Category: Discussion Groups

  • Member Meetup: Democracy Social Discussion Group

    Member Meetup: Democracy Social Discussion Group

    Is the United States a democracy? What steps could we make today to improve democracy here? What will potential roadblocks be, and how do we overcome them to achieve a society that works for instead of against the working class?

    Join the Education Committee’s Democracy Social Discussion Group for a series of informal discussions about democracy. 

    Schedule

    Our discussion group sessions will be held both in-person and on Zoom on the second Saturday of each month. There is no required reading, but we are providing links to relevant material for your reference.

    Click on a date in the box for specific information about that session.

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    Upcoming

    July 13, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am
    Reading TBD

    August 10, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am
    Reading TBD

    September 14, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am
    Reading TBD

    October 12, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am
    Reading TBD

    November 9, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am
    Reading TBD

    Past

    June 8, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am

    Recommended Reading

    Democracy Was a Decolonial Project. Boston Review, May 30, 2024.

    Further Reading

    Rana, Aziz. The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them. United States: University of Chicago Press, 2024.
    Find it at the library: LINK+

    Boggs, James. Racism and the Class Struggle: The Meaning of Black Revolt in the United States. United States, Monthly Review Press, 2021.
    Find the original 1970 version at the library: San Diego Circuit | LINK+

    Du Bois, W.E.B. Black Reconstruction (LOA #350): An Essay Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860–1880. United States, Library of America, 2021.
    Find it at the library: San Diego Circuit | San Diego County Library (audiobook) | LINK+

    Elbaum, Max. Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che. United Kingdom, Verso, 2018.
    Find it at the library: San Diego Circuit | LINK+

    Location

    This session will be hosted on Zoom only. (register for Zoom)

    May 11, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am
    This session will focus on DSA’s endorsement policies.

    Recommended Reading

    none

    Location

    This session will be hosted on Zoom only. (register for Zoom)

    April 13, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am
    This session will focus on what position DSA should take on the 2024 presidential election.

    Recommended Reading

    2024 Presidential Election Discussion Questions

    Location

    This session will be hosted on Zoom only. (register for Zoom)

    March 9, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am

    Recommended Reading

    A Blueprint for a New Party. Jacobin, November 8, 2016.

    Location

    City Heights/Weingart Library (how to get there | register for Zoom)

    We will meet at the main desk.

    February 10, 2024

    10:00 am – 11:30 am
    Follow-up to Participatory Democracy Night School

    Recommended Reading

    America is Not a Democracy. The American Prospect, January 29, 2024.

    Location

    College-Rolando Library (how to get there | register for Zoom)

    We will meet on the patio in the back of the library.

    Locations

    City Heights/Weingart Library

    The City Heights/Weingart Library is located at 3795 Fairmount Ave. (map)

    If you’re traveling via public transportation, you have a few options depending on your starting location:

    1. Take the Green Line trolley to Grantville station and then take the 13 bus to Fairmount Ave. and Landis St.
      -or-
    2. Take the Orange Line trolley to Euclid Avenue station and then take the 13 bus to Fairmount Ave. and Wightman St.
      -or-
    3. The 7 bus runs down University Ave. between Park Boulevard and College Ave. every 15 minutes.
    College-Rolando Library

    The College-Rolando Library is located at 6600 Montezuma Rd. (map) We will meet on the patio in the back of the library.

    If you’re traveling via public transportation, take the Green Line trolley to Alvarado station and then walk .7 miles down Reservoir Dr. to where it intersects Montezuma Rd.

    Zoom

    Can’t join us in person? Click here to register for the Zoom sessions.

  • Join the discussion: Giving and receiving constructive criticism

    Join the discussion: Giving and receiving constructive criticism

    Criticism is a necessary component of revolutionary change. But how can we effectively criticize ourselves and the institutions we want to improve?

    Join us for a discussion about handling constructive criticism.

    Join the Education Committee for our upcoming book club series, where we will discuss the book Constructive Criticism: A Handbook by Vicki Legion. This book takes a look at the goals of criticism and outlines a practical approach. The book is available in PDF or you may purchase a hard copy here. (Please note that this store ships from France, so please allow a few weeks to receive your order.)

