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Quebec? Whats up with those northerners with the funny accents anyway ay? Hold on, IP address is ......? Smells like a conspiracy to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marct
I kept trying to sign the form but everytime I put "Mental" under institution it kicked me off :o
Obviously this group is against crazy ass peeps...:wry:
Tom
No, Stan, they won't take you either, buddy
LOLOLQuote:
Originally Posted by Rob Thornton
Actually, he is a student of mine in Directed Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Security, Stability and Reconstruction. We're in the the grad pub at the same table right now, hence the IP address....
Conspiracy? Mais non!
Marc
Oh Marc.Quote:
Mais non!
What many time will I have to tell you. In colloquial french (popularly used in Quebec) It's Ben non Ca'lise
Hey Marc !
I thought it was Greg, my Estonian Protégé :eek:
In any case, I've returned from a nice restaurant and enjoying a beer and late movie.
If they won't let Tom sign up, there's little hope for the remainder herein <sigh> and it's back to creative writing.
Jokes aside, I enjoyed the article and hope to find this Dr. Tracey :p
jusqu'à la fois suivante !
Stan
PS. Needed the French practice :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by marct
I did my BA in anthropology in the 70s. Note that it was nonsense like the AAA (and a number of other factors) that made me decide to change my plans and do my grad work in another field.
rightwingprof: what field did you change to? I switched from anthropology to criminology and never regretted it, but I do run into a lot of animosity and elitism from straight-up anthropologists. I have no estimation of how anthropologists feel on certain issues, but in criminology, we have a similar "discipline-wide" stance in opposition to the death penalty (not me, the discipline's association) and 2nd Amendment topics are pretty much off-limits in criminal justice circles.
Moderator at Work
Prompted by the most recent post I have merged eight threads on the subject of Human Terrain, Human Terrain teams (HTS) and Anthropology into one. Most threads were in the Social Science forum and a few outside, including one in Job Seekers. I have left two threads on Iraq & HTS. (Ends)
If anyone is interested in joining a Human Terrain Team or knows of someone who would be qualified to be on one of the teams, they are looking for additional personnel:
• The Human Terrain System is a new Army program designed to improve the military’s ability to understand the local socio-cultural environment in Iraq and Afghanistan. This program is a pioneering effort with the potential to fundamentally change the way the military operates in foreign environments: knowledge of the local population provides a departure point for a military staff’s ability to plan and execute its mission more effectively using less lethal force. Preliminary findings from Afghanistan demonstrate that Human Terrain Teams help military commanders reduce the amount of lethal force used, with a corresponding reduction in military and civilian casualties.
• Social scientists will be members of five-person Human Terrain Teams, which are composed of military specialists, linguists, area studies specialists, and others. The Human Terrain Teams act as advisers to Army Brigades and Marine Corps Regiments. The Human Terrain Team does not engage in combat missions, nor does it collect intelligence. This program is neither covert nor clandestine: when interacting with the local population, all members of the human terrain team fully identify themselves and their mission. All team members undergo four months of training, with a deployment of 6 to 9 months.
• In addition to drawing upon their own experience and expertise, field social scientists, as members of a Human Terrain Team, will gather data from a variety of sources operating in theatre (e.g. conventional military patrols, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, civil affairs units, special forces). The teams assist commanders in understanding the operational relevance of socio-cultural information as it applies to the military decision-making process. The expectation is that the social scientist’s knowledge will allow the commander to make decisions that will increase the security of the area, allow other organizations (local and international) to more effectively provide aid and restore the infrastructure, ensure that US efforts are culturally sensitive, promote economic development, and help the local population more effectively communicate their needs to US and Coalition forces.
• In recent decades scholarly access to military operations has been limited to those in uniform and a select handful of insiders. Working as a social scientist on a Human Terrain Team offers a rare and unique opportunity to help reshape the military's execution of their mission by offering them a much greater appreciation of existing socio-cultural realities and sensitivities in the countries where they are operating. This position also offers an opportunity to develop new methods for data collection and analysis. Social scientists will be able to write about their experiences and otherwise contribute to the academic literature in their field after participation.
• Applicants selected will be subject to a government security investigation (which requires that applicants report their employment, residence and lifestyle activities for the past seven years) and must meet the eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Applicants will also undergo a 4-month training program at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, including orientation to the military/deployment environment, in-depth country briefings, and multi-disciplinary social science concepts and methods.
