Each of the courses described here incorporates many (though not all) aspects of experiential learning. Together, they provide a snapshot of some of the best ways that aspects of experiential learning are currently being integrated into H&S courses. For brief descriptions of each of the models, click on the link to the left called "Experiential Learning Models."
Sociology 31200 - “Culture and Society: An International Field
Experience”
Alicia Swords, Assistant
Professor, Department of Sociology
In this course, students learn about contemporary and historical political and economic processes in the Dominican Republic. Topics include race relations, human rights, colonial and neocolonial relations, the environment and sustainability, and the experience of immigrants to the United States. In exploring these topics, students analyze social conflicts and draw on the sociology of race, class, gender, and sexuality. This academic study prepares them for the three-week cultural immersion experience in the Dominican Republic that concludes the course.
While in the Dominican Republic, students interact in daily-life contexts with Dominican students,
community members. and members of social change organizations. In addition, they are introduced
to sites of contemporary and historical significance, including museums, colonial areas, and urban and
rural sectors; academic, professional, and community experts provide presentations on sociological and
historical processes in the Caribbean to deepen students’ understanding of these sites and
organizations. Regular group meetings and writing sessions provide space for the students to
reflect on their experiences. Students are encouraged to share their experiences with college and
community groups when they return.
Biology/Environmental Studies 38000 - “Field Studies: Tropical
Ecology”
Susan Allen-Gil, Associate
Professor, Department of Biology
In this course, students examine the structure and function of tropical ecosystems. We explore the unique characteristics of a variety of forest types (cloud forests, rainforests, and dry tropical forests) and coastal systems (mangrove swamps and coral reefs) to gain an appreciation for the incredible biodiversity these ecosystems support. We also explore the anthropogenic threats to these ecosystems, including overharvesting of natural resources, population growth, industrialized agriculture, and tourism. This academic study prepares students for a concluding applied learning experience in Costa Rica.
The learning experience in Costa Rica includes field studies of such sites as volcanoes, cloud forests, wet rainforests, dry forests, and coastal ecosystems. In these field studies, students have the opportunity to experience first-hand the way in which humans are embedded in and have an impact on not only human communities, but ecological systems more generally. Each evening, students discuss what we learned from the day’s field experience, and students keep a journal to reflect on the field experiences in Costa Rica. Click here to see the course syllabus.
Art History 49200 - “Exhibition Seminar”
Cheryl Kramer, Assistant Professor, Department of Art History and Director, Handwerker
Gallery
In this course, students have the opportunity to develop an art exhibition that is displayed in the Handwerker Gallery. Working collaboratively, with mentorship by the professor, students plan, organize, and install the exhibition. Students work on all aspects of the exhibition. They design and write the exhibition catalogue and develop supplementary materials. They develop and implement programming that relates to the exhibition, such as gallery talks by artists or scholarly experts on the art.
This student-curated exhibition provides students with a hands-on case study through which they
can explore the larger social, historical and theoretical issues surrounding the cultural phenomenon of
museum exhibitions. To help students integrate these larger academic issues with the practical
work of mounting an exhibition, the course also makes use of roundtable discussions, field trips to
galleries and museums, workshops with artists and museum curators, lectures, demonstrations, and
presentations. Throughout the semester, students reflect, in writing, on the challenges, both
theoretical and practical, in each phase of exhibition development from the original idea to its full
realization. This course is offered regularly, but not every year. During the fall 2007 semester,
students prepared an exhibition of
Inuit Art, donated by an alumna of Ithaca College.
Writing 45000 – “Internship: Writing”
Barbara Adams, Assistant
Professor, Writing Department, and Director, Internship Program in Writing and Publishing
The internship program in the Department of Writing helps place qualified students at writing-related sites during the academic year, winter break, and summer. For academic credit, juniors and seniors engage in work under the supervision of a practicing professional at sites such as newspapers, magazines, publishing companies, public relations firms, arts, science, and media organizations, as well as a variety of other corporate and nonprofit enterprises. Students eligible to apply are writing majors and minors, but other students are accepted on a case-by-case basis. All students write, publish, and/or do grant writing and development at their sites. Interns keep daily logs of their activities and write a final report describing and evaluating their experience. Their work is assessed at term’s end by their faculty sponsor, who has visited them and their site supervisor during the course of the internship. Many students who have successfully completed one internship seek out another intern experience before graduating.
