional Culture
  • LASTS 2012: eBook as Ecosystem of Dialogical Scholarship

Bringing Graduate and Undergraduate Courses into Dialogue

In response to my work on the blog with students in my PHIL298H course in which we address issues related to the feminist critique of patriarchal organizing structures, we started talking about the ways these structures are operating on us in the classroom.

This started me thinking about the possibilities these new technologies offer to open a space that would integrate three things:

1. Undergraduate Teaching
2. Academic Research
3. Graduate Teaching

I intentionally place academic research in the center because I envision it as the hinge that links the two sides of teaching together.

During the Fall 2009 semester, I attempted to use the Socratic Politics in Digital Dialogue blog to bring my graduate seminar on Ancient Greek Philosophy into dialogue with my undergraduate PHIL/CAMS200 Ancient Greek Philosophy course. Both courses focus on the practice of Socratic politics as it is portrayed in the dialogues. With this initiative, I have attempted to develop a space that integrates undergraduate education, scholarly research and graduate education. This space is designed and directed by me, but is not dominated by me as professor. The space is meant not only to engage in a theoretical investigation of Socratic politics in the Platonic texts, but also to perform at the same time the excellences of dialogue that animated Socratic citizenship.