• Qualifications:
o US citizen
o PhD (or ABD) in anthropology or related field such as sociology, political science, history, theology, economics, public policy, social psychology or area studies
o Experience living or working overseas for extended periods
o Comprehensive physical exam within last year
o Ability to travel to Afghanistan and/or Iraq
o Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
o Ability to work in a team environment
o Ability to work with social scientists from other disciplines
o An open-minded attitude towards a variety of concepts and methods
o Willingness to work with the military
• In addition to the above requirements, the following are preferred:
o Experience living or working in the Middle East
o Arabic, Pashtoo or Dari language skills
• Start date: open
• Salary: negotiable, depending on experience and qualifications
• All inquiries should be directed to Dr. Janice Laurence, Director of Human Resources: Janice.laurence@us.army.mil
Kathleen Dunn - 10/09D
A new project that embeds university professors with military units in Iraq and Afghanistan has drawn fierce criticism from the academic community. After nine, Kathleen Dunn talks with anthropologists on both sides of the issue.
Guests:
9:00 - Marcus B. Griffin, cultural anthropologist who is working with the U.S. Army as part of the Human Terrain System in Iraq.
9:30 - David Price, Associate Professor of anthropology and sociology, St. Martin's University, Washington. (9:30)
http://www.marcusgriffin.com/blog/
http://www.wpr.org/ideas/programnotes.cfm
I'm pleasantly surprised to see that the naysayers are far fewer than those who feel they can make a difference (and even get paid to do said). I was concerned that our intellectual brothers would leave us hanging coping with death, dying and grief over this friggin code of ethics saving lives and animals <dumb ass grin>.
Our last Anthropology thread was an intriguing eye opener. I certainly hope there's a few more like Marc willing to get involved.
This link sort of gets there without all the negative aspects which come with any operation.
More at the linkQuote:
Conducting military operations in a low-intensity conflict without ethnographic and cultural intelligence is like building a house without using your thumbs: it is a wasteful, clumsy, and unnecessarily slow process at best, with a high probability for frustration and failure. But while waste on a building site means merely loss of time and materials, waste on the battlefield means loss of life, both civilian and military, with high potential for failure having grave geopolitical consequences to the loser.
Many of the principal challenges we face in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (OIF and OEF) stem from just such initial institutional
disregard for the necessity to understand the people among whom our forces operate as well as the cultural characteristics and propensities of the enemies we now fight.
This is quite a step forward for the US Military. They would be very wise to ramp down the academic requirements a notch or two or at least have an exception clause based on experience incorporated into the program. I have two Archeologist friends for instance who have ran digs and done a spot of publishing with naught but a Masters and the good Peace Corps Volunteers who accomplished a few things I knew didn't have but B.A./B.S. degrees. My gut reaction to the posting was, 'heavy on the intellectual side with lots of conferencing and meetings and sitting at the computer in the green zone and little time on the streets/in the bush'. Talent trumps rank? Seems I read that somehwere in some COIN publication.
You're quite right, Goesh. An ambitious step forward for the Army, but the bar is set a tad too high. That and the fact that we have our own assets - those who were neglected for years in the form of FAOs and intel Os and Es. Culturally aware and language background to boot. The Army blindly squandered her best assets just prior to needing them folks more than ever. We should have kept those soldiers In Service and Up to Speed.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with employing Peace Corps Volunteers. Nothing personal, they kinda went too local even for me.
Stan, I never had a problem wearing ju-jus in the bush or feathers or ears for that matter. One out of a thousand former PCVs at best would commit to the military, along the same reasons Anthros are whining and wringing their hands and pontificating about it. I don't know the reason for not scouring the ranks for real in-house talent to employ. The first sniper/IED/fire fight is going to send half the civilians home on the spot most likely so the standards will have to be adjusted anyway. It's in its infancy and will flex to make itself work this program. Alot of employed Phds are not going to ship over for the sake of some extra money I don't think so they will have to tap in-house talent at some point. It sounds like its for real this program and not some look-good-feel-good BS.
PhD is overkill, get advanced degree candidates.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan
Re: the PC PC (not redundant), I even got shot at by one -- once. ;)
Agreed on lowering the reqs.
PhDs would mean that most retired FAOs would not qualify.
Tom
Jeez, you managed to find one that used a firearm :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken White
We just had the stinky lacked-a-bath-this-year, fuzzy-legs...Well, you get the idea :rolleyes:.
My first trip to the bush in fatigues was rather interesting. To be told I was training baby killers (I did teach a few how to use the M2HB on a 114 command post, but don't recall baby target practice in the lesson plans), and not making humanitarian use of my education (from Suitland, MD...Are you kidding ?).
Kate wanted to shoot us in Goma, Stan. We had the guns; she did not. :wry:Quote:
Jeez, you managed to find one that used a firearm
Tom
Bud, that's why you wanted me to chain the firearms safe to the wall :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Odom
Kate was retrained, Tom. I recall having typical male thoughts in that Animal House right up to the point she began a bitchin' :cool:
Oh no doubt. She did a great Maureen Ohara on me in the middle of the FOB. She proved herself time and time again in the long run. But those initial days were a trip. Peeing on fire hydrants is not a behavior exclusively male. :wry:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan
Tom