Message-ID: <Chameleon.951111113429.urmann@D1.ucop.edu> Date: Sat, 11 Nov 1995 11:33:18 PST From: mailto:urmann@ALM.ADMIN.USFCA.EDU> Subject: Gen'l Ed Devel Course To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
You may have already received this inquiry. If so, my apoligies, but my mailer was not functioning properly yesterday and I am not sure if the m= essage was actually sent out, much less to which list.I teach a course in the Economics of Developing Countries to non-economics = majors that fulfills a general education requirement in intercultural studi= es. It is taught as a seven week intensive (1/2 a semester) 3 unit class (4= 1/2 hours, one night per week) and is taken primarily by adult students wo= rking in an evening degree program (BA in business).=20
During the term we cover the text material in class via lecture and=20 discussion. Additionally, Each student prepares a brief sketch of a country= =20 using information and data they retrieve from the Internet. They also=20 prepare a major project/presentation on one development organization of=20 their choice -- governmental, UN, or NGO. They present its philosophy,=20 structure, types of projects, source of funding, and an in-depth descriptio= n=20 of at least one actual project. This is primarily based on information=20 provided by the organizations which I have collected over time or which the= y=20 obtain themselves.
Last spring, the first time I taught this class, I encountered several=20 factors that I must now incorporate into the course that begins again in=20 early January. I need ideas for:
=091. a different text or supplemental readings.=20 My usual text, Michael Todaro=92s "Economic Development", while somewhat=20 repetitive, does a fine job of introducing the problems and constraints=20 faced by less developed countries. But because of the students' lack of=20 previous economic classes, I had to have them skip most of the technical=20 sections. I sometimes covered these topics in class in a less technical=20 manner. The book was not over their heads, in fact, most found it extremely= =20 informative and providing a point of view they never realized existed, just= =20 too much of it had to be skipped. I would like to find a less technical tex= t=20 that has the strengths of Todaro, dealing systematically with the major=20 issues of development from a strong third world, and somewhat class=20 perspective while being less technical and probably briefer.
=092. in-class activities and projects to make use of students'=20 preparation. Because of their maturity and the fact that the class meets= =20 only seven times, covering a lot a material each time, the students almost= =20 always came to class very well prepared -- having had read the material and= =20 prepared answers for 3-5 conceptual questions to be used in a class=20 discussion. This level of preparation caught me by surprise and meant that= =20 my usual teaching method of combining lecture with questions, a method that= =20 works well with typical undergraduates, often seemed redundant with these= =20 more mature and well prepared students. They knew where I was leading and= =20 had the textbook answer. Thus I need ideas on new methods and projects that= =20 gets them to "apply and use" this information in the classroom each week=20 rather than merely repeating it back.=20
In addition, four and a half hours in one evening is a long time to lecture= =20 and lead discussion. Projects that could involve the whole class for an= =20 hour or more each week would help here also.
Thanks for any ideas and suggestions. ------------------------------------- Michael Urmann 2836 Regent St. Berkeley, CA 94705=20 USA mailto:urmann@sonoma.edu -------------------------------------
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