Proposing a Course or Workshop

In order to teach a course through the AnarchistU, one must start with a course proposal. Many people have found it confusing just exactly how to go about proposing a class. This paper is written to try to clarify.

In brief, the procedure for proposing a class is to come to a monthly general-meeting with multiple copies of a written class proposal. In the course of the meeting, the person is given an opportunity to propose their class. This will include both handing out a written class synopsis, as well as discussing it with the group. The details of this procedure will be examined in more detail in the following sections.

Writing a course synopsis

The course synopsis has serveral purposes.

One is to clarify for yourself your goals and objectives with the class.

It's also used to help you propose your class. The proposal is looked at in detail in the The proposal process? section.

Finally, it gives people wanting to attend classes a chance to anticipate the content and nature of your class, and decide if it's for them.

Before writing out the synopsis, here are some things to think about:

What is the course about?

Why do you want to run the course? What makes the topic interesting to you?

What would make the topic interesting to others?

What format do you see for the course (this will depend on the topic):

will there be weekly readings?

Weekly readings can be a big help in the class. This gives everyone in the class a common starting point. A common starting point helps focus the class and prevent topics from drifting too far off topic.

will the classes have a "lecture" component? will it just be a discussion?

What sort of group do you envision attending your class?

Some classes are targetted at people who already have a background of some sort.

Some classes can be very open as to who attends week to week, while other classes call for a specific intimate group.

will you watch films?

do you have ideas to make the course format different than a

Most classes have an outline which describes the class, or summarizes an objective, for each week in a logical progression.

However, not all classes don't fit this format. Some classes we've had in the past which do not fit this format include judo, carpentry, Finnegans Wake reading group.

How is the topic or format of the course related to anarchist ideas?

It's not required that your class should fit anarchist ideas. However, since our organizing principles are anarchist-based, bringing up anarchist ideas, or using anarchist structures in the class often suit courses very well.

Classes are usually ten weeks. What will you do each week? What is the

goal of the course (i.e. what do you hope people will have learned at the end of ten weeks)?

Once you've put some thought into the above ideas, you're ready to write out your synopsis. Your synopsis will look different, depending on the format you've decided on.

A typical synopsis contains a title, your name and contact information, a general course description of one or several paragraphs, a ten-week class-breakdown.

And each week of a typical ten-week class-breakdown will consist of a title containing the week-number and descriptive heading, a class-description of one or several sentences, a suggested reading.

See the SampleCourseProposals page to get some concrete examples.

Depending on the nature of your course, you may not be able to create a sensible week-by-week class-breakdown. Some classes cannot be described this way. In this case, you can simply write up a proposal containing the rest of the suggested elements of the course: the course title, your name and contact information, and a general course description. Since you're omitting the ten-week class breakdown, you might want to make the general description a bit longer. On the SampleCourseProposals page there are also examples of non-standard class synopses.

The proposal process

Come to a monthly GeneralMeeting?.

If you haven't yet written a course synopsis, you can use this as an opportunity to get have an informal discussion about course-idea. Mention to the meeting facilitator that you would like to discuss ideas for a course, and they can slot in some time in the meeting for you. You can use ideas you get from that discussion to write a course synopsis for the following general meeting.

If you've already written your course synopsis, bring along about ten copies of it, and mention to the meeting facilitator that you'd like to propose a course. Some time will be slotted in for you to propose your course. During this proposal, you will hand out your synopsis, and will discuss your class idea with the group. People will ask whatever questions seem relevent to them. Common things people may wonder about are what's your interest in the subject, what's your background in the subject (it's okay to be a hobbyist), how did you select the readings, are you hoping to attract certain types of people.

As well as being an approval process for your course-idea, this is also a chance for you to improve upon your proposal. People may have good suggestions, and you also should feel free to ask questions of your own.

After the class has been discussed in some detail, the course-proposer will be asked to leave the room. Often this is just a formality, but it ensures that people who may be shy about pointing something out in front of the proposer will have a chance to do so.

When you're called back into the room, the group will have made its decision using the ConsensusProcess?. In most cases the class is approved, sometimes with some minor proposed changes to the synopsis, which may or may not be optional.

In some cases one or more people may have serious unresolved issues with the class, in which case the person may be asked to rework their synopsis and come back. In the past this has happened when people had ideas which were considered by at least some people in the group as highly controversial.

The third Sunday of the month doesn't work for me. What can I do?

It's best if you can come to the meeting. However, in rare cases, due to time-restrictions, people have sent friends of theirs, or someone from the AnarchistU, to propose the course in their stead.

Common elements in good proposals

To maximize the chances of a smooth proposal process, here are some things to keep in mind:

Clear vision, - for what would happen or what we’re talking about.

Structured course-outline one indicator

Have readings that demonstrate the trajectory of the course

Controversial topics

in the case of controversial topics - balance of perspectives being considered. aware of criticisms course might occur, and have readings or discussions planned to incorporate these criticisms.

being as specific as possible

an inclusion of why you’re running the class

why have proposals been asked to be revised?

on rare occasion political grounds when proposers were not open to suggestions and discussion