HECOL 691 Fall 2016
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HECOL 691: Professional Seminar I
1Department of Human Ecology
University of Alberta
Term: Fall 2016 Instructors: Adam Galovan, Arlene Oak,
Time: Thursday, 2 hour block between Rhonda Breitkreuz, Kathryn Chandler, noon and 3:00 pm Matt Johnson, Vlada Blinova,
(except September 1, which Anne Bissonnette is only one hour: 1:00 to 2.00 pm)
Location: 305 Human Ecology Building Dates: September 1, 8, 22, October 6, 20,
November 3, 24
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This professional development seminar is one in a series that provides an introduction to graduate study in the Department of Human Ecology, and to career development and professional issues in human ecology. Topics include: an introduction to the field of human ecology; what it means to be a graduate student; supervisory and professional relationships; research and teaching assistantships; applying for scholarships; professional networking; professional bodies/associations; conferences; academic and practice journals; and academic writing and referencing. Restricted to graduate students in the Department of Human Ecology. Typically taken in the first semester of the graduate program.
COURSE OBJECTIVES, ORGANIZATION, and FORMAT
The two goals for HECOL 691 are to:1. To build collegial relationships among graduate students in Human Ecology; and
2. To provide opportunities for students to explore and discuss professional issues related to graduate study and career development.
The course goals and the specific objectives related to each topic will be met through required readings and assignments, material presented in seminars, class discussion, and student presentations. HECOL 691 consists of one 1-hour introductory seminar and six 2-hour seminars.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS and CREDIT
Credit in the course is not automatic, but is granted to registered students who attend at least FOUR of the six 2-hour seminars, complete ALL ASSIGNMENTS, and are ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS in the seminars. Students are expected to do any assigned readings in advance of the seminars.
PLAGIARISM and CHEATING
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.
Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (available online:
http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/en/CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStandards/CodeofStude ntBehaviour.aspx), and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
1University of Alberta policy about course outlines can be found in 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.
HECOL 691 Fall 2016
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CLASS SCHEDULE, TOPIC OUTLINE, READINGS, and ASSIGNMENTS
● September 1, 2016 (1.00-1.50 pm): Introduction to HECOL 690 Series (Deanna Williamson)
● September 8 and 22, 2016: What it means to be a graduate student
Graduate school can be an exciting, challenging, fulfilling, and sometimes stressful experience. Although a variety of factors and conditions both within and beyond a graduate program influence students’
experiences, it is the hope of faculty members and support staff within the Department of Human Ecology that graduate students have positive and enriching experiences during their graduate program. In an effort to get started on a positive foot, the purpose of these two seminars is to initiate discussions about what it means to be a graduate student and some key factors and opportunities that can influence students’ experiences.
Part I: September 8, 2016 (1:00-2:50 pm) (Anne Bissonnette)
This seminar will provide an introduction to what it means to be a graduate student and some key factors that can shape the graduate student experience. The specific objectives are to examine and discuss:
● roles, responsibilities, expectations, and experiences of graduate students;
● student-supervisor relationship;
● financing your program; and
● research and teaching assistantship.
Required readings (the list is long, but most of these are very brief):
● Department of Human Ecology, University of Alberta. (2014). Graduate program manual. Retrieved from http://www.hecol.ualberta.ca/en/GraduateStudies/GradProgramManual.aspx.
*In particular, sections entitled “Roles and Responsibilities” and “Student Funding.”
● Eerkes, D. (n.d). A guide to academic integrity for graduate students. Edmonton: Office of Judicial Affairs, University of Alberta. Retrieved from
http://www.osja.ualberta.ca/en/Students/~/media/osja/Documents/StudentHandbooks/AIGraduateEN G14.pdf.
● Epperson, B. (2014). Student-Supervisor Relationships. Retrieved from https://www.med.ualberta.ca/- /media/medicine/research/esi/presentation-on-the-studentsupervisor-relationship-epperson-
september-2014.pdf.
● Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. (2015). Awards and funding. Retrieved from:
https://uofa.ualberta.ca/graduate-studies/awards-and-funding.
● FGSR Professional Development, University of Alberta (n.d.). Student life module: Mentoring.
Retrieved from https://uofa.ualberta.ca/graduate-studies/-/media/gradstudies/professional- development/student-life/stlife-mentoring.pdf.
