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On December 10, 2008, Rancourt was provided with two letters by administration officials.{{Fact|date=January 2009}} The first letter indicated that he was under administrative suspension and banned from campus, while the second indicated that the Dean of the Faculty of Science had recommended to the Board of Governors that Rancourt be fired. The stated reason for the University of Ottawa's actions was Rancourt's assigning of A+ grades to all students in his fourth-year physics courses in the Winter 2008 term. These courses include [[Quantum Mechanics]] (a required course) and [[Solid State Physics]].{{Fact|date=January 2009}}
On December 10, 2008, Rancourt was provided with two letters by administration officials.{{Fact|date=January 2009}} The first letter indicated that he was under administrative suspension and banned from campus, while the second indicated that the Dean of the Faculty of Science had recommended to the Board of Governors that Rancourt be fired. The stated reason for the University of Ottawa's actions was Rancourt's assigning of A+ grades to all students in his fourth-year physics courses in the Winter 2008 term. These courses include [[Quantum Mechanics]] (a required course) and [[Solid State Physics]].{{Fact|date=January 2009}}


Rancourt states the administration's actions in general, and his dismissal in particular, are influenced in part by the [[Israel lobby]] and the [[military-industrial complex]].<ref>[http://larotonde.ca/2009/01/rancourt-blame-le-%C2%AB-lobby-israelien-%C2%BB/ Rancourt blâme le « lobby israélien] ''La Rotonde''. January 9, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://larotonde.ca/2009/02/rancourt-et-le-lobby-israelien/ Rancourt et le lobby israélien]. ''La Rotonde''. February 2, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://larotonde.ca/2009/01/denis-la-mitraille/ Denis-la-mitraille]. ''La Rotonde''. January 12, 2009</ref> Describing university of Ottawa president and former Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General [[Allan Rock]] as a point-man of the Israel lobby,<ref>[http://www.thefulcrum.ca/node/2266 U of O suspends Rancourt]. ''The Fulcrum''. January 21, 2009.</ref> he has stated that his dismissal may be related to his political views, specifically his position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.<ref>Jesse Freeston, "Dismissing critical pedagogy: Denis Rancourt vs. University of Ottawa", ''Rabble.ca'', 12 January 2009 [http://www.rabble.ca/news/dismissing-critical-pedagogy-denis-rancourt-vs-university-ottawa]</ref>
Rancourt states the administration's actions in general, and his dismissal in particular, are influenced in part by the [[Israel lobby]] and the [[military-industrial complex]].<ref>[http://larotonde.ca/2009/01/rancourt-blame-le-%C2%AB-lobby-israelien-%C2%BB/ Rancourt blâme le « lobby israélien] ''La Rotonde''. January 9, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://larotonde.ca/2009//rancourt-et-/ Rancourt et ]. ''La Rotonde''. , 2009.</ref><ref>[http://larotonde.ca/2009/01/denis-la-mitraille/ Denis-la-mitraille]. ''La Rotonde''. January 12, 2009</ref> Describing university of Ottawa president [[Allan Rock]] as a point-man of the Israel lobby,<ref>[http://www.thefulcrum.ca/node/2266 U of O suspends Rancourt]. ''The Fulcrum''. January 21, 2009.</ref> he has stated that his dismissal may be related to his political views, specifically his position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.<ref>Jesse Freeston, "Dismissing critical pedagogy: Denis Rancourt vs. University of Ottawa", ''Rabble.ca'', 12 January 2009 [http://www.rabble.ca/news/dismissing-critical-pedagogy-denis-rancourt-vs-university-ottawa]</ref>


===CAUT Review===
===CAUT Review===

Revision as of 04:47, 24 February 2009

Denis Rancourt
Rancourt in his office at the University of Ottawa in 2004
Born (1957-03-23) March 23, 1957 (age 67)
North Bay, Ontario
EducationBachelor's Degree from University of Ottawa (1980), Master's Degree from University of Toronto (1981), Ph.D from University of Toronto (1984)
WebsiteDepartment of Physics, U of O

Denis Rancourt is a professor of Physics at the University of Ottawa. Rancourt is an expert in spectroscopy but is becoming more widely known as an academic activist in confrontations with his employer, the University of Ottawa, over issues involving his approach to pedagogy.[1] While he retains his tenure, he was removed from all teaching duties in the fall of 2008. In December the University of Ottawa administration began dismissal proceedings against him and he was banned from campus.

