October 21, 2011
For the third year in a row, a gift from Nelson Institute alumna Charlotte Zieve and funds from the Morgridge Center for Public Service provide faculty and graduate students financial support to develop new service-learning capstone courses. News items highlighting the efforts of previous winners include "Collaboration with The Natural Step-Monona," "Students Map Wild Treasures at Warner Park," and "Planting Knowledge about Sustainable Gardens." The text of the full request for proposals is below. For more information about the application process, please contact Molly Schwebach.Funding for Community Environmental Scholars Capstone Course and Charlotte Zieve Teaching Assistant The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies is seeking a faculty member to develop a new Environmental Studies Certificate capstone course (Environmental Studies 600) to be taught for the first time in Fall 2012. The capstone must include a service-learning element. The Nelson Institute has funding available to support one 1/3-time Charlotte Zieve Teaching Assistantship for one semester of course development (either Spring 2012 or Summer 2012) and one semester of teaching support (Fall 2012). This graduate teaching assistant will work with a faculty member to support course development, help with the service-learning component of the class, and assist with instruction.* Proposals should be developed in conjunction with a community partner organization with which the faculty member, proposed teaching assistant, or instructor already has a strong relationship. If you are interested in developing a course, but do not already have a strong relationship with a community partner, please contact Molly Schwebach in the Nelson Institute Community and Alumni Relations Office to discuss options. A project budget is not required with the proposal, but up to $1,000 is available for project and course supplies thanks to a one-time Morgridge Center grant. Proposals must include:
- A brief summary of the project and course learning goals. This should include a description of how the course satisfies the three requirements of an undergraduate environmental studies capstone course:
- Be explicitly integrative across multiple themes of environmental studies
- Students produce a major product that is suitable for evaluation
- Addresses real-world environmental issues from the past, present, or future
- The summary must also include a description of how the course fits the Morgridge Center's service learning definition.
- A statement regarding how this project relates to issues of environmental justice or connects the Nelson Institute to organizations/populations historically underrepresented in the environmental studies (a major focus of the Nelson Institute's Community Environmental Scholars Program (CESP))
- A brief explanation describing how the project idea was developed with the community partner. Full project details can be worked out during the spring and summer, but a general project idea should be agreed upon between the organization and the faculty member/TA prior to submitting a proposal.
- A brief description of the academic focus of the TA. Preference will be given to proposals that integrate the Teaching Assistant's academic research and the capstone course. Proposals that do not have a student TA identified will be considered, but if you can provide information about potential candidates, please do so.