● Fidler, C. (2012). What I learned about surviving graduate school. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/What-I-Learned-About-Surviving/131247/.
● Haggerty, K.D. (2010). Tough love: Professional lessons for graduate students. The American Sociologist, 41, 82-96.
NOTE: This paper is available electronically through the University of Alberta library. Although the paper focuses on doctoral students, the content is also relevant for Master’s students.
● Student Ombudservice. (n.d.). Graduate Studies. Retrieved from
http://www.ombudservice.ualberta.ca/StudentResources/GraduateStudies.aspx.
HECOL 691 Fall 2016
3 Guiding questions:
1. For what reasons are you pursuing a graduate degree? What are your goals - within your graduate program and once you have completed your degree? How might your reasons for
pursuing a graduate degree and/or your goals influence your experiences as a graduate student 2. What do you think are the roles and responsibilities of graduate students and supervisors? To
what extent do your beliefs/perceptions/understandings regarding graduate students’ roles and responsibilities align with advice/perspectives discussed in the readings?
3. To what extent are your experiences as a graduate student and/or your expectations about graduate school reflected in the readings?
4. What has been unexpected/surprising about graduate school? What challenges have you
encountered as a graduate student? What strategies have you employed – or could you employ to address these challenges?
5. What are the various sources of funding for your graduate program? What is your plan for pursuing funding?
Assignment:
Meet with your supervisor to discuss expectations, roles, and responsibilities of graduate students and supervisors – as understood by your supervisor and you. Draw on the required readings to develop a set of questions to discuss during your meeting. Summarize (in writing) the key points of your discussion with your supervisor including decisions the two of you make about how you will work together. A copy of this document will be handed in at the seminar and placed in your program file. For the seminar, be prepared to talk about what you learned from your meeting with your supervisor. As well, be prepared to share your thoughts and/or questions about what it means to be a graduate student (using the guiding questions as a foundation).
Part II: September 22, 2016 (noon-1:50): Working in research teams (Adam Galovan and Arlene Oak)
This seminar will provide an introduction and exploration into what it means to work in research teams.
You need to prepare in two ways:
● Review and summarize all the required readings while considering the guiding questions.
● Reflect on any team experiences you have been involved in and be prepared to compare these to working in research teams.
Guiding questions:
1. What are some of the different types of research teams?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of working in teams?
3. How do we make working on a research team effective? What are the pitfalls? How do we avoid problems? Resolve issues?
4. How can we transfer skills and experiences of working on other types of teams (e.g., professional work environments) to working in a research environment?
Required readings:
● Bruusgaard, E., Pinto, P., Swindle, J. & Yoshino, S. (2010) “Are we all on the same page?”: The Challenges and Charms of Collaboration on a Journey through Interdisciplinarity. Graduate Journal of Social Science, 7(1) 39-58.
● Unmasking Interdisciplinary Collaboration (posted on eClass)
● Wasser, J. D. & Bresler, L. (1996). Working in the interpretive zone: Conceptualizing collaboration in qualitative research. Educational Researcher, 25(5), 5-15.
HECOL 691 Fall 2016
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● FGSR Professional Development Professional Practice Module on Conflict Management (posted on eClass)
● FGSR Professional Development Professional Practice Module on Management versus Leadership (posted on eClass)
● Fine, M. A., & Kurdek, L. A. (1993). Reflections on determining authorship credit and authorship order on faculty–student collaborations. American Psychologist, 48, 1141–1147. doi:10.1037/0003-
066X.48.11.1141
October 6, 2016 (1:00-2:50): An introduction to the field of human ecology, Part I (Kathryn Chandler).
This seminar provides context for the development of the discipline of human ecology over time. The history of home economics/human ecology in North America is explored, contributions of key
founders are highlighted, and concepts and philosophies underpinning the field are discussed.
Required Readings:
● Bright-See, E. (1988). Human ecology/home economics: An introduction to the professions and becoming a professional. Department of Human Ecology: University of Western Ontario, London, ON.
Excerpt from Chapter 3.
● Nickols, S. & Collier, B. (2015). “Knowledge, mission,practice: The enduring legacy of home economics”, Chapter 1 from Remaking Home Economics. Available on Ebooks Central:
http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ualbe rta/detail.action?docID=2055023
● Westney, Q.E., Brabble, E.W. & Edwards, C.H. (1988). Human ecology: Concepts and perspectives.
