Scattered notes + in-class discussion notes

Following the format of my chapter 6 entry...

Reading notes

- Are there different degrees of non-participation? On p. 165 Wenger claims that realizing that I'm not a member of the claims processors CoP is "inconsequential." But I'm not a member of the SI PhD students' CoP, a realization that seems much less inconsequential to me, given the opportunities to participate in it. My non-participation in that group is a much larger part of my identity than my non-participation as a claims processor, is it not?

- Ah, he seems to be getting at this question with his definitions of peripheriality and marginality (165-6)

- Difference between peripherality and marginality "must be understood in the context of trajectories"

More to come...

In-class notes

Participation and non-participation

Non-participation enabling or getting in the way of participation. Marginal non-participation in A prevents you from participating in B (makes you marginal to B). Peripheral non-participation in A allows you to begin participating in B (as a peripheral participant).

If community B defines itself in contrast to community A, then non-participation in B is required to participate in A. I'm thinking of this as an opportunity cost proposition: participating at SI means my non-participation at CMU.

Peripheralizing non-participation: is there an example?

Paul's example: doctoral student representative organizing the visiting days for prospective PhD students. If all the grad students are complaining about the program, and you do not participate in that complaining, then you are more likely to be selected to be the doctoral student representative.

Marginalizing non-participation in the same example

Same example as above: the person who doesn't join in bashing the program wouldn't be invited to the poker game with the complaining PhD students.

Institutional non-participation

Paul's explanation: not about what the institution does/doesn't do, but whether the individual chooses to participate in the institution's activities.

Compromise is an agreement between the individual & and institution about what activities the individual will participate in and when.

Strategic non-participation is a way for indiv. to get what they want by not participating in institutional activities, even if it marginalizes them or makes their participation less interesting.

A CoP can support each other in types of non-participation in institutional activities as a part of the practice of the community.

Non-participation in Cool Running

anyone who non-participates in the Newbie Cafe but arrives at the community and goes striaght to a forum that matches their skill level would be close to a marginal non-participant in the Newbie Cafe.