    Schedule

    Our book club sessions will be held both in-person and on Zoom. See the schedule below to help you prepare your readings prior to our discussions:

    Week 1

    Saturday, October 7, 2023 11:00 am – noon
    Part 1 – Introduction (pg. 1-32)
    Ultreya Coffee and Tea (how to get there | register for Zoom)

    Week 2 

    Saturday, October 21, 2023 9:00 am – 10:00 am
    Part 2 – How to Give Criticism (pg. 34-53)
    Ultreya Coffee and Tea (how to get there | register for Zoom)

    Week 3 

    Saturday, November 4, 2023 10:00 am – 11:00 am
    Part 3 – How to Give Criticism (pg. 55-85)
    College-Rolando Library (how to get there | register for Zoom)

    Week 4

    Saturday, November 18, 2023 10:00 am – 11:00 am
    Part 4 – How to Receive Criticism (pg. 87-95)
    College-Rolando Library (how to get there | register for Zoom)

    Week 5

    Saturday, December 2, 2023 10:00 am – 11:00 am
    Part 5 – How to Receive Criticism (cont.) and Preventing and Handling Defensiveness (pg. 97-105)
    College-Rolando Library (how to get there | register for Zoom)

    Locations

    College-Rolando Library

    The College-Rolando Library is located at 6600 Montezuma Rd. (map) We will meet on the patio.

    If you’re traveling via public transportation, take the Green Line trolley to Alvarado station and then walk .7 miles down Reservoir Dr. to where it intersects Montezuma Rd.

    Ultreya Coffee and Tea

    Ultreya Coffee and Tea is located at 4653 College Ave. (map)

    If you’re traveling via public transportation, take the Green Line trolley to SDSU station and then take the 215 or 936 bus to the intersection of College Ave. and El Cajon Blvd. The 1 line also connects nearby at the corner of College Ave. and El Cajon Blvd.

    Zoom

    Can’t join us in person? Click here to register for the Zoom sessions.

  • You’re Invited: Worker Cooperative Workshop

    You’re Invited: Worker Cooperative Workshop

    Join us for our 7-week Worker Coop Workshop on Tuesdays and Saturdays in August and September.

    Let’s build the community we want to live in!

    Join our Labor Working Group’s book club in collaboration with the Education Committee for our upcoming 7-week Worker Cooperative Workshop, based on the Rutgers Worker Cooperative Education Program.

    Watch the Rutgers video series with us on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm or on your own before our discussion sessions on Saturdays at 11:00 am. See the schedule below for more details.

    Schedule

    Week 1: 

    Tuesday, August 8, 2023 7:00 pm
    Rutgers video: What is a Worker Cooperative? 

    Saturday, August 12, 2023 11:00 am
    DSA special presentation: The history of worker cooperatives

    Week 2: 

    Tuesday, August 15, 2023 7:00 pm
    Rutgers video: Worker Cooperatives and African American Cooperative Economics: Origin Stories

    Saturday, August 19, 2023 11:00 am
    DSA discussion: Racial justice and the worker cooperative model

    Week 3: 

    Tuesday, August 22, 2023 7:00 pm
    Rutgers video: Using the Cooperative Advantage to Grow

    Saturday, August 26, 2023 11:00 am
    DSA discussion: The elephant in the room: Marxist criticisms of worker cooperatives and how these can make us better organizers

    Week 4: 

    Tuesday, August 29, 2023 7:00 pm
    Rutgers video: Four Corner Posts of Democratic Management

    Saturday, September 2, 2023 11:00 am
    DSA discussion: Democracy in the workplace

    Week 5: 

    Tuesday, September 5, 2023 7:00 pm
    Rutgers video: Governance in Worker Cooperatives

    Saturday, September 9, 2023 11:00 am
    DSA discussion: Socialist analysis of governance in worker cooperatives 

    Week 6: 

    Tuesday, September 12, 2023 7:00 pm
    Rutgers video: Developing Worker Cooperative Structures: Legal Considerations

    Saturday, September 16, 2023 11:00 am
    DSA discussion: Socialist analysis of governance in worker cooperatives 

    Week 7: 

    Tuesday, September 19, 2023 7:00 pm
    Rutgers video: Capital for Worker Cooperatives and Other Employee-Owned Businesses

    Saturday, September 23, 2023 11:00 am
    DSA discussion: Socialist analysis of capital for worker cooperatives and final reflections, followed by a social event