This-essay is   a7309071.htm   which is available  at the
web-site   www.essayz.com.   See more notes at the bottom.
Previous-Essay      <== This-Essay ==>     Following-Essay
By-Months                By-Years                 By-Words
Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One
==========================================================
                            %BACKGROUND VISITATIONS 730907

     Each  scientist  in  a  small  liberal  arts  college
setting is relatively isolated professionally.  Only a few
others  on the given campus  share competencies,  and even
participation in professional meetings is not an  adequate
way  of gaining a real understanding  of the philosophical
and methodological styles which characterize  many  others
in the profession in a changing era.  Thus a professor who
seeks to be  helpfully innovative may have real difficulty
in  finding adequate occasions  for  dialogue with  a true
cross-section of others dealing with similar problems.

     Professional  meetings  involve  individuals  from  a
variety  of contexts.  In the case of physics the contexts
tend to  be associated with the  categories  high  school,
private  college,   and  university.    Outside  of  those
categories there is a concern  for  typical  citizens  and
concern for future professional scientists.  The nature of
the dominant foci differ in accordance  with the  dominant
concerns of those in power.

     In  order to attempt to transcend the  limitations of
awareness of  the  local collegiate situation  the  author
sought  a wider background of perspectives on the possible
role of physicists on liberal arts college campuses before
starting  the  writing of this collection of essays.   The
procedure  followed  was to visit each  of  sixteen  small
physics departments in the mid-west,  and at each to spend
anywhere from one half hour to two hours with each  member
of the physics department.  In some instances the academic
dean,  the president,  and/or a member of some  supportive
department of the institution was also interviewed.   Most
of these interviews were tape recorded and played back for
reconsideration  while  on  the  road  between  subsequent
institutions.

     These interviews helped sharpen the  focus  upon  the
structure  of  the  situation  which  currently  faces the
physics profession.   The purpose was not the gathering of
hard  data or precise articulation of philosophy and style
of instruction.   Rather it was to attempt to put  growing
personal  convictions  into  a broader perspective through
dialogue with  individuals  who  operate within  different
perspectives. Thus, these essays in no way summarize those
interviews,   although  they are written in the  light  of
those interviews.
                         (c) 1999 by Paul A. Smith in
  GO:  essayz.com     "Search for Integrity and Honesty"
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)

==========================================================

Lines beginning with a percent sign are  KEYWORDS  for use
in ESSAY-System Searches.  Their terminal digits are dates
of writing in the format @yymmdd#, where @ =  a  means 99,
@ =  b  means 20, and # = is a within-date essay-count.

Links to date-adjacent essays are near  page top & bottom.

   
Find the following links by clicking on CENTER when CENTER
near  the top or bottom  of a web page of essayz.com
 
                    
               1. Go to HOME PAGE of essayz.com
            2. Find brief-essays via keywords
           3. Find brief-essay about ADDICTION
          4. Search-Helps related to ABOVE-LINK
 
            5. GoTo Action & Information Center
           6. Find Regular-Essays via Year/Month
          7. Find Regular-Essays via Word-Starts
              8. Find Regular-Essay about LOVE

This-essay is   a7309071.htm   which is available  at the
web-site   www.essayz.com.  These 5 lines echo top lines.
Previous-Essay      <== This-Essay ==>     Following-Essay
By-Months                By-Years                 By-Words
Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One