Spectacular Developments: Guy Debord's Parapolitical Turn

Following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, Guy Debord’s concept of ‘the spectacle’ re-emerged in the work of a variety of theorists as a critical prism through which the attacks and subsequent ‘War on Terror’ could be approached. Debord’s first book on the spectacle (1967) was written in the context of France’s post-war boom; his later reflections, contained in a series of minor works written throughout the seventies and eighties, are heavily influenced by Italy’s ‘Years of Lead’ and a broader geopolitical climate of armed struggle, terrorism, counter-insurgency and espionage. Nearly all post-9/11 invocations of Debord’s concept draw on the version elucidated in Debord’s 1967 book, with its emphasis on commodity fetishism, ideology, and alienation, and fail to engage his later work and its focus on terrorism, secrecy, and conspiracy. Among those that do in fact reference Debord’s later work are several writers whose work could pejoratively be labelled ‘conspiracy theory’. Looking at Debord’s oeuvre as whole, and investigating how it combines a critique of late capitalism in its totality with parapolitcal concerns of ‘systemic clandestinity’, Spectacular Developments: Guy Debord’s Parapolitical Turn provides a bolstered conception of the spectacle that aims to reconfigure the conceptual foundations of this debate. This conception of the spectacle allows one to approach the 9/11 attacks and all that followed in their wake with both a precision and a breadth lacking in these other works, demonstrating the superficiality of readings that make the concept synonymous with the mass media or that attempt to unravel nefarious conspiracies of power. Simultaneously, this approach foregrounds the epistemological and strategic challenges faced by researchers, politicians and activists working in and on the society of the spectacle

A Multi-stage Optimization Model for Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Officer Candidate Selection

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) faces a declining budget and increased enrollment, creating the necessity for improving officer candidate selection through the various stages of its commissioning program. Three critical stages have a major impact on the type of officer AFROTC commissions: (1) the high school scholarship allocation process, (2) the in-college scholarship allocation process, and (3) commissioning. This research proposes a multi-stage model to evaluate these stages. Each stage is examined individually so that collectively AFROTC decision makers are able to meet commissioning goals. Stage one involves allocating scholarships to high school candidates using the index policy heuristic. Stage two involves examining which candidates should be awarded an enrollment allocation while taking into account the probabilities of the candidate completing field training (FT) and going on to commission. A logistic regression is used to estimate the probabilities of FT completion and commissioning given a candidate\u27s demographic information and college performance. Stage two is examined using dynamic programming with a knapsack formulation. Stage three involves selecting the most qualified cadets to commission into the USAF and is examined using a knapsack approach

North Alabama Ecological Forecasting: Spatial Modeling of the Fragmentation of Local Species Habitat from Increasing Urbanization in North Alabama

Alabama is one of the most biodiverse states in the United States and has the greatest diversity of aquatic species. As urbanization continues to increase in Alabama, this biodiversity is at risk. This project partnered with the Land Trust of North Alabama to identify sensitive habitats that are at risk for urbanization within Madison and Limestone counties. The Land Trust of North Alabama works to preserve land, primarily in Madison and Limestone counties of North Alabama, and encourages stewardship through environmental education. The team conducted a supervised classification of land class types utilizing data from Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Version 4 (SRTM) to identify land cover changes and areas most vulnerable to future urbanization. Through incorporating land classification analysis and additional parameters indicative of urbanization, the team produced an urbanization prediction tool and a landscape fragmentation map. The urban prediction tool identified land highly suitable for development and found that, by 2045, 25% of highly suitable land will be urbanized using the measured 1% growth rate. Ecological impact was established using observation data of species of interest to the project partners. These tools will enable the Land Trust to target high risk areas of land for preservation

Kinkle, Oscar Roy; Interview and Materials

Roster Number: 1606. Picture Location: Box 9 Folder 5. Interview Location: Box 5 Folder 5