In Human Ecology Research and Applications. Second International Conference of SHE. College Park, Maryland: Society for Human Ecology, pp 129-137.
Guiding Questions:
1. Related to the Nickols & Collier reading, consider how your area of interest/research relates to the mission, philosophy, and conceptual foundations of the field of home economics/human ecology.
2. Who is Ellen Swallow Richards and what were her main contributions to the field?
3. How do Westney et al. define human ecology? What philosophies and key concepts underlie the field? What are three main areas of professional contribution for human ecologists?
Assignment:
Prepare a brief verbal answer to explain the origins, evolution and current practice of the discipline of human ecology. Explain how contemporary topics typically explored in human ecology fit within the discipline, given how it has evolved over time.
● October 20, 2016 (noon-1:50): An introduction to the field of human ecology, Part II (Rhonda Breitkreuz).
In this seminar we continue our discussion of key underpinnings to the field of human ecology, focusing on theoretical foundations and conceptual frameworks commonly used in the field. We consider the commonalities and differences of the discipline of human ecology from other inter-
HECOL 691 Fall 2016
5 disciplinary academic disciplines. The benefits and drawbacks of an interdisciplinary field will be discussed.
Required Readings:
● Bubolz, M. M. & Sontag, M. S. (1993). Human ecology theory. In P. G. Boss, W.J. Doherty, P.
LaRossa, W.R. Schumm, & S.K. Steinmetz (Eds.) Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 422-429). New York: Plenum.
Guiding Questions:
1. What were the key contributions of Hook and Paolucci (1970) and Bronfenbrenner (1979) to the development of the discipline of human ecology?
2. According to Bubolz and Sontag (1993), why did the discipline of human ecology emerge with a primary focus on family, home, and related subjects?
3. What are the key concepts, assumptions, values and premises of human ecology theory?
4. How is general systems theory related to human ecology theory?
Assignment:
Write a paragraph that answers the question: “What is human ecology?” Provide a brief definition of human ecology, followed by a description of how your research interest can be explored through a human ecological lens. You do not have to submit this paragraph, but you will be required to present it orally during the seminar.
November 3, 2016 (12:30-2:20): The Research Process and the Research Proposal:
Quantitative perspectives (Matt Johnson)
Required Reading:
“Quantitative Research Proposal Template” - posted on eClassThis document will be used as a launching point to discuss the construction of a research proposal for family scholarship. As such, be ready to contribute to the class discussion with thoughtful comments and impressions of the material in the document.
November 24, 2016 (noon-1:50): The Research Process & the Research Proposal:
Qualitative perspectives and Object-led approaches (Arlene Oak & Vlada Blinova)
Part 1: Arlene OakThis part of the seminar outlines aspects of the research process (in qualitative research) and particularly focuses on the early stages of research in which a question is formulated and a research design is outlined. This seminar also discusses the parts of a research proposal and how the proposal relates to the research process.
Activities (during seminar):
Using the ‘question brainstormer’ (provided in class) discuss different ways to ask research questions about a particular topic.
Review and discuss a sample research proposal format (e.g. SSHRC).
Guiding question:
How might an issue of general interest become a research topic, a focused research question, and a structured research proposal?
Required Reading:
Klopper, H. (2008) The qualitative research proposal, Curationis, 31 (4) Dec., 62-72.
(available online through the UofA library website).
HECOL 691 Fall 2016
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This part of the seminar will provide an introduction to the research process with objects/artifacts as the focus. Examples are explored through the museum context including museum practices, data collection, and analysis. Students will analyze and interpret cultural artifacts from the Human Ecology Collection of Clothing and Textiles, using available supporting documentation.
Required reading:
Elizabeth Wood and Kiersten F. Latham (2009) “Object Knowledge: Researching Objects in the Museum Experience” http://reconstruction.eserver.org/091/wood&latham.shtml
Guiding questions:
1. What context do we use to study objects/artifacts as the focus?
2. What is the “object knowledge”? What can you tell about possible use/meaning of an artifact from first observation?
3. What are the three paradigms of object knowledge?
4. How you describe the object’s role and purpose within the museum?