Academic-year internships in the Ithaca area include sites such as The Ithaca Journal, Cornell Alumni Magazine, Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine, SPCA, Kitchen Theatre, Moving Box Productions, etc. Writing’s internship program also works in conjunction with IC’s Washington D.C. program, where our students have completed writing internships at sites such as National Geographic Magazine, Roll Call, and DC Central Kitchen. Students interested in summer internships apply to Writing’s formal program conducted by the internship program director. Here, over the course of the academic year, they receive professional guidance in locating internships and in developing resumes and cover letters. Job skills and expectations are also addressed. Although many summer interns go to sites in New York City, Boston, or D.C., others have found placement across the U.S., ranging from Oregon (Portland Monthly Magazine) to Montana (Outside Bozeman magazine).
Psychology 30200 - Research Team
Research Team is a three-semester sequence that is required of all students getting a B.A. in psychology. The psychology department has ten active research teams, each of which offers students the opportunity to work with their professors in the creation of original research. The experience spans three semesters with the same team and provides exposure to opportunities to learn both about the research process and about a field of interest to the student. Click here for details on all the Research Teams; below is one example.
Research Team 7 — Psychology of Media and Media Literacy
Supervisor: Cynthia Scheibe, Associate Professor,
Department of Psychology
This research team is part of the Center for Research on the Effects of Television (CRETV). Student
members of Prof. Scheibe’s research team participate in all aspects of the research process and
the overall running of CRETV, including: designing, running, and analyzing the data from studies of
television content and media effects; working with teachers and students in local elementary and middle
schools to implement and evaluate media literacy interventions as part of the K-12 curriculum; and
collecting, coding, and maintaining the large CRETV television archive. All members of her team may
attend one or more research conferences to present their work and many help co-author articles about
their research.
Biology 30200 - Research in Biology
As part of the biology major, all students carry out one semester of research under the supervision of a faculty member in the department. These research opportunities reflect the wide range of research interests that faculty pursue (click here for more information). In addition to on-campus research, students may arrange with an IC faculty member to pursue a research experience off-campus similar to that provided by on-campus research. Undergraduate participation in original research gives students the chance to experience firsthand what the science of biology is really about. Students may complete the research requirement by conducting research on campus during either the academic year or the summer.In both cases, the student must submit a written report describing the project and its outcome. In addition, the student must give an oral presentation describing his/her research at a departmental seminar at the end of the research period. One example of this research course is below.
Research Section 7
Supervisor: Susan Swensen, Associate Professor,
Department of Biology
Research in this section addresses evolutionary questions about a variety of organisms, but focuses on plants and the evolution of plant interactions with other organisms (e.g. bacteria, insects). Much of the work involves DNA analysis in the lab, including extracting DNA from plants and insects, amplifying genes of interest using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA sequencing, computer-based analysis of data, and phylogeny reconstruction. Additionally, several projects are available that focus on a variety of issues relating to sustainability. In the past, students have worked on projects involving energy use in our building, a pilot green roof for CNS, and a greenhouse gas inventory for Ithaca College. www.ithaca.edu/cnsus.
Education 37000 - “Culture and Community in Education and Teaching”
Jeff Claus, Associate
Professor, Department of Education
This three-credit course offers students an exploration of the cultural dynamics of education and teaching for the purpose of becoming more skilled at creating effective educational experiences for diverse youth. Through reading, projects, community-based work with youth, and class sessions with diverse educators and others from the community, the course investigates how to incorporate knowledge about race, ethnicity, social class, and other important aspects of culture into educational planning. This course especially helps students from a wide range of disciplines and majors become more effective at working and connecting with African American, Latino, and Asian American youth and families. All students in the course work a minimum of three hours a week with youth in a community program or school, and they develop projects specific to their interests and community placements. Responsibilities and assignments include class participation, journal writing, and midterm and final papers/projects.
Writing 31700 - “Proposals, Grants, and Reports: Tools for Managing Social
Change”
Patricia B. Spencer,
Assistant Professor, Department of Writing
This three-credit course, which caps the department’s Professional and Technical Writing curriculum, provides a unique writing forum for majors and non-majors interested in producing long documents, specifically proposals, for non-profit organizations, government agencies, and corporations. Students address problems/opportunities in the local community, while immersed in group problem-solving and proposal-development experiences with a community partner and a 4-6 person project team. Team members are introduced to research techniques, project management, editing, and document design. A range of options are pitched at the beginning of the course, and students choose their project of focus. A final presentation to the community partner and potential local sponsors, and an end-of-semester reflection on the service-learning experience are also required.
Previous projects have included:
