Dissertation Trilogy
C. Lee Odell (with Halloran, Johnson, Moy, and Neel)
Case studies address repugnant moral and ethical behavior experienced in US universities
during many years as a corporate CEO and professor.
Introduction
|
|
||
 |
Academic work came to an abrupt halt due to destruction, unlawful alteration, or withholding of databases and other records by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and University of Washington during 1980s and 1990s. Document alteration covered up multiple fraudulent activity and other criminal acts by university administrators and faculty members.
Concerted xenophobia by Odell (RPI) and Neel (UW) increased over the years as they repeatedly committed criminal acts, engaged in agism, and denied constitutional and human rights - a continuation of the previous harassment by a LL&C cabal. Repeated harassment by apparent pathological liars and professional manipulators, many of whom had no valid credentials for the administrative positions they held, construed as criminal activity.
Fantastic as these allegations may sound, one must remember that one deals with intellectual midgets who follow anarchist policies. They have no morals or ethics and, consequently, do not care about state or federal law. Instead of adhering to academic procedures and maintaining the integrity and ethics of academic standards, they used their perceived authority or power to intimidate, humiliate, and coerce which in an academic environment classifies as unlawful harassment.
Academic harassment defines as behavior that: intends to unreasonably interfere with an individual’s educational performance both on or off campus; distributes verbal, written or electronic communication with intent to annoy; causes unlawful arrest; creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive classroom environment; directs personally offensive remarks with intent to demean, belittle, or cause personal humiliation or embarrassment in public; and, threatens, intimidates, or coerces. The case studies will show a pattern or practice of harassment by faculty members and administrators that includes all of these dysfunctional or abusive behaviors.
|
|
||
 |
|
|
||
 |
The academic papers, of which the following abstracts form part, comprise a body of work compiled during more than two decades of doctoral research. They resided on mainframe computers at Rensselaer (RPI) and University of Washington (UW) as text and graphics until S. Michael Halloran (RPI) ordered removal of computer access and Ronald A. Johnson, Vice President, and Sandra S. Moy, Chief Operating Officer, Computing and Communications, UW, arbitrarily destroyed or misappropriated computer programs and databases that contained intellectual property.
They also expropriated research databases while the author, a former professor and retired CEO, worked on a Special Doctor of Philosophy (SPhD) degree at UW and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at Rensselaer, probably to support administrative ideology and to prevent exposure. Due to the small capacity of personal computer hard drives and accessories of that era, no independent backup data exists.
Johnson and Moy destroyed or misappropriated database illustrations and text after the author traveled to Colmar, France to study the Isenheim Altarpiece. A thief stole a series of slides containing similar graphic information and the final hard copies of the three dissertations stored in three binders from an apartment in Seattle. The apartment contained myriad other documents and stone lithographs and original art worth thousands of dollars; however, the thief stole only the three binders containing the dissertations. One can only surmise that theft related to the cover up of unlawful activity at UW.
Reconstructed databases containing all of the required work for two PhD degrees (all of it published and most of it peer-reviewed) will appear in due course. The following abstracts relate to three PhD dissertations peer-reviewed prior to approval by the chair of a doctoral committee at UW. The author has reconstructed the following three abstracts from original drafts:
Grünewald Paradigm
The author argues that rhetoricians need to expand their theories to encompass the requirements of a modern technological society. He explores ways they can widen the scope of rhetorical theory and practice. He suggests ways that they can construct visible and "kinetographic" (verbal/visible) language theories that support communication in new technological environments. He also explains how rhetoricians (and consequently writers, graphic designers, and computer programmers) can recognize and explore non-traditional communication procedures and practices when dealing with electronic information dissemination.
Since 1950, the increased volume of messages and new communication techniques have required almost all communicators to become dependent upon, and involved with, technology and applications development. Message creation, transmission, and presentation have become major industries supporting large segments of the economy. Words, pictures, and interpreted ideas and images, have a stronger influence on the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of more people than ever before.
Transmitters and receivers of messages need increasingly versatile and effective media for handling the complex interactions and information upon which contemporary society depends; consequently, technologists constantly create new communications tools to deliver messages in multiple modes and media. The new media, new message forms, new persuasion techniques, and new ways of analyzing and strategizing for various audience types require a new approach to rhetorical theory.
Fine art has always played its part as the principal referent for the art and craft techniques used in twentieth century graphic design; however, fine art and graphic design distinctly differ in communication purposes. Unfortunately, viewing sixteenth-century painting as a history of individual artists and their painting has obscured the way that their work stands apart in quality and complexity. Now, Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece has finally taken its place as an important resource for communication researchers. It serves profoundly to explicate parallelism of the various languages that relate to human understanding. It shows transcendental style and techniques related to kinetography – all resident in one visible rhetorical demonstration.
See Full Text: [Grünewald Paradigm]
Rebus Principle
Modern society continues to become less literate and, as a result, more visually dependent than prior generations. It increasingly communicates through the use of signs based upon symbols rather than signs based upon the alphabet. However, the computer fulfills a need to accurately and quickly process large amounts of data and rebuses play an important role by providing a means of presenting chaotic databases in understandable graphic form. Consequently, computerized visible language signs invariably allow the more efficient assimilation of complex data by non-literate audiences because they represent familiar symbols.
Rebuses may convey direct meaning, especially to inform or instruct non-literate people, or they may deliberately conceal meaning to inform only the initiated. Rebuses, then, constitute part of visible language since rebus signs primarily represent phonetic sounds, not by abstract alphabetic signs, but by graphics of the word or words that the sound signifies.
