Long term Pen-l member and occasional generator of controversy Robin Hahnel, as well as a number of other people are offering on-line classes through Left On Line University. In case any of these classes are of interest to anyone, or in case anyone has friends who would benefit, I am forwarding this announcement.
Hello, My name is Alfredo Lopez. I'm a Partner at People-Link, the progressive Internet access provider and administrator of People Link's New World Village (http://www.people-link.com). I hope you won't consider it an intrusion for us -- my partner in this undertaking is Michael Albert of Z Magazine and ZNet, http://www.lbbs.org -- to be sending you news about a new, progressive, On Line School, the Learning On Line University, in hopes you will want to participate in the undertaking. Starting April 1, 1998, this new project, LOLU for short, will bring high quality courses sponsored by diverse progressive organizations all working together and sharing resources and revenues and taught by prominent academics and activists to people throughout the world. To provide some incentive to read on, let me just note at the outset that the courses to be offered this semester are: ORGANIZING: THE LOST ART Organizational Sponsor: -- Faculty: Leslie Cagan PARENTING FOR PROGRESSIVES IN THE LATE 20th CENTURY Organizational Sponsor: South End Press -- Faculty: Cynthia Peters MEDIA ANALYSIS: CHALLENGING ROUTINE PROPAGANDA Organizational Sponsor: FAIR -- Faculty: Norman Solomon CONCEPTUALIZING A BETTER ECONOMY Organizational Sponsor: Z Magazine -- Faculty: Michael Albert RADICAL THEORY, VISION, AND STRATEGY Organizational Sponsor: Z Magazine -- Faculty: Michael Albert LINE. COLOR, AND SHAPE: A REINTRODUCTION TO THE VISUAL ARTS Organizational Sponsor -- Faculty: Anita Karsau U.S. CAPITALISM IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Organizational Sponsor: -- Faculty: Peter Bohmer INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL ECONOMY Organizational Sponsor: -- Faculty: Robin Hahnel CHALLENGE AND CHANGE: ORGANIZED LABOR IN THE NEXT MILLENNIUM Organizational Sponsor: Communication Workers of America -- Faculty: William Henning To find out more about these courses and the outstanding faculty teaching them please point your web browser at the LOLU web site (www.lolu.org) where you will find course descriptions, staff biographies, and registration information and forms. But I'd like to offer a short description of this unprecedented project. LOLU courses run for ten weeks in a very congenial and easy to use on-line venue that incorporates discussion groups, lecture presentations, live chat, inter-student email, self grading evaluations and exams, glossaries and many other educational features as well. There is one lecture per week, with class discussion between faculty and students during each week, plus on-line handling of optional assignments, etc. You take the course in your home, at your leisure, on any schedule you like, doing as much or little of any assignment as you choose. To keep up you need to read a lecture per week. But you can do it anytime, and you can partake of the on-going dialogues that make up class discussions, adding your own questions and comments as you choose, again, entirely on your own schedule. You do everything with your browser, no extra software is required. The school venue is truly friendly and functional so you get the course content frustration free. In fact, the software is fun to use. We have in the past run courses (including some of those being given this semester) on a small scale and with far less robust and friendly software to rave reviews. Now we are growing and refining the operation (which explains this promotional email), and we would like you to join us. Imagine taking classes with other serious and engaged "students" from all over the world, with stellar faculty, for relatively minuscule fees. That's what LOLU is all about: the courses and the community of on-going friendships, working ties, and involvements they will spur. Normally courses are going to be $50, quite inexpensive compared to the usual $1200-$1500 for on-line university courses taught with the same software (but by inferior faculty, of course). For this introductory semester, however, we are going to offer courses at only $20 each. LOLU is worthy of support in its own right, as well. If it succeeds and grows as an institution it will promote solidarity in the progressive community as different organization, projects, and periodicals each sponsor courses and promote the work of all. Three fourths of the revenues will be dispersed to these diverse sponsoring projects and faculty, thereby helping fund all manner of diverse efforts at social change. The last quarter will finance LOLU itself, its software, promotional efforts, and labor. So please, help us build this fantastic unifying institution. Take a course or two. You will meet new people and learn new subject matter, even as you join with us in this incredible building process to create a new institution of lasting importance -- LOLU. Browse to http://www.lolu.org to find out more about specific courses and, when ready, to register. Classes start April 1, but please, to plan properly, we need folks to register as soon as possible. Again, let me thank you for your patience with this rather long message...and again, I apologize if it was in any sense an intrusion on your time. For Michael Albert and Znet (http://www.lbbs.org) and myself and all of us here at People Link, thanks. Alfredo Lopez P.S. Extending your patience for just one more moment. Could you do us a big favor? You probably know a lot of progressive people in various walks of life, parts of the country and world. Many of these people likely have email addresses. Could you forward this letter to other folks, letting them know as well about the new project. Just use your email program's forward option and add a little note of your own, if you like, letting them know where they are getting the news from. This would be a tremendous help to us in getting the word out. Thanks. Either way, we hope to see you in LOLU. People Link Communications for a Better World... and for the People Who are Building One www.People-Link.com
