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RA/TAs needed for Telling the Climate Justice Story

by Ann Greaney-Williams on May 8, 2012

RA/TAs needed for Telling the Climate Justice Story

  • During summer and fall 2012, assist in planning and developing a new undergraduate course and be a TA for the roll-out of the course in spring 2013
  • Receive mentoring and RA funding to jump start your thesis research during summer 2012
  • Be part of a team developing an innovative model that combines graduate research and undergraduate teaching
  • Receive instructional support and mentoring for your TA responsibilities
  • Apply now: start June 1

Funding has been received from the Provost’s office through the Tufts Innovates program for an interdisciplinary, team-taught course at the introductory undergraduate level, which will expose students to the issues surrounding climate change and climate justice and provide them with the means to become active and effective advocates for climate justice.  The course will include lectures by experts in their field and discussions during which the entire interdisciplinary team participates, along with students.

The experts will include Tufts graduate students who are undertaking a research project in climate justice as well as faculty and professionals who have disciplinary or interdisciplinary expertise and experience.  The Tufts graduate RA/TAs play a key role in the course: besides presenting their own work, they will serve as teaching assistants, helping the undergraduates integrate the materials included in the presentations, leading discussions, and helping the students develop their final project, which will be a video or other innovative presentation that tells one piece of the climate change, climate justice story.

Also during the summer, the RA/TAs will receive a stipend to help jumpstart their thesis research. In the fall, meetings are held to plan the biweekly class sessions in some detail.  The tentative plan is that for the first ten weeks of the spring 2013 course, classes will consist of approximately three presentations by the TAs on their research projects, ten presentations by the professional experts, one or two workshops on producing effective videos (Julie Dobrow, director of Communications &  Media Studies has volunteered to do these) and six discussion sessions during which integrative discussions directed by the RA/TAs (guest speakers participating as allowed by their availability) enhance assimilation of course material.  The final three weeks will be taken up with student presentations (one per student team), and assessment.  Each research TA will be assigned oversight of two to three student teams (5-6 students per team). TAs will be matched with student projects in a way that utilizes their expertise most effectively. If enrollment warrants, additional TAs will be hired to maintain the TA: student ratio. During June 2013 a paper will be co-written by the PIs and RA/TAs with hopes for submission to a peer-reviewed journal on education for sustainability.

Funding (summer $2000, fall $1250 and spring $1250) is available for 3 RA/TA positions. To apply please send a statement describing your area of research interest and a brief CV. Special consideration will be given to applicants who are willing to present their research at the annual meeting of the Peace & Justice Studies Association, to be held at Tufts  in October. Please email the statement and CV to Professor Jonathan Kenny, Chemistry jonathan.kenny@tufts.edu.

 

From → Internships, Jobs, Paid

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