Scientific research

Rancourt has published over 100 articles in peer reviewed scientific journals. He is a member of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Physics and member of the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre.[2] His most cited works are in the area of Mössbauer spectroscopy where he developed a spectral lineshape analysis algorithm.[3] This formed a basis for a now commercial spectral analysis software developed in his laboratory. [4]

His laboratory has worked on the iron oxide hematite.[5] and has been cited in recent works on the remote measurements of the soil mineralogy on Mars.[citation needed] He worked on the physics of Invar for twenty years and in his last papers on the subject he claims to have solved the 100-year-old Invar problem of identifying the mechanistic origin of the alloy’s thermal expansion anomaly.[6]

Rancourt first described the phenomenon of polarized superparamagnetic fluctuations [7] which he named superferromagnetism.[8] Scientific author Steen Morup introduced the same name for a similar phenomenon. His work on small magnetic particles was reviewed in the monograph series Reviews in Mineralogy[9]

In recent years, he has worked on reactive environmental Fe-oxyhydroxide nanoparticles. In 2008, his laboratory found evidence that the structure of ferrihydrite, which was first published in Science (journal), is incorrect.[10]

University reform

Rancourt is a self described anarchist and advocate of a pedagogical approach at odds with that of his employer.[11]

Academic Squatting of PHY 1703

Rancourt describes his approach of "academic squatting" in which he took an existing course and changed the curriculum, using student input, without the approval of the university.[12] In the fall of 2005 Rancourt squatted a first year course entitled Physics and Environment (PHY 1703). During the second class of PHY 1703, the Dean of Science, Christian Detellier, announced that it had been shut down. A single student had complained the course's content did not match the official description.[13] Thirty students in the class who supported Rancourt's actions complained to the administration. The Dean allowed the course to continue into the third week. [14] Rancourt subsequently filed a grievance against the university, receiving both support and criticism from his academic colleagues who were split on the issue.[15]

Reprimand and arbitration

At the end of the term, on 19 December 2005, the university inserted a letter of reprimand in Rancourt’s file for having published information pertaining to PHY 1703 on his personal website that they wrote contained inaccuracies about the course’s language, level, format and content. Rancourt responded by filing a grievance through his union, the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa, and the matter went to arbitration in November 2007.[16] [17] On 25 June 2008, arbitrator Michel G. Picher released his ruling, upholding parts of the administration’s reprimand on the issues of language (agreeing that Rancourt should not have advertised the course as bilingual when it was only officially approved in French) and level (agreeing that Rancourt should not have characterized PHY 1703 as a graduate course), while agreeing with Rancourt that parts were not appropriate. The university redrafted the letter of reprimand to reflect the arbitrator’s decision, which remained in his file.

The "Activism Course"

More than 400 students and community members attended the first class of the Activism Course in September 2006, seen seated in the Marion Hall auditorium.

Following the conclusion of PHY 1703 at the end of 2005, Rancourt and student supporters campaigned to have the university approve a new Science faculty course that would be officially advertised as a pass/fail, student-directed course. The approval process – which spanned nine months and involved 16 committees - was significant both for its relative difficulty (i.e., length and number of committees involved) and the fact that it was heavily driven by undergraduate students[citation needed]. The course was officially approved in a special senate meeting in the summer of 2006 as SCI 1101, Science in Society. Although it would be offered by the Faculty of Science, courses with SCI prefixes do not count as science credits for students in that Faculty.[18][19]

SCI 1101

The first and only session of SCI 1101 was held during the fall term of 2006. The first three-hour long class generated media coverage because of its controversial history and a guest lecture by Malalai Joya, an outspoken Afghan politician, then a member of her country’s Wolesi Jirga.[20] In May 2007, Rancourt's course load for the fall of 2007 did not include SCI 1101. Rancourt responded on 18 May by filing a $10 million grievance against the university for not allowing him to teach the course, which he argued violated his academic freedom.[21]

Lawsuits

Two ten year old brothers were deregistered from SCI 1101 in January 2009. The University of Ottawa stated the students were deregistered because they did not meet the criteria for enrolment in the course, while the deregistered individuals' mother cited age discrimination. Rancourt publicly supported the mother's initiative to file a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, as minors must file a complaint to the tribunal through their parent or guardians[citation needed].

