Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 13:43:58 -0500
Message-Id: <v01530500ae8a67165e39@[128.135.18.30]>
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To: socgrad@csf.colorado.edu
From: joly@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu (Jolyon Wurr)
Subject: Re: Judgment
Well, TR it's a little difficult to tell but it sounds to me like you are
saying you will no longer post your lectures to the list. I think this is
very unfortunate. While many people will seek out and find your lectures on
the web page, others who might have stumbled across them more easily on the
list will never discover them buried amidst the many offerings of Web
pages. I really doubt that your critics will find their lives much changed
by the fact of having one or two less unwanted messages to delete each
week. My sense had been that, at best, there was a balance of opinion on
either side of the question of whether you should or should not continue
your lectures. My casual reading, perhaps biased, was that you had more
supporters than detractors. In any case, I think it's a great mistake to
squelch your list voice because of a few vocal detractors. It leaves an
awful chill in the air of our discourse. I always appreciate your
graciousness but in this case, I think your good manners and sensitivity to
others are directing you to yield to a few at the expense of the many, and
to sacrifice the principle of free exchange on the alter of protecting the
sentiments of self indulgent critics.

Jolyon Wurr


>I have given considerable thought to the question of my role on
>the Socgrad Network.  After reading the many posts and weighing
>the pros and cons of faculty participation on what is and should
>properly be, a graduate student forum, I have come to a decision.
>
>1.  I will finish this, the third year of the lectures.
>
>2.  After that, I will:
>
>    a.  Set up a home page for grad students and solicit a variety
>        of contributions each week from faculty around the country
>        who, I believe, are doing useful work to transform American
>        Sociology toward a more progressive and participatory
>        practice.
>
>    b.  Remain on Socgrad as mentor, critic and friend.
>
>    c.  Work with Christine White at Oklahoma State to compile
>        the mini-lectures from these three years in an archives
>        which will be available to future grad students.
>
>3.  During this and the next semester, I will take the criticism of
>    Christian and others to heart; I will try to be a bit less
>    an authority and a bit more a colleague.
>
>Finally, I would like to thank both Christian and his many supporters
>for the points he/they made...it has not escaped my attention that,
>were I still a grad student, I would have made the same points
>and probably with less good grace.  And, of course, I thank most
>kindly those who have taked the trouble to give me the kind of
>encouragement which warms the heart and energizes the spirit.
>
>                                                               TR


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Jolyon Wurr
Graduate Student
University of Chicago
Department of Sociology
(773) 376-6145
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