Since 1 August 2010, nothing in Glasgow University goes by the name of "Department". So DACE no longer exists and there is no named unit in the University that combines people from several disciplines to make academic ideas accessible outside the academy. But we're all still here (more or less), working on our various programmes, setting up and teaching courses for the public, having all sorts of conversations as we have in the past. For now, something like DACE still exists, within the School of Education, although it no longer corresponds to a structural unit post-restructuring.
I thought it would be nice to note our continued existence, albeit in the virtual, ghostly form of this blog, and celebrate the unique mix of individuals and disciplines that produces the programmes. From time to time any of us might share some ideas or facts that get us excited from our own disciplines, or comment on stories in the news. I always feel that when two of us get together we wind up having such interesting conversations, completely different from those we'd have with people from our own disciplines (in my own case, recently, on the Moon landings; climate change; environmental catastrophes and religious visions in history; the relationship between words and things). Now we'll do some of this online, in a public space where others can see and join in. We might muse on adult education, universities, education in society, our own disciplines in broader contexts. We've had such interesting experiences in the past few months, we've been forced to think about such topics. Or we might share non-professional interests, blunder into others' territories, generate generic, low-content internet verbiage, etc.
There's no schedule; we'll add things as we feel like it. There are enough of us that it should be easy to keep alive and busy, without relying too much on any one of us. Quite possibly there's no single person who will enjoy all of it, but we can hope that you'll find most of it interesting and that we'll keep the spirit of DACE alive in this new form, alongside the continued Courses for Adults programmes, etc.. Hope to see you here!