On November 23, 2006, five students in SCI 1101 sued the University of Ottawa in small claims court, alleging that the workshop-based class needed more than the two teaching assistants (TAs) that had been assigned to the course. Rancourt publicly supported the lawsuit saying a TA was need for each workgroup, of which there were more than two.[22]

Suspension and Dismissal

On November 22, 2008, Rancourt was blocked from entering his physics laboratory in the MacDonald Hall building. In the student newspaper The Fulcrum, the University's Director of Communications, Andrée Dumulon, stated that “[a]ccess was prohibited because we found that there were some unauthorized individuals in the lab.” Rancourt complained that the administration did not justify or explain the action. Rancourt has since been barred from accessing the laboratory.[23]

On December 10, 2008, Rancourt was provided with two letters by administration officials.[citation needed] The first letter indicated that he was under administrative suspension and banned from campus, while the second indicated that the Dean of the Faculty of Science had recommended to the Board of Governors that Rancourt be fired. The stated reason for the University of Ottawa's actions was Rancourt's assigning of A+ grades to all students in his fourth-year physics courses in the Winter 2008 term. These courses include Quantum Mechanics (a required course) and Solid State Physics.[citation needed]

Rancourt states the administration's actions in general, and his dismissal in particular, are influenced in part by the Israel and Jewish lobby and the military-industrial complex.[24][25][26] Describing university of Ottawa president Allan Rock as a point-man of the Israel lobby,[27] he has stated that his dismissal may be related to his political views, specifically his position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.[28]

CAUT Review

In November 2008, the Canadian Association of University Teachers announced that it would establish an Independent Committee of Inquiry (ICOI) with terms of reference to: 1) “examine the series of ongoing disputes between Rancourt and the University of Ottawa”; 2) “to determine whether there were breaches or threats to academic freedom and other faculty rights”; and 3) “to make any appropriate recommendations.” The Committee consists of three professors from York University, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Rider University. The Committee does not have a fixed time line to work with, but previous ICOI's have generally taken two years to complete their investigation and publish a final report.[23][29]

Other campus activities

Rancourt has pursued other activities on campus, including a film series and the Five O'Clock Train radio program on CHUO-FM.[30] Rancourt was the videographer for ACTivist Magazine's No Code short film documenting the riotous opposition to the Code on campus.[31]

Rancourt hosted a film series, Cinema Politica, since 2005 until the university stopped providing space for the event in 2008.[32] In the previous year, a deaf student had filed a human rights complaint against the University of Ottawa for refusing to pay the cost of sign language interpretation during Cinema Politica events, although these events are not sponsored by the University or part of any curriculum. Rancourt has contested this position and appeared before the Ontario Human Rights Commission in September 2008 to make his case that Cinema Politica should be recognized as part of his official workload.[33] Rancourt continues to host the Cinema Politica event, renamed Cinema Academica, with the aid of another professor who books the room for him. [34][35] While holding this event on January 23, 2009, Rancourt was arrested and issued a trespassing ticket for being on school grounds. [36]

Climate change essay

In December, 2007, Rancourt published a controversial essay disputing climate change science through his blog.[37] On 26 October 2007, American Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) referred to the blog by Rancourt during a floor speech aimed at disputing evidence advanced by climate scientists. He noted that "Rancourt – a committed left-wing activist and scientist – believes environmentalists have been duped into promoting global warming as a crisis," and quoted several points from the blog.[38]

