SUNY College of
Environmental Science and Forestry
Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions
Spring 2004 (FOR 496-10 & 797-2)
Class meets Tuesdays, 4:00 – 5:00, 213 Marshall Hall unless there is a speaker
|
Instructor |
Speaker coordinator |
|
Diane Kuehn |
Heather Engelman |
|
205 |
218 |
|
470-6561 |
315-470-4877 |
Course
Overview:
Women
in Scientific and Environmental Professions is a 1-credit, college-wide seminar geared towards a diversity of
students from various departments at ESF. The main goal of the course is to
provide an open forum for female and male faculty and students to interact and
discuss gender issues pertaining to academia and other professional arenas. The
course consists of one hour of lecture or discussion per week, with
opportunities to interact with female professionals outside of class. Updates
to this syllabus can be found at: http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/syl2004.htm .
Course
Objectives:
After completing this course, the student should be able to:
Course Layout:
The
schedule consists of two required types of meetings: discussions of general
interest topics facilitated by class members and guest speaker presentations
that comprise the ESF "Women in Scientific and Environmental
Professions" public lecture series (http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/speakers.htm). In
addition, students are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities to
interact with the visiting presenters through mentoring dinners.
Students’
responsibilities:
This course meets the requirements of a graduate seminar. This means that students have the primary responsibility for organizing and leading class discussions on selected topics. In addition, the instructors have recruited prominent female professionals in different fields to speak at ESF. Students are responsible for arranging the schedules of these speakers during their visit to ESF, and helping to make their visits to ESF memorable and productive.
Specifically,
students are responsible for the following:
1.
Assist in the arrangements for one speaker (25% of your grade). You or a pair of you will develop a
schedule for one speaker during her visit. "Instructions for Student
Hosts" offers tips and recommended timelines. Specifically, you are
responsible for:
a. Arranging meetings with interested students and faculty (generally at ESF, but SU, Upstate, and some local groups might also request an audience);
b. Arranging speaker pick-up and drop-off at the airport if needed;
c. Making arrangements for a post-lecture reception; and
d. Making arrangements for one mentoring dinner with the speaker and class participants.
To assist you, the instructors will take primary responsibility for sending out e-mails to ESF faculty, and arranging overnight accommodations, parking, publicity, reimbursements to the speaker for travel expenses, and reimbursements to students for the reception and any other out-of-pocket expenses associated with these visits. We have also made initial contact with the speakers, their sponsors, and faculty members offering their homes for the mentoring dinners.
2. Write a press release on the speaker's presentation (15%). Following the speaker's visit, the hosting student(s) will (jointly) write a brief press release about the speaker’s presentation. Press releases are to be submitted electronically to the instructors by the Tuesday following the speaker's presentation; the instructors will then forward it to the Knothole and sponsors on your behalf. The press release should include the speaker’s name and affiliation, the title of the presentation, presentation sponsors, and a summary of the presentation, and conclude with biographical information about the speaker.
3. Facilitate a discussion on one
general interest topic (20%).
Each student will lead or co-lead a discussion on one general interest topic
listed below in the class schedule. The articles that each student is required
to read in preparation for class discussions are listed below each topic. These
articles have been considered very informative by previous classes, but you may choose additional or
different articles for your class facilitation. If articles are not listed for
a topic, it is the student’s responsibility to invite guest speakers or to
choose and distribute articles for the discussion. The student facilitator(s)
should prepare questions based on the articles or invited guests’ interests
that will foster class discussion. You may find Bloom's
taxonomy (http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html)
useful in developing questions. Discussion questions should be typed for
distribution in class. The student should give the instructor the typed
questions at least one day prior to class so that photocopies can be made. The
instructors encourage you to discuss with them any questions, discussion
strategies, etc. prior to your class discussion.
4. Write two brief paragraphs stating the two most important points of your facilitated session (10%). The paragraphs should be no more that two to three sentences each, and should state the two most important discussion points resulting from the class that you facilitate. These should be e-mailed to the instructor by the Tuesday following your facilitated discussion.
5. Weekly class participation (30%). Every student is expected to participate in class discussions on a weekly basis by:
a. Reading the assigned articles and participating in the class discussion (15%).
b. Completing a discussion assessment form at the end
of each session (15%). Discussion assessment forms are due to the teacher
by the Tuesday following the session. Anonymous copies will be given to the
discussion facilitator to help them improve their facilitation skills. The instructors will assess and grade the
original assessments and return them for the purpose of improving the
constructive commentary of students.
c. Attending the "Women in Scientific and
Environmental Professions" Lecture Series that has been scheduled during
the normal class meeting time. There will be a 10% deduction in final class
grades for each lecture missed, so please do not miss these lectures. You are
also invited to join the speaker for an optional mentoring dinner.
Deductions for lateness:
Written assignments and discussion evaluations are
due to the instructor by the following class. Deductions of 10 points per day
for each day that assignments are late will be made on written assignments that
are received after the due date.
Instructor responsibilities:
The
instructors will answer any questions the student facilitator(s) have
concerning appropriate questions for class discussions and will facilitate
interactions between the speaker and sponsors. The instructor will grade
discussion assessment forms and written assignments and will provide
constructive commentary in a timely manner. The instructors view this syllabus
and its development as a work in progress, and we expect to modify it during
the semester to better meet the needs of the students and speakers.
Schedule
for Spring 2004
January 13: Introductions, expectations, and speaker preparations
January 20: Discussion on career patterns of women with demonstration of facilitation skills. Diane Kuehn to facilitate.
January 27 : Seminar:
Dr. Deborah Swackhamer,
Professor, School of Public Health,
February 3: Discussion: Mentoring
February 10: Discussion: Women's Voices and/or learning styles
February 17: Seminar: Dr. Karla Henderson, Professor and
Chair, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies,
February 24: Discussion: Campus Climate
March 2: Seminar: Diana Bendz, Senior Location
Executive, IBM Corporation,
March 9: Spring Break
March 16: Mid-course evaluation
March 23: Discussion: Balancing work and family
March 30: Discussion: Productivity differences in women and men
April 6: Seminar: Dr.
Christine Sloane , Director, FreedomCAR and
Technology Strategy, General Motors Inc.,
April 13: Discussion: Whistle-blowing and harassment
issues
·
Facilitator
responsible for choosing readings (if any) or inviting guests.
April 20: International and cultural perspectives on women in science: An invited panel
April 27: Discussion: Personal and Professional Strategies (Course Wrap-Up)