What: Proposals are solicited for the delivery of SDC 555. The study tour component will be included as part of this three (3) credit supportive elective course. Thus, the submission should be for both the tour location and the course, and should indicate that chosen tour site(s) are relevant to course content and material. Required travel must take place during the week before spring break. A jointly taught course may be proposed, but only one proposal may be submitted per faculty.
Why: This experience has the opportunity to provide an enriched global perspective through exposure to culture and traditions of countries that are often underrepresented, commonly unknown, or plagued by stereotypes. By becoming more aware of the world around us and how design and construction have the capacity to sustainably meet basic human needs, SDC 555 can serve as a transformative experience in the education and development of our graduates. As such, proposals that explore non-western regions are encouraged.
Due: March 1. Please send electronically to the academic program manager. All faculty-led, international travel courses must work with International Programs/Global Learning if approved.
Format: No more than two (2) pages total, single-spaced, 11 point font.
Who is eligible to submit a proposal? All SDC faculty who are scheduled to be on appointment during the semester of course delivery are eligible to submit a proposal.
On page one of your proposal, please focus on the proposed course, and provide:
- Brief synopsis of the proposed course (e.g. an introductory paragraph or two for a syllabus).
- Course method(s): e.g., studio/making; design-build; computation; group projects; other.
- Course format: e.g., seminar; lecture; workshop; guest lectures; field trips; other.
- Course outcomes: e.g., publications, presentations, gallery shows, boards, symposia, virtual models, digital cities, maps, blogs, website, other.
- General week-by-week (or month-by-month) outline of class topics, readings, etc.
- Explanation of how the course will affect teaching load (will this course add to regular teaching load, or is there a plan to cover courses normally taught)?
- General recruitment/marketing (publicity) plan for the course (prior, during, and after).
On page two of your proposal, please focus on the proposed tour, and provide:
- Proposed study tour location(s), and compelling rationale as to why
- Information as to how tour is integrated with course content (and vice versa).
- How course/tour contributes to broader research initiative(s) for students, faculty, SDC.
- Basic description of sites visited and/or assignments undertaken during tour.
- Names of other faculty who might collaborate on course and/or accompany tour to assist with content, outcomes, and logistics (and why those particular faculty).[1]
- Contacts and/or information about on-the-ground assistance during tour (if any).
What are the selection criteria?
The committee will use the following selection criteria, in no particular order, to make its decision: [2]Not all bullet points, below, need to be addressed in order to be selected:
- Course outcomes advance SDC, college, university, or personal research initiative(s).
- Tour and course demonstrate integration amongst SDC disciplines.
- Proposal demonstrates a desire to work with all enrolled students (and faculty) to ensure relevance of course/tour to discipline(s) or concurrent classes.
- Course content is linked with desired tour location.
- Applicant’s familiarity with desired tour location.
- General rigor of course and tour.
- Creativity and uniqueness of location, assignments, outcome.
- Clarity and thoroughness of proposal.
- Ease of transportation to desired location (and outline of anticipated budget; final budget will be determined with International Programs/Global Learning).
- Willingness to work with International Programs/Global Learning for planning and execution of travel.
- Feasibility or logic of proposed plan to cover one of your regular courses given projected resources (should you intend this as part of your regular course load).[3]
- Proposal indicates collaboration with other SDC faculty and/or collaborations across colleges, campus, community, or other universities.
Process: All proposals will be shared with the leadership team for review and discussion; any leadership team members who have submitted proposals may be asked to recuse themselves from that portion of the discussion. The leadership team will follow the “Decisions and Voting” subsection of section 3.2 “Leadership Team” of the SDC Policies and Procedures Manual (SDCPPM) to make its selection. The director reserves the right to cancel or alter the tour for the proposed year should no proposals, incomplete proposals, or infeasible proposals be received; or if resource availability requires a shift in plans.
Decisions announced: by March 15. Following approval, faculty coordinators must submit a more detailed course proposal by April 1 to International Programs/Global Learning.
Future SDC 555: You may offer a proposal the following year whether or not you were selected for this year. However, the committee may give priority to those who have not had the opportunity to deliver the course and tour.
[1] A detailed budget, enrollment cap, commitment date, and other requirements will be identified by International Programs/Global Learning after submission of an accepted proposal.
[2] Please note that not all criteria need to be fulfilled in order to be accepted. It is understood that most course development will happen between April and January, and that content and structure may need to be adjusted as the course progresses (e.g., the course may need to be altered significantly if far more (or less) students enroll than was expected).
[3] Committee (and director) should attempt, within reason, to ensure equitable disciplinary representation. Proposals neither should be automatically selected because the majority of projected students hail from a particular discipline, nor should proposals be automatically disqualified because of course coverage expectations.