References

  1. ^ Fish, Stanley (2009-02-08). "The Two Languages of Academic Freedom". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ Department of Physics website. University of Ottawa. Accessed February 22, 2009.
  3. ^ Rancourt D. G., and Ping, J. Y., "Voigt-based methods for arbitrary-shape static hyperfine parameter distributions in Mössbauer spectroscopy", Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B, Volume 58, Issue 1, p. 85-97 [1]
  4. ^ Recoil software page [2]
  5. ^ Rancourt D. G. et al., "Interplay of surface conditions, particle size, stoichiometry, cell parameters, and magnetism in synthetic hematite-like materials", Hyperfine Interactions, Volume 117, Numbers 1-4, December 1998, p. 271-319 [3]
  6. ^ Rancourt D. G., "Invar Behavior in Fe-Ni Alloys is Predominantly a Local Moment Effect Arising from the Magnetic Exchange Interactions Between High Moments", Phase Transitions, Volume 75, Issue 1 & 2 2002 , pages 201 - 209 [4]
  7. ^ Rancourt D. G. et al., “The superparamagnetism of very small particles supported by zeolite-Y”, Hyperfine Interactions, Volume 16, Numbers 1-4 / December, 1983, 653-656 [5]
  8. ^ Rancourt D. G. and Daniels, J. M., “Influence of unequal magnetization direction probabilities on the Mössbauer spectra of superparamagnetic particles”, Physical Review Rev B, Vol. 29, Iss. 5 (1984), 2410-2414 [6]
  9. ^ Rancourt, D. G., “Magnetism of earth, planetary, and environmental nanomaterials”, Reviews in mineralogy and geochemistry, 2001, vol. 44, pp. 217-292 [7]
  10. ^ Rancourt, D. G., and Meunier, J-F, “Constraints on structural models of ferrihydrite as a nanocrystalline material”, American Mineralogist, August 2008, v. 93, no. 8-9, p. 1412-1417[8]
  11. ^ Fish, Stanley (2009-02-08). "The Two Languages of Academic Freedom". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ Anderssen, Erin (2009-02-06). "Professor makes his mark, but it costs him his job". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  13. ^ Stuart Trew, "Understanding Power", Ottawa X-Press, 5 January 2006 [9]
  14. ^ Julie Fortier, “A roundup of local news,” Ottawa X-Press, 6 October 2005.
  15. ^ Pauline Tam, "U of O colleagues join critics of professor's activism course," Ottawa Citizen, 22 January 2006 [10]
  16. ^ Laura Czekaj, “Activism down to a science”, Ottawa Sun, 10 July 2007 [11]
  17. ^ Michael Olender, “New in brief: Arbitration ruling in Rancourt reprimand calls for redraft,” The Fulcrum, 24 July 2008 [12]
  18. ^ ”Toujours l’impasse,” La Rotonde, 3 A pril 2006 [13]
  19. ^ Melanie Wood, “While you were out”, The Fulcrum, 7-13 September 2006, [14]
  20. ^ Brian Adeba, “Afghan MP Malalai Joya continues to criticize her government”, Embassy, 20 September 2006 [15]
  21. ^ “Professor sues U of O over ‘activism course’, Ottawa Citizen, 7 June 2006
  22. ^ "Ottawa students sue for more teaching assistants", CBC News Online, 27 November 2006 [16]
  23. ^ a b "Laboratory Lockout, CAUT Review for Rancourt", The Fulcrum [17]
  24. ^ Rancourt blâme le « lobby israélien La Rotonde. January 9, 2009.
  25. ^ Rancourt arrêté et poursuivi. La Rotonde. January 26, 2009.
  26. ^ Denis-la-mitraille. La Rotonde. January 12, 2009
  27. ^ U of O suspends Rancourt. The Fulcrum. January 21, 2009.
  28. ^ Jesse Freeston, "Dismissing critical pedagogy: Denis Rancourt vs. University of Ottawa", Rabble.ca, 12 January 2009 [18]
  29. ^ "CAUT Appoints Committee to Investigate Ottawa U Rancourt Case", CAUT Bulletin, January 2009 [19]
  30. ^ CHUO=FM schedule [20]
  31. ^ No Code by ACTivist Magazine:[21]
  32. ^ Emma Godmere, "Ottawa Cinema Politica banned from campus" The Fulcrum, September 2008 [22]
  33. ^ Aedan Helmer, "Denis The Menace", Ottawa Sun, 11 September 2008 [23]
  34. ^ Caroline Barrière, "Cinéma politica sans local", Le Droit, 25 August 2008 [24]
  35. ^ "Death to Cinema Politica: A Question of Academic Freedom", (Cult)ure Magazine, October 2008 [25]
  36. ^ Anderssen, Erin (2009-02-06). "Professor makes his mark, but it costs him his job". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  37. ^ Global Warming: Truth or Dare? - Denis Rancourt, February 27, 2007 [26]
  38. ^ "Inhofe reveals how scientists and activists believe global warming has ‘co-opted’ the environmental movement," US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, 26 October 2007 [27]
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