Course Development Grants Recipients

The following are the 2005-2006 Course Development Grant recipients, with descriptions of their courses taken from their proposals.

Mark Gunty, of the Department of Sociology, is developing  a course for sociology undergraduates to be titled “Community Research Practicum.” This course will give students the opportunity to conduct research for community organizations in St. Joseph County. Building on skills developed in a prerequisite course on methods of sociological research, students will help local organizations evaluate effectiveness of their programs, conduct needs assessment, or do other kinds of empirical research. Students will work with representatives of organizations to articulate the research question, develop the methods for addressing those questions validly, resolve measurement issues, and collect appropriate data. The primary focus of the course is for students to learn how to put research skills at the service of the community.

Yih-Fang Huang is Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Daniel J. Costello, Jr., Bettex Professor of Electrical Engineering, with the assistance of two graduate students, will be developing a course entitled “Wireless Communications – The Technology and Impact of Anytime/Anywhere Connectivity.” Through this course, engineering and non-engineering students will gain a basic understanding of the technical, regulatory, and business aspects of the wireless revolution and its impact on society. Teams of students will work on specific projects in the local community. For example, students may work with local health organizations to study the impact of cell phones on health and how to minimize negative impact.

Jonathan Noble, of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, will be developing a course to be titled "To Serve an Ancient Village in China: Historical Preservation, Religious Life, and Teaching English.” Notre Dame students go to China through a program with the Council on International Education Exchange, or CIEE. Students who have participated in this program have expressed a desire for a Notre Dame-taught curriculum while in China, that provides them with greater opportunities for on-site learning, research, and service. The course Professor Noble will be developing will respond to this request. Though other students may enroll, the course will first target those going to China through CIEE. The eight to ten students in the course will participate in a series of classes prior to their departure to China, a two-day intensive orientation at Zhejiang Normal University in Zhejiang Province upon their arrival, a seven day on site immersion of learning and service, a two day closing retreat at Hangzhou University in the city of Hangzhou before leaving China, and a final presentation at Notre Dame.

Margie Pfeil, Assistant Professor in Theology, and Wilasa Vichit-Vadakan, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, will be developing a course entitled “The Ethics of Energy Conservation.” Students in this course will use the campus as a “trial laboratory” for measuring energy efficiency and thinking creatively about possible energy conservation measures. They will then conduct a limited energy efficiency and conservation study for selected non-profit organizations in the South Bend community. Instructors will model the integration of ethics with scientific considerations by incorporating both theological and engineering content in each class meeting, using a seminar-based discussion format to engage students in sustained discourse connecting both disciplines.

For the first time this year, we have obtained funds to provide a course development grant to a graduate student. This year’s recipient will be:

David Ortiz, a graduate student in the Department of Sociology. He will be integrating community engagement into a course titled “Social Problems Through Films.” Students in this course will synthesize sociological theories and concepts to understand how a number of social challenges affect both society and the individual. The class will guide students to move beyond individual explanations of social problems into deeper comprehension of how the social structures of society contribute to maintain conditions. Students will work in collaboration with a number of local organizations that address various issues studied in the course, for example, addiction, discrimination, immigrant population issues, and crime.