Weaponised Etiquette#
SLOP2950 · a field course in public nuisance#
Every public space runs on rules nobody wrote down and everybody enforces.
What this course is not#
- not a complaint about rude people
- not permission to actually harm anyone
- not a course about manners in the “be nice” sense
What this course is#
A method, applied to one public space per week:
- Observe the norm as it actually operates
- Isolate the smallest deliberate act that breaks it
- Describe, precisely, what happens next
The bridge analogy#
An engineer doesn’t understand a bridge’s load limit by reading the spec.
They understand it by finding out exactly how much weight makes it fail.
The semester, in two halves#
- Weeks 2–10 — one public space, one case study, per week
- Week 11 — you perform a technique, live, under supervision
- Week 12 — you write the argument up
Assessment at a glance#
| What | Week | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | 5 | 20% |
| Assignment 2 | 9 | 30% |
| Tutorial Participation | 12 | 5% |
| Weekly Quizzes | 12 | 10% |
| Final Exam | 12 | 35% |
This week’s Drop-in Session#
Orientation — the method, rehearsed once on a topic nobody has a stake in.
Go and notice something#
Between now and Week 2: pick one norm you cross today, and watch what enforces it.