 contact us |
 |
    
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
||||
| STUDY
GROUP PROGRAM
An Introduction to the Progressive Utilization Theory CONTACT US ABOUT UPCOMING STUDY PROGRAMS 
This nine week study course will provide a thorough introduction to PROUT and is designed especially for small, discussion-based groups. Participants will learn the basic elements of the PROUT paradigm and its potential to foster viable alternatives to the dominant system of global capitalism. Particular attention is given to PROUT's system of decentralized economics and the ways it supports sustainable, bioregional socio-economic development. Each week we will approximately read 20-40 pages (typically closer to 20 pgs.) of material in preparation for group discussion of a specific topic. Our discussions will be organized in a seminar-style format, in which knowledge is understood as a conversation between members of a learning community, and everyone will therefore be given opportunity to express one's views and insights concerning the reading material and concepts under consideration. Because active participation is fundamental to the depth and quality of conversation we achieve, everyone will be expected to remain alert and give respectful attention to everyone else. At all times we will strive for cooperation and a genuinely collective learning process. The central text for discussion will be, PROUT: A New Paradigm of Development, by Ronald Logan, Associate Director of the PROUT Institute, which will be distributed during the first week. All other readings will consist of photocopies of articles and will be available online as PDF's or distributed in class the week prior to their discussion. Time will be allotted during weeks 5 and 9 for collective evaluation of the course, with the intention of allowing opportunity for constructive feedback concerning the readings, discussions, group dynamics, course organization, etc. In addition, there may be times when we will need to have a group check-in, for example if the discussion gets heated or someone voices discomfort at the direction things are going. In such cases, we will take the situation as the object of group reflection. At all times, everyone has the option to opt out of the discussion if one doesn't want to participate. We can also allow time at the end of any session for group reflection if the group deems it appropriate.
Week 1: The Emerging Holistic Worldview Note: Part of this session will be devoted to group introductions and an overview of the course. It is evident that the worldview of industrialism and the socio-economic system of capitalism have failed to realize ecological sustainability, social justice, community well-being, or individual vitality. In recent years a new worldview has begun to emerge in order to orient human development in a more holistic and sustainable manner. What are the key differences between the dominant approach and the emerging holistic worldview, and what are the specific ways in which a more holistic outlook is beginning to reshape society and culture? Readings: Ralph Metzner, "Transition to an Ecological Worldview" (pp. 171-182) Joanna Macy, "To Choose Life" (pp. 15-24) Week 2: A Biocentric Value base for Guiding Balanced Development Human development and quality of life are two of the more important goals of the modern worldview. However, the growing awareness that all life, including human life, is intertwined and interdependent requires that our framework of concern extend beyond merely human well-being to encompass the health of the entire web of life. What kind of value-base is needed to ground human life as an integral part of a larger process of life, and how can human development be balanced with the diverse flourishing of all life? Readings: Logan, "Neohumanism" (pp. 13-36, 40-44) Week 3: Socio-Economic Development Grounded in Natural Processes Many critics contend that the concepts of "growth" and "development" are flawed and must be avoided in order to promote genuine alternatives to the prevailing system of global, industrial capitalism. Yet "growth" and "development" are readily observed natural processes and characteristic experiences of the human life cycle. Is it possible to realize socio-economic development in a manner that reconciles sustainability and growth and remains compatible with natural processes? Readings: Logan, "Restoring Balance" (pp. 91-96) Logan, "Basic Design Principles of PROUT" (pp. 579-585) Week 4: Decentralized, Community-Supported Economics Industrial capitalism privileges profits over people and concentrated accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few over the general well-being of communities and ecosystems. New principles for decentralized, community-supported economics are necessary in order to redirect development in a way that encourages full participation of all members of society, promotes everyone's well-being, and realizes a balanced, sustainable process of life. Readings: John Bellamy Foster, "The Ecological Tyranny of the Bottom Line" (pp. 26-43) Logan, "Economic Decentralization" (pp. 437-444) Wendell Berry, excerpt from "Conserving Communities" (pp. 18-21) Week 5: Cooperative Enterprise and Planning Note: Part of this session will be devoted to a collective, midterm evaluation of the course. Viable economies require appropriate institutions and coordinated systems of interaction in order to realize guiding principles. A decentralized economy in particular, which is organized from the ground-up, entails a high degree of cooperation and appropriate planning