Dear Colleague

Identity, place and social ecology: 
An exploration of Australian and British experiences of place
A workshop led by Dr John Cameron, University of Western Sydney
4th October 2002 at the Open University, Milton Keynes

John Cameron has been working on and researching identity, place and
social ecology in Australia and is presenting this day workshop during a
forthcoming visit here. It will be an opportunity to broaden our thinking
about place, to think about our own place relationships, consider the
social and environmental implications of this process, and how to engender
the process in others.  It will consider how place responsiveness is
viewed and 'taught' in the two countries.

John will talk about his experience of teaching sense of place at UWS and
running experientially orientated conferences on place responsiveness. His
work brings together the debates over ecological sustainability,
aboriginal reconciliation and multiculturalism. He will discuss whether
this experience has relevance in a completely different cultural and
geographical setting. A substantial part of the day will be experiential.
The provisional programme attached gives further details.

The day will run from 1030 to 1615 and there is a participant fee of £40.
The number of places are strictly limited to 30 so if you would like to
participate please complete and return the attached reply slip as soon as
you can.

Best wishes,
Jacqueline Eisenstadt
Technology Faculty
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes MK7 6AA

www.systems.open.ac.uk/

www.spmc.org.uk/

Tel: (++44) (0)1908 653528
Fax: (++44) (0)1908 858407
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Identity, place and social ecology.
4th October 2002 at Milton Keynes
Programme


10.30.  John Cameron: The Australian context of the place, and the
responsive society.

John will introduce his experiences in facilitating place responsiveness,
summarise his approach to experiential learning in social ecology and
discuss the potential relevance of his work to different cultures and
geographical settings.
        
11.00.  Workshop: our individual and collective understanding of place.

This session will draw on our individual connections to place, sensing of
place and stories of place. Some of this session may take place in
adjacent parkland, weather permitting.
        
13.00.  Lunch.
        
13.45.  Small group discussions:

What initiatives are already underway in people's own localities that are
promoting place responsiveness?
What initiatives would people like to see occur?
What are the parameters of the debate in Britain about place and identity?
What are the points of intersection between the environmental and cultural
debates?
To what extent is spirit of place a marginalised or general topic for
conversation?
        
15.00.  Tea
        
15.30.  Plenary session with report-back and general discussion
        
16.15.  End    
               
               


REGISTRATION FORM: Send to:
Carol Morgan, Centre for Complexity and Change, The Open University
Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA.

Please register a place at the Identity, place and social ecology workshop
on 4th October 2002  for:

Name:
Organisation:                                             
Address:


Tel no:                             Email:

Payment method (cheque/credit card):

Cheques should be made payable to The Open University (Systems Account)
and should accompany this application. If you wish to pay by visa please
complete the following details:

I wish to pay by credit card:
Name on card:
Address of Credit Card holder:


Access/Master card/Visa number:                             Expiry date:
Amount  £40:

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