Many represent the sound of one word by the graphic representation of another, and although a rebus may represent several words, it remains as a representation of the word describing itself. Conversely, the alphabet, although it probably derives from graphics, has lost all connection with words as artifacts, and represents sound, by transforming evanescent sound into typographic images in permanent space. Rebuses signify meaning either logogrammatically, phonogrammatically, or semogrammatically. Logograms signify in either figurative or symbolical modes and represent the object that they name. Phonograms signify in homonymic, phonetic, or translational modes and stand phonetically for one or more syllables within a word. Semograms signify in figurative, symbolic, or translational modes through the addition of determinatives. Determinatives (mute reading aids that possess no phonetic value) aid the reader by leading to the correct interpretation of meaning. All modes have rhetorical significance.
An early form of rebus occurs with the representation of non-depictive abstract words by pictures of objects pronounced the same way. Common in Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Greek and Roman numismatics, medieval heraldry, aenigmata, modern promotional logotypes, directional signs, concrete poetry, and allegory, rebuses throughout history have become particularly prominent as instructional or informative symbols in religious art and architecture. The figures illustrate the transformation from an ancient petroglyph to a modern logotype.
Socrates and Kinetography
Modern rhetorical research must include the electronic media and associated protocols. Consequently, rhetoricians urgently need to rediscover the importance of critical inquiry and to explore non-traditional communications procedures. This will widen the scope of rhetorical theory and methods; moreover, rhetorical paradigms will change to support new technologies.
The Greek philosopher Socrates (c.469-399 BC) caused a decisive turn in the history of Western philosophy. He proposed that teachers should realize student potential through self-discovery: that they should serve as learning catalysts (Socratic moderators) and not teaching dogmatists. Socrates wrote nothing himself and his learning methods survive mostly through dialogues written by his principal students: Aristophanes, Xenophon, and Plato. However, he has exerted an enormous influence on Western thought with his dialectic (the Socratic method). While Socrates still hides behind the ironic mask that Plato created for him twenty-four centuries ago, the Socratic method establishes precise definition. It stresses that facts result from critical inquiry using question and answer protocols and that they have no generic attributes.
Students use the thought resource to dialogue with themselves. This causes a change in thought content through active thought process. In effect, this change forces them to disregard their inherent assumptions and to measure the reality of their expression. Subsequently, knowledge derives from the contrast of truth and falsehood.
Socratic dialogues contrast with the methods used by physical scientists who test hypotheses by experimental means. Objectivity and subjectivity cease to become critical considerations: this requires that the ethos of the moderator remain paramount. The Socratic method remains a powerful technique for learning in the electronic era. Its dialectical attributes, combined with other rhetorical and electronic devices, have become a dynamic communication tool. Both art and science topics benefit from its use in both large and small audience settings. Unfortunately, some individuals in remote technological settings have no opportunity to respond to new ideas because they lack the intimacy of oral dialogue. They cannot ask questions and frequently imprison new ideas in their minds for lack of social intercourse. If they cannot control their learning environment then the technology limits them to received information and technical adjustment of equipment. Consequently, they become subject to existing technological patterns, their ideas stagnate, and their circumstances prevent change.
All creative activity results from an inherent impulse to create new patterns. These new patterns derive from change. Recognition that a change has become imminent takes the individual beyond the traditional patterns and gives the impetus to create transcendent patterns. The conditions that govern this change include an understanding of the arts, crafts, and technologies, also the ability to identify the inadequate patterns that govern any particular activity. Critical inquiry allows identification of inadequate patterns. It creates dissonance: a conflict that results from inconsistency between beliefs and actions. The mind then overcomes the inherent anxiety caused by the dissonance and balances beliefs with actions, thus forming new patterns.
See also: [Sherking Responsibility] [Grünewald Paradigm]
|
Contra Cabal web sites have achieved an extraordinary readership. If Paul Trummel dies before he completes his work, then trustees have authority to continue publication as an educational project through the newly formed Contra Cabal Foundation, London which will own all publication rights. The Foundation will publish Contra Cabal in perpetuity in the way that Sonia Orwell posthumously published the collected works of George Orwell. Foundation trustees and directors (professional people, lawyers, and academicians in UK and US connected directly and indirectly with the International Federation of Journalists) will supervise editorial and design functions using young investigative reporters and graphic designers who wish to further their education in journalism. They will receive trade union freelance rates of payment for their work. The Foundation will respect former trustee the late William D Winn's last admonition "Go get 'em!" by continuing to report academic malfeasance and to expose morally repugnant academicians and public officials. Readers should consider the articles and case studies as a work in progress. More information about academic or government fraud and deceit frequently surfaces after victims or their associates read Contra Cabal. That information becomes part of a relevant case study after verification and validation. Students and current faculty members write letters to the editor on politically sensitive issues. Some correspondents request name withholding to avoid retaliation. Contra Cabal electronic magazine contains expose and satire. Probably one of the first to appear on the web, it has now published since 1992. The hits/month range between 100,000 and 150,000 with more than 1.5 million hits by about 60,000 unique visitors during the past twelve months. The "New Releases" menu lists new, updated, or revised articles on the four Contra Cabal sites. |
||
|
Paul Trummel PhD (RPI ABD), PhD (UW ABD), MS (RPI), MSc (UK), BSc (UK) Associate Professor, Communication and Rhetoric (Retired) International Federation of Journalists, Brussels (International Press Card)
|
||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
© Copyright 2007 by Paul Trummel |
|||||||||||||||||||
