Gratitudes

Thank you to everyone who has applied to Think Globally Act Locally: Citizenship in Vancouver. We have closed the call for applications and the final class list has been selected. Each participant has been notified and will be working with us in the upcoming school term.

We've received applications from a range of faculties and have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of experience most applicants have. If you have applied then we thank you sincerely for taking your time to apply. We wish you the best of luck in your journey as a global citizen - in Vancouver, or anywhere else life takes you!

Your fellow global citizens,

Esther and Maureen

DRAFT Syllabus

This is draft syllabus. The class will be finalizing the syllabus together, during the first day of class.

Goals:

• More awareness and application of Global Citizenship issues locally, connecting Micro/Macro level perspectives.
• Enthusiasm about continued learning and involvement with Global Citizenship issues.
• Deeper appreciation of an interdisciplinary approach to theory and application.

Achieved by:

• Group Meetings: Discussion of readings, videos, guest lectures, field trip(s) (15%)
• Online: discussions on WebCT that will include readings and outlines. Each student will be required to regularly contribute to the online discussions through responses (30%)
• Written Assignments: Short written Assignments to gain comprehension of issues and texts. (2 x 10% = 15%)
• Group Facilitation: Leading one discussion during the semester using weekly readings as starting point. (10%)
• Creative Project: Exploring an issue of Global Citizenship be it through community involvement, video presentation, artistic medium (ie. Photojournal), or even a standard paper to demonstrate understanding and critical thought about an area that the student is particularly interested in. (30%)

Topics:

• Week 1/2: Outline: Why Global Citizenship: Come to a consensus about course content and evaluation.

• Week 3: Governance: municipal, provincial, federal interactions

• Week 4: Poverty (1)

• Week 5: Poverty (2)

• Week 6: Immigration/Multiculturalism

• Week 7: Aboriginal Issues

• Week 8: Tourism / Eco-tourism

• Week 9: Environmentalism/Sustainability

• Week 10/11/12: Sharing Projects/Wrap-up/Evaluation

Apply for the Course!

Hi everyone,

We invite you to consider applying for the Student Directed Studies Seminar this upcoming January to April 2007 Term called "Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Citizenship in Vancouver", SOCI 433A. This is a UBC approved, 3-credit, 400 level SOCI course, open to third and fourth year students.

This course will explore issues surrounding Global Citizenship: what it means and why it is significant - with a particular attention to local issues in Vancouver. It offers a chance to be part of an emerging movement that encompasses cultural, social, economic, political, and environmental issues, blending them all together to discover Global Citizenship and its implications on our surrounding environment.

Class expectations, including the final syllabus of study will be organized as a class. The class is scheduled on Thursday Evenings, from 5 to 8 PM, in ANSO 203 which will, pending consensus, include discussion, presentations, online discussions, and a final project. A community-service learning component may also be part of the class, depending on its direction. The seminar is highly collaborative in nature, and grading will be primarily peer-based. It is an interdisciplinary seminar for 8-15 people, with lots of opportunity to express your ideas.

If you are interested in taking a course like this, we ask that you send us an e-mail that includes the following:
1) Your name, student number, and Major
2) What interests you about a Student Directed Seminar
3) Why you are interested in a class about Global Citizenship (especially the local aspects of this)
4) Subjects related to the course that you would like to learn more about
5) What you expect from a Student Directed Seminar, and what you expect to put into a Student Directed Seminar (note the nature of the class)

Feel free to add any experiences that can contribute to this course.

Student-Directed Seminars (SDS) are fully credited. If you are in Sociology, it is counted towards your major. If you are from another Faculty, it is credited as an elective. For more information on Student-Directed Seminars in general, visit the LEAP website: http://leap.ubc.ca/get_ahead/student_directed_seminars/

Check out the Class Website at www.glocalvancouver.blogspot.com for regular updates, including a draft class syllabus.

Please send any questions and/or information to: soci433@gmail.com

We thank you for your interest, we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Cheers,

Esther Yuen & Maureen Mendoza
Co-Facilitators SOCI 433

Hello!

Hi Everyone,

We've set up this Blog as an introduction point to our course, even though it hasn't started, for everyone interested in what is known as "glocal" citizenship; that is, thinking globally, acting locally. More to come!

-Esther & Maureen