Radical Pedagogy: Democratic Strategies in a time of Repression
Sunday June 22nd 3:00p - 339 Lafayette St. Buzzer #11 A. J. Muste Institute

Join the SP Discussion Group for a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the publication of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Freire’s liberatory education techniques have inspired generations of educators to transform their classrooms into experiments in democracy. Pedagogy of the Oppressed speaks to the promises left unfulfilled by capitalism – community, equality and democracy.

Readings:
Pedagogy of the Oppressed – Paulo Freire
http://marxists.anu.edu.au/subject/education/freire/pedagogy/index.htm
Selected Readings from Radical Educators including Ira Shor
http://www.lesley.edu/journals/jppp/4/shor.html

Anarchist Elements of a Socialist Economy?
Sunday May 18th 3:00p - 339 Lafayette St. Buzzer #11 A. J. Muste Institute

What can socialists learn about workers self-management, communal organization and grassroots democracy from anarchist theory? Join the SP Discussion Group for an investigation of the new proposals offered by Michael Albert in his book and website ParEcon. We will also investigate selected documents relating to the self-managed factories (fabricas sin patron) in Argentina.

Readings:
ParEcon – Michael Albert
http://www.zmag.org/parecon/indexnew.htm
Sin Patron (selections to come)
http://www.haymarketbooks.org/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=Haymarket&Product_Code=L

Activist Training for Single-Payer Healthcare
Sunday May 4th 3:00pm – 339 Lafayette St. Buzzer #11 A. J. Muste Institute

For one day the SP Discussion group will be converted into an activist training session. After reading, conversation and presentations participants will be able to conduct effective activist work around issues related to the campaign for national healthcare in the United States.

Readings:
“Universal Access to Healthcare,” Harvard Law Review, vol. 108, no. 6, Apr. 1995.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/democraticsocialistdiscussion/files/Healthcare/
Devi, Sridhar, “Inequality in the United States Healthcare System,” United Nations Human Development Report, 2005.
http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2005/papers/hdr2005_sridhar_devi_36.pdf
H. R. 676 Bill for Single-Payer Healthcareread more »

The next meeting of the Dem-Soc Discussion group will be held on Sunday April 20th at 3:00pm in the A.J. Muste Institute (339 Lafayette Street, Buzzer #11). This months topic is Politics, Literature, & Proletariat Art.
The links to the readings are as follows

Leon Trotsky: The Social Roots and The Social Function of Literature

George Orwell: Politics and the English Language

Mike Gold: Excerpt from Jews Without Money

The next meeting of the Dem-Soc Discussion group will be held on Sunday April 20th at 3:00pm in the A.J. Muste Institute (339 Lafayette Street, Buzzer #11). This months topic is Politics, Literature, & Proletariat Art.
The links to the readings are as follows

Leon Trotsky: The Social Roots and The Social Function of Literature

George Orwell: Politics and the English Language

Mike Gold: Excerpt from Jews Without Money

Friends,

The next meeting of the Dem-Soc discussion group will be held on
Sunday March 30th @ 3:00pm in the A. J. Muste Institute (339 Lafayette
St. buzzer #11). We will examine a short but influential section of
Karl Marx's Capital (Vol. 1) entitled "The Fetishism of Commodities
and the Secret Thereof."

At this meeting we can also discuss Jesse's proposal for establishing
a set meeting time every month and develop a reading list.

"The Fetishism of Commodities" raises important questions regarding
the relationship between acts of production and consumption in a
capitalist economy. Are these separate and distinct acts? Can
distinct political strategies be developed to address both? Should
socialists attempt to bridge the gap between the two? What tools
would be most useful - culture, political economy...?read more »