Week 1: August 28
(Re)Introducing Ourselves
Class Time
- Introductions
- About this Course:
- Activity: Revisiting and Mapping our IDS Majors
- Activity:
- ePort: (Re)Introduction
Assignments: Due 9/4
- Feedback From: Fill out this feedback form before our next class!
- ePort: Dust off your ePort and Reintroduce yourself! Tell us about how your IDS program has gone. Tell us what you plan to do after graduating. Tell us what you did this summer. Just tell us something! SUBMIT ON CANVAS.
- Read & Reflect: Read It’s Time to Change College Majors as We Know Them As you read, think about how this article resonates with your own experience at PSU and in IDS. Do have a different perspective on “college majors” than you did when you started college? When you started IDS?
Note: You may need to create a free account on the Chronicle’s website using your PSU email address to view the entire article. - Activity: Complete the Skills Inventory and come to class prepared to talk about your results.
- Action Project: Begin thinking about your project and working on your proposal!
Week 2: September 4
Focus on Major Class Work: Action Project, Writing Portfolio, ePort
Class Time
- Review: Reading and Skills Inventory
- Research Activity: Starting your “Research Network”
- Discuss & Plan: Action Projects brainstorming continued
- ePort Work Time:
- Action Project Proposal Page
- Action Project Category
- Writing Portfolio Category
- Research Toolkit Page/Category
- Skills & Abilities Page
Assignments: Due 9/11
- ePort: Continue working on your ePort pages. Work on organizing and structuring your site.
- Read & Reflect: Read Digitalization and the American Workforce and reflect upon what the trends in digital technology mean for your future career goals. Do you know much about the technologies that you might need to master for your career? Do you feel prepared for the technology challenges that you may face in your career?
- Action Project: Continue working on your AP proposal!
Week 3: September 11
Technology in Your Major/Field
Class Time
- Discussion & Activity: Technology in your major
- Takeaways from article
- Rapid Research activity, (building your Research Toolkit)
- Group Feedback: Discuss your action project ideas
- Work Time: Action Project Proposal
- ePort Work time: Themes & Design
Assignments: Due 9/18
- ePort: Write a post about technology in your major/field. What kind of technology do you think you’ll need to be comfortable with in your future? What technology do you feel adept with from your time at PSU? What do you need to learn more about? SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Read & Reflect:
- Action Project: Complete your proposal and post to your ePort. SUBMIT ON CANVAS
Week 4: September 18
Demographics and Diversity in Your Major/Field
Class Time
- Discussion & Activity: Diversity in your major
- Takeaways from reading
- Rapid Research activity, (building your Research Toolkit)
- Writing Portfolio: Review & discuss first writing assignment: Your Resume.
- Check-Ins: Meet with Martha about your AP proposal
- ePort Work Time: Organization & Structure
Assignments: Due 9/25
- ePort: Write a post about diversity in your major/field based on the discussion and research today. What did you discover about the demographics and diversity of people who work in your chosen field? What about the people they interact with/serve? How does diversity impact the work of your field and what do you need to learn more about in this area? SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Watch, Read, & Reflect:
- Watch the video Interdisciplinarity from Matt Cheney,
- Review this excerpt on Phenomena (Content), Epistemologies, and Methods (Canvas login required) from Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies (Repko, Szostak, Buchberger; 2017)
- Think about how the video and the excerpt resonate with your own experience as an IDS major. Come to class next week prepared to discuss:
- Do you feel like your major has been more of a fruit salad or a fruit smoothie?
- Can you identify the content, method, and epistemologies of the various disciplines you combined in your program?
- What new kinds of knowledge do you think you’ve built for yourself through the combining of different disciplines?
- Have you been able to “practice” the combining of your disciplines in your coursework before now?
- Do you ever feel like your disciplines “contradict” each other? How do you navigate or reconcile those contradictions?
- What unexpected viewpoints has your IDS major offered you?
- Action Project: Work on your project!
- Writing Portfolio: First Draft of Resume SUBMIT ON CANVAS
Week 5: September 25
Interdisciplinarity and your Major
Class Time
- Discussion & Activity: Interdisciplinarity in your major
- Takeaways from reading
- Mapping our Disciplines Activity
- “Building” our IDS Major Activity
- Writing Portfolio: Review & discuss second writing assignment: IDS Topical Essay
- Work Time: ePort, Project updates, writing
Assignments: Due 10/2
- ePort: Post about today’s readings and at least one of the activities we completed in class this week. How can you strengthen your understanding of the relationship among the different fields in your IDS major? What do you need to learn more about or understand more deeply? SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Read & Reflection:
- Choose and read one of these articles about the impact of AI on jobs/the workforce (Canvas login required)
- Action Project: Post your first project update to your ePort. SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Writing Portfolio: First Draft of IDS Topical Essay SUBMIT ON CANVAS
Week 6: October 2
AI in Your Major
Class Time
Discussion & Activity
- AI Presentation
- Takeaways from reading
- Research
- Debating AI:
Overall, Generative AI will prove to be a positive influence on today’s workforce and career landscape and its benefits outweigh its risks.
Writing Portfolio: Review & discuss third writing assignment: Your Choice
Work Time: ePort, writing, project
Assignments: Due 10/9
- Six Week Self-Evaluation: Complete this short form to reflect upon your work in the class so far.
- ePort Post: Post about what you learned about AI this week and how you think it will impact your work in your field post-college. SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Action Project:
- Work on your project!
- Sign-up for a check-in meeting sometime between 10/7 and 10/18
- Writing Portfolio: First Draft of Your Choice piece. SUBMIT ON CANVAS
Week 7: October 9
No In-Person Class
Class Time -- NO IN PERSON CLASS THIS WEEK
Assignments: Due 10/16
- Virtual Writing Workshop: Martha will post instructions for this in Canvas by Saturday, 9/5.
- Writing Portfolio: Second Draft of Resume SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Action Project: Keep working and schedule a check-in meeting with Martha between October 14-18.
Week 8: October 16
Career Night
Class Time
CAREER NIGHT
- Career Services presentation
- Alumni Panel
Check-in on Deadlines & Work
Assignments: Due 10/23
- Writing Portfolio: Second draft of IDS Topical Essay. SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Assignment Catch-Up: Check Canvas to make sure you’re not missing any assignments.
- Action Project:
- Schedule your check-in with Martha .
- Keep working!
Week 9: October 23
No In-Person Class
Assignments: Due 10/30
- Project:
- Keep working & Second Project Update post on ePort SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Come to class next week prepared to share your project progress
- Writing Portfolio: Final version of Resume SUBMIT ON CANVAS
Week 10: October 30
Class Time
- Project Update Presentations
- Peer Editing Exercise
- Writing and ePort Time
Assignments: Due 11/6
- Project: Keep working!
- Writing Portfolio: Second draft of Your Choice piece. SUBMIT ON CANVAS
Week 11: November 6
Class Time
TBD
Assignments: Due 11/13
- Writing Portfolio: Final version of IDS Topical Essay SUBMIT ON CANVAS
- Project: Keep working & schedule another check-in with Martha between November 11-15
Week 12: November 13
Class Time
TBD
Assignments: Due 11/20
Project: Final Action Project DUE! Come to class prepared to share about it!
Writing Portfolio: Final version of Your Choice piece SUBMIT ON CANVAS
Week 13: November 20
Class Time
- Discussion & Activity:
Assignments: Due 12/4
Thanksgiving Break
Week 14: December 4
Class Time
TBD