The arc of modules that will make up the Street Epistemology Course has been identified, and now we’re looking for experienced people willing and able to help us write the content.

20 February 2021

Hope everyone is handling the cold weather and other challenges we are facing as best you are able. Here are a few updates with regards to the SE non-profit, followed by more details on the Street Epistemology Course that we’ve been working on.

Please don’t forget that you can support our organization by making a donation of any size.

• The SE and SEI Websites will be getting a facelift over the coming weeks, so watch for a slick new look and improved functionality.
• We’ve begun the process to register a couple variations of the Street Epistemology logo with the US Patent and Trademark office. Once those are finalized, we’ll make the SE logos publicly available with the (R) symbol in case you’d like to use those. You can learn more about the SE Logo (and how to download high-quality images of it) here.
• SEI decided to keep “boosting” the performance and functionality of a popular SE Discord server for the remainder of the year. It doesn’t cost all that much and, since the server has become a useful place for members of the SE community to work together on projects, practice and discuss SE, etc., it seems like a great application of funds.

I’m really excited to tell you more about the course we’re creating for people to learn Street Epistemology at their own pace. We have an incredibly talented and dedicated project team eager to build something profound for others.

If you recall, we recently asked people from the SE Communities and beyond to tell us what topics they would expect to see in a course on Street Epistemology, and we received several hundred suggestions. Our team reviewed every topic submission, ultimately resulting in the following current list of modules that will eventually make up the entire self-directed course:

• Module 0: SE Course Introduction (read only draft)
• Module 1: What is Street Epistemology? - Conversation Tool, Define Epistemology, Limitations, Non-Debate, Origination, What SE Is and Isn’t, Academic Epistemology, Controversies, Evolution, History
• Module 2: Why Use SE? - Belief Revision, Decrease Polarization, Conversation Goals, Non-Personal Benefits, Improve Humanity, Personal Benefits, Efficiency, Benefits of Use, Dogmatism, Make Wise Choices, Pursuing Truth

Module 7: Building and Maintaining Rapport was selected to be a “Pilot” module for the SE Course Team to complete. This allows us to develop a functional module template, coding to transfer the content to a web page/static page with limited learner interactivity, assess levels of effort, and many other things. Each module will have Learning Objectives, and the following four were identified for Module 7:

• Describe attitudes that build rapport before your conversation starts
• Describe techniques that build rapport with your interlocutor at the beginning of your conversation
• Explain techniques for maintaining rapport such as active listening during your conversation
• Identify and apply techniques to avoid breaking established rapport with your interlocutor

Looks incredible, huh? I would have loved to have had something like this before I set out to record conversations with people! It’s evident, however, that we have a great deal of work ahead of us, and thus the need for volunteers to assist with this project is even more apparent.

If you are interested in writing content (alongside Street Epistemology experts) for one or more of the modules listed above, please tell us in the #course-development channel in this SE Discord server (our team communicates there, so a Discord account is required for this project) and let us know. In order to make the SE Course a success, we need dedicated people with experience in writing instructional material on fuzzy concepts to help us out. Perhaps that’s you.

We will also be looking for people to test these modules, so let us know if that’s of interest to you. You will need to sign a waiver in order to volunteer in any way for this effort. Look for a more detailed call for experienced writers on the various SE communities and social media platforms in the coming days.

Best regards,

Anthony Magnabosco
Executive Director, Street Epistemology International

Street Epistemology Linktree

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