Univ. of Washington, Geography 495C syllabus

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Geography 495C, (2 credits)
Spring 2001
INTELLECTUAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR GEOGRAPHERS

Contents of this page:

When, Where, Who

Objectives and Opportunities

Prerequisites

Requirements

Schedule

TIME, PLACE, AND INSTRUCTORS
Class Meetings: Thursdays 3:00 - 4:30 p.m., Smith Hall 415-C (Geography Collaboratory)
Professor James W. Harrington, 408 Smith Hall, jwh@u.washington.edu
Dr. Richard Roth, 415 Smith Hall, rroth@u.washington.edu
Office Hours: By appointment (send e-mail)

OBJECTIVES
The overriding objective is for participants to assess, and develop ways to describe, who they are and what they can do professionally. Other important objectives include identifying ways to think about starting and maintaining a professional career, and providing feedback and commentary about the Geography program.

OPPORTUNITIES
To assist participants' ability to attain these objectives, the instructors have arranged:

examples of learning and professional portfolios
introduction and explanation of the undergraduate program's learning objectives
two panels of visiting alumni
a panel of graduate and professional students
a departmental "exit survey" for participants to complete and assess
readings and discussions of how people begin and negotiate professional careers

PREREQUISITES
Senior standing as a Geography major at UW.

REQUIREMENTS
The key course requirements are

developing a portfolio that exhibits the participant's intellectual and professional development
developing a basic, professional resume (or a goals statement for application to graduate or professional school)
reading, discussing, and writing brief synopses of published materials describing how people get professional jobs, prescribing how to conduct a search for employment, and how to select a graduate-degree program

Bolles, R.N. 2001. What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers. Berkeley CA: Ten-Speed Press.
Granovetter, M. 1995. Getting a Job: A Study of Contacts and Careers, 2nd ed. Chicago: U. Chicago Press.
Hornbeck, D. 1989. So...you wanna go to graduate school? M. Kenzer, ed. On Becoming a Professional Geographer, pp. 10-16. Caldwell NJ: The Blackburn Press.

completing and discussing the Department's exit survey for majors

Students will be graded on all requirements, with an approximate weighting of 50:20:20:10. Total scores (on a scale of 0 - 100) will translate into final grades (on a scale of 0.0 - 4.0) approximately according to the scale below: the instructor may be more lenient than this.

**Schedule of Points and Grades**
TOTAL POINTS (OF 100)	FINAL GRADE
90 - 100 points	3.6 - 4.0
70 - 89 points	2.5 - 3.5
60 - 69 points	1.5 - 2.4
46 - 59 points	0.7 - 1.4
0 - 45 points	0.0

Incomplete work. [From the University Registrar's website] A grade of “I” (Incomplete) is given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work until within two weeks of the end of the quarter and has furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control. To obtain credit for the course, an undergraduate student must convert an Incomplete into a passing grade no later than the last day of the next quarter. The student should never reregister for the course as a means of removing the Incomplete. An Incomplete grade not made up by the end of the next quarter is converted to the grade of 0.0 by the Registrar unless the instructor has indicated, when assigning the Incomplete grade, that a grade other than 0.0 should be recorded if the incomplete work is not completed. The original Incomplete grade is not removed from the permanent record.

SCHEDULE (assigned reading and synopses should be completed before the class meets)

Thursday 29 March
Introductions and overview
Learning objectives and outcomes
Portfolios (for learning, for presentation, for professional development)

Thursday 5 April
Why and how to develop language for one's capabilities?
prepare current websites (or other portfolio formats) for class viewing
discuss Bolles's Chapter 2-4

Thursday 12 April
Searching for a job versus creating a position
discuss and prepare synopses of Granovetter's Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2 (see questions)

Thursday 19 April
Alumni panel: professional development strategies

Thursday 26 April: this session will run until 5:30
Identifying and naming major skills
discuss Bolles's Chapter 5

Thursday 3 May
Alumni panel: professional development strategies

Thursday 10 May
Resume workshop

Thursday 17 May
Panel: paths to graduate or professional school
discuss Hornbeck's chapter in Kenzer

Thursday 24 May
Presentations of Portfolios

Thursday 31 May
Looking back at the undergraduate program; looking ahead to professional strategies
complete exit surveys; comment on the survey questions
discuss and prepare synopses for Granovetter's Chapters 5 and 6 (see questions)