THE MEMBERS OF THE FURMAN FACULTY WHO HAVE ALLOWED THEIR NAMES TO BE ATTACHED TO THIS MANIFESTO DO NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH EVERYTHING IT SAYS. BY CONSENTING TO THE PUBLICATION OF THE MANIFESTO, THESE FACULTY MEAN TO INDICATE ONLY THAT THE MANIFESTO BRINGS UP ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE FURMAN COMMUNITY TO DISCUSS. THE MANIFESTO ATTEMPTS TO FOCUS THOSE ISSUES SHARPLY BY MEANS OF ARTICULATING THESES FOR DEBATE.
Click here for a list of Furman faculty
consenting to the publication of this manifesto.
Sometimes, a manifesto is thought of as a document that signals the end of discussion and the beginning of some sort of more direct political activity. As indicated in the "Disclaimer" above, the intent of this manifesto is the opposite: it aims to open discussion, certainly at Furman but maybe at other liberal-arts colleges as well, about the new information technology and liberal education. Because the new technology changes so rapidly, such a manifesto has a useful life-span about equal to that of an institution's strategic plan. This particular manifesto should be read together with Furman's strategic plan, which itself should be thought of as a document continually under revision. This manifesto means to participate in an ongoing process of assessment, reflection, and decision-making.
It is important to remember that this manifesto arises from a seminar composed almost entirely of faculty, and that it articulates faculty concerns. The impact of the new information technology on liberal-arts institutions spreads wider than the faculty, and the faculty, though their collective voice should be decisive in academic matters, should not pronounce unilaterally on all of the issues involving the institution's use of the new technology. Part of the intent of this manifesto is to initiate discussion among students, faculty, administration, and trustees on issues--and they are many--that impinge upon but extend beyond the academic program.
As a document limited specifically to the faculty's point of view, this manifesto does not always give students the prominence of mention proportional to the concern of the Furman faculty for students. But it should be remembered that every faculty member's primary concern at Furman is presumably teaching. Therefore, most of the faculty concerns articulated in this manifesto are, at least implicitly, concerns about how the new information technology affects Furman students.
In general, the manifesto proceeds by giving theoretical arguments that might provide premises upon which decisions about information technology should be based, and then giving links to pages identifying particular applications for Furman that might be thought to follow from those premises.
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