in order to achieve an optimal balance between integration among regions and local autonomy. Which institutions and organizational structure are necessary to realize the vision of a decentralized economic system that fosters people-centered, community-supported, and ecologically sustainable production and consumption? Readings: Logan, "Three-Tiered Enterprise System" (pp. 419-436) Logan, "Economic Planning" (pp. 445-456) Week 6: Bioregional Autonomy and Economic Democracy In the process of generating a dizzying array of goods and services for consumption, industrial capitalism has undermined local autonomy and replaced relatively self-sufficient economic production with dependency on an increasingly fragile global market. In promoting a return to local control of resources and decentralized economic production, bioregionalism presents a compelling alternative to the global market and to nationally planned economies, such as state-socialism. How has bioregionalism been conceptualized, and in what ways can it ground a viable, democratic approach for realizing balanced development? Readings: Kirkpatrick Sale, "Principles of Bioregionalism" (pp. 471-484) Logan, "Socioeconomic Units" (pp. 310-322) Week 7: Planetary Institutions for Managing and Protecting the Global Commons Critics of bioregionalism have pointed out that a fully decentralized society consisting of local and regional communities is subject to imperialism if a particular group or region chose to expand its political power through territorial expansion. Moreover, a number of key industries and environmental issues transcend local and national borders and require a coordinated, planetary effort of management. Given these tensions, PROUT advocates a system of decentralized economic production coupled with a multi-tiered political system ultimately grounded in a world confederation. Readings: Logan, excerpt from "Selectoral-Electoral System" (pp. 330-338) Logan, excerpt from "Redistribution of Authority" (pp. 343-346) Logan, "World Government" (pp. 353-366) Week 8: Diversity and Flourishing of Cultural Expression Globalization has allowed a wealth of cultural exchange to occur, yet its primary tendency is to facilitate the expansion of industrial capitalism and a consumer culture predicated on Western European and (U.S.) American values. What are the history and current trends of cultural imperialism, and how might a bioregional culture promote diversity and a flourishing of local cultural expression in a context of global cultural exchange? Readings: Bernd Hamm, "Cultural Imperialism: The Political Economy of Cultural Domination" (pp. 18-30) Mitchell Thomashow, "Toward a Cosmopolitan Bioregionalism" (pp. 121-132) Logan, "Culture and Civilization" (pp. 238-243) Week 9: Envisioning Social Transformation Note: Part of this session will be devoted to a collective and/or individual written evaluation of the course. Our vision of the future shapes our intentions and actions in powerful ways, and how we envision is as important as what we envision. What is the role of consciousness in realizing social transformation, and which forms of consciousness are most appropriate for envisioning social transformation in our current world-time? Readings: Logan, "Social Value and Human Value" (pp. 228-237) Logan, "Future Vision" (pp. 527-545) Raimon Panikkar, "Is History the Measure of Man? Three Kairological Moments of Human Consciousness " (pp. 134-144) Reading Sources Berry, Wendell. Another Turn of the Crank. Washington, D. C.: Counterpoint, 1995. Foster, John Bellamy. Ecology Against Capitalism. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2002. Hamm, Bernd. "Cultural Imperialism: The Political Economy of Cultural Domination," In Bernd Hamm and Russell Smandych, eds., Cultural Imperialism: Essays on the Political Economy of Cultural Domination, Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2005. Logan, Ronald. PROUT: A New Paradigm of Development: An Introduction to the Solution-Oriented Socioeconomic Theory of P.R. Sarkar. Santa Rosa, CA: Ananda Seva Publications, 2005. Macy, Joanna, and Brown, Molly Young. Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 1998. Metzner, Ralph. Green Psychology: Transforming Our Relationship to the Earth. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 1999. Panikkar, Raimon. Invisible Harmony: Essays on Contemplation and Responsibility. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995. Sale, Kirkpatrick. "Principles of Bioregionalism," In Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith, eds., The Case Against the Global Economy: And for a Turn Toward the Local, San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1996. Thomashow, Mitchell. "Toward a Cosmopolitan Bioregionalism," In Michael Vincent McGinnis, ed., Bioregionalism, London and New York: Routledge, 1999.
|
|
 Jason SchreinerJason Schreiner is Associate Director of the PROUT Institute and also works with the Institute of Sustainability Education and Ecology (ISEE) as coordinator of K-12 sustainability education efforts in the Eugene metro area. He has served as Outreach and Development Director for the former Goal One Coalition, a non-profit land use and citizen advocacy organization based in Oregon. He has also taught courses on environmental ethics and philosophy at Oregon State University, and has taught courses in environmental humanities at the University of Oregon. View Jason's Full Biography The Institute has developed an agenda of educational programs strategically designed to work in tandem to advance the Institute's objectives:
|
||