The Ithaca College Summer Institute
Sustainability: People, Connections, and Global Functioning
Theme Course
Ecological Biology
The world is rapidly changing: it is hotter, rainfall patterns are changing, sea level is rising, ecosystems are being replaced and destroyed, plants and animals are going extinct. An immediate result of these changes is that the number of people who have been forced from their homes due to environmental crises has exceeded all other causes combined. This course will take students through several levels of nature/ecological awareness and learning to identify the group or organisms that we live and interact with; and how the plants, animals and other organisms are participating in the ecosystem processes that allow them (and us) to exist here. Time will be spent outdoors. Students will learn to truly experience the world around us with all our senses, and gain an appreciation of the plants, mammals, birds, ecological indicators, and natural hazards in our area.
Instructor: Jason Hamilton, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology (For more information on Professor Hamilton’s work, please go to http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/biology/facstaff/jhamilton/
Academic Success
The purpose of Academic Success is to enable students to increase the levels of self-awareness regarding who they are as learners; and to help them discover and achieve their potential at Ithaca College. Students will learn more about their preferred learning styles, strengths & challenges, and productive & “not-so” productive study habits. Students will be introduced to a variety of tools, strategies, people and resources; and encouraged to utilize them to support their academic achievement and success throughout their four years at IC. Finally, students will have the opportunity to develop an individualized Academic Success Plan as a springboard for the first semester on campus in the fall.
Instructor: Beth Howland, Assistant Director for First Year Academic Services and Academic Programs
African Americans & the Modern Civil Rights Movement
This course will examine the African American push for civil rights from 1940 – 1980. Students will gain insight into the movement as it evolved from moments of non-violent mass organizing and protests into the realm of Black Power and electoral politics. Using Robert Weisbrot’s Freedom Bound: A History of American’s Civil Rights Movement as a core text, students will critically engage the following issues: tactics such as nonviolence and self-defense; the benefits and liabilities of coalition politics; and the advent of Black Power.
Instructor: Jessica Harris, MA., Ph.D. Candidate in History, Cornell University
Career Exploration & Development
Although graduation may seem far away, recent graduates will tell you that it arrives quickly. Many students delay career development until very late in their collegiate life, adding additional pressure to an already full schedule. With strategic active planning over four years, your stress will be greatly reduced as graduation approaches, giving you the confidence and professional tools to transition to your first experience after college.
There are four concentrations that the course will explore:
1. Exploration
• How to get to know yourself—your values, skills, & interests
2. Examination
• How to gather information about career options
3. Experience
• How to gain experience via internships, job shadowing, & volunteering
4. Employment & Education
• How to network in your chosen field and attain your career goal
Instructor: Robert Earl, Assistant Director, Career Services
College Writing
Designed to help students learn how to write papers during their college career. To this end, the focus will be on learning to read and think critically, to develop effective discussion skills, and to write short essays and clear, vigorous responses to readings. The core theme of all readings and written assignments will focus on the Summer Institute theme of Sustainability.
Instructors: Emily Johnson and Robert Danberg, Academic Consultants, Academic Enrichment
Services
Mathematics
Fundamentals of Mathematics - This is a basic course examining college algebra, functions, exponents, fractions, and percentages. Students will learn the necessary reasoning skills to help them master college level mathematics.
Instructor: Jack Vanderzee, M.S., Adjunct Assistant Professor of Mathematics/Academic Consultant, Academic Enrichment Services
Statistics
This course will introduce students to the study of descriptive statistics including graphical representation of data, measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion and analysis of data involving correlation and regression. In addition, students will be encouraged to apply this knowledge through the reading of scholarly journals and the completion of a small research activity.
Instructor: Leslie Schettino, Director, Academic Support Services for Students with Disabilities/Instructor of Mathematics, Tompkins Cortland Community College
**********************************************************************************
Click here to download the Course Overview
