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<P ALIGN="LEFT">This web-site is dedicated to people interested
in the research program known as " course-of-action ", either
to take part in it, or to draw a part of their inspiration
from it, or to contest it. It presents a selection of texts,
past or current, not easy to find, written by Jacques Theureau,
alone or among other authors. The list of publications allows
to exceed the limits of this selection.</P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT">The links with other web-sites, which will develop
gradually, allow to explore the research made by some of those
who are collaborating or have collaborated at various degrees
with this research program. The page " Other authors " and
its possible correspondent in the page " List of publications
" can welcome works by authors involved in the development
of the research program, especially PhD theses, if needed,
for example if these works are not themselves on some other
site. When it will be the case, we will signal it in this
welcome page. Therefore, this web-site and its organisation
may evolve and enrich. It's only a beginning...</P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT">Let's remind that this research program developed
in different stages since its beginning in 1973 : 1973-1976
: epistemological, ethical and political criticism end methodological
essays ; 1977-1986 : eclecticism in theory end development
of a methodology of course-of-action centered design ; 1987-1994
: first semio-logical theoretical framework ; 1995-nowadays
: second semio-logical theoretical framework. This research
program was developed by Jacques Theureau, with Bernard Tort
(from 1974 up to 1976), with Leonardo Pinsky (from 1979 up
to 1990), and, from 1983 up to now, with different PhD students
who usually continued to collaborate more or less regularly
after their PhD through different study groups or associations
and different research and development projects. Also, differnt
researchers with different research programs, partly similar,
partly complementary and partly alternative, collaborate to
it.</P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"> This resarch program connects three research
programs, qualitatively different and unequally developed
:</P>
<DIV ALIGN="LEFT">
<UL>
<LI>in <B>cognitive anthropology</B> of modern situations,
the main notions of which are today : course-of-action
; collective interlinking of courses-of-action ; course-of-experience
; structural coupling ; hexadic sign ; significant structures
; principle of the primacy of the analysis of the course-of-experience
on that of the structural coupling in its totality ; distinctions
between model and modelling, between analytical and sunthetical
modelling and between empirical analytical and empirical
synthetical models. <BR>
</LI>
<LI>in <B>ergonomics</B> and - but with less developments
- in other technologies like professional training, organisation,
management, domotics, the main notions of which are :
situation ; support situation ; iteration of analysed
situations ; distinction between empirical model and model
for design. <BR>
</LI>
<LI>In <B>philosophy</B>, on one hand as speculative antechamber
for creating notions and methods of the two first research
programs, on the other hand as reflection in epistemology,
ethics, philosophical anthropology and political philosophy
parallel to the same two first programs. </LI>
</UL>
</DIV>
<P ALIGN="LEFT">During the last few years, more specific research
programs in sport performance, sport training and teaching,
have contributed significantly to the development of these
three research programs. We will do our best to give them
a place with the persons involved in them.</P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT">This web-site has no ambition in matter of reflection
about historical evolution of notions and methods or thematical
grouping. It presents only texts according to document types.
The history and themes have to be reconstructed by the reader
with the help of some of the texts presented and of the short
notices of presentation.</P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT">The content of these web-pages may evolve, not
only with the ungoing rersearch work, but also with the possible
scanning of old texts if occasion arises. The texts presented
today are indicated in bold type in the list of publication.</P>
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<P>The presentation of the texts follows the order : <BR>
- authors / date of publication / title / occasion / presentation
/ link to pdf file.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Last modification : April 2003</P>
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<p align="center"><i><b><a href="mailto:jacques.theureau@utc.fr">Contact
: jacques.theureau@ircam.fr</a></b></i></p>
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<P> </P>
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