Rutgers Dialogues Grant Program
Funded Projects, 2000-2001


The Cultures of the Middle Ages  
Christine Chism, Department of English, FAS, New Brunswick  
$4,000  

  This project addresses historical understanding and multicultural understanding. The Medieval Studies program, in partnership with the Departments of English and of History, proposes to develop an intermediate-level course entitled The Cultures of the Middle Ages, which will focus on intercultural interaction in the Middle Ages. The course will introduce students to the period’s rich history of cultural conflict and exchange, emphasizing the interrelations of four great traditions, namely those of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and classical antiquity. As multicultural scholarship on the Middle Ages is a new field, the undergraduates will be considering the same intellectual questions being debated by professional scholars. Students will write short in-class assignments at the end of lecture, review each other’s writing, and carry out group assignments to enhance interaction between students and instructor, and individual engagement with course material. Participating faculty will develop teaching units that focus on topics such as the geographical areas that were particularly important as sites of cultural and social exchange and on the forms of writing -- travel narratives, epics, and romances, for example -- concerned with interreligious debate. Class readings, discussion topics, and a bibliography for each unit will be posted on the Medieval Studies website.  

Asian American Immigration: Living History   
To-Thi Bosacchi, Asian American Cultural Center, New Brunswick  
$5,000  

  This project addresses multicultural and intercultural understanding, understanding the bases of individual and social behavior, and historical understanding, as well as students’ skills in written and oral communication and in critical thinking. In a collaborative effort, the Asian Languages and Cultures Department, the Center for Historical Analysis, and the Asian American Cultural Center will design and offer a new course that will provide students with an introduction to Asian Americans and their history and experiences in the United States. The development and evolution of Asian American communities will be examined within the context of historical, social, economic, and political forces in American society. The course will combine oral history as retold by invited speakers from Asian American refugee/immigrant communities and textbook research. Students will also receive mentoring in historical methodology.  

Rethinking the Asia and Pacific Century: History and Globalization   
Matt K. Matsuda, Department of History, FAS, New Brunswick  
$4,000  

  This continuation project addresses multicultural and international understanding, historical understanding, and computer and information literacy. The “Pacific Century” project was originally conceived as a way to initiate an integrated set of courses that focus on Asia and the Pacific. During the last two years, a group of several faculty members has created numerous courses including Pacific Histories, Holocaust and Hiroshima, Women in Asia and America, and China and the Pacific. The general aim of these courses is to address the historical, political, economic, social, and cultural foundations and legacies of the Asia/Pacific region, its peoples, and their inclusion within a concept of a global future in which the countries of the Asia/Pacific region are expected to play increasingly important roles. New courses will emphasize the Philippines and US-Philippine relations.  

Internationalizing the Undergraduate Curriculum: Improving the Teaching of the Middle East at Rutgers University   
Eric Davis, Department of Political Science, FAS, New Brunswick  
$7,500  

  This continuation project addresses multicultural and international understanding. The program in Middle Eastern Studies will offer two courses in Middle Eastern literature, Modern Middle Eastern Literature in Translation and Twentieth Century Arabic Literature. The courses use the comparative study of Middle Eastern literary traditions to develop a sense of commonalities as well as diversity among these traditions. The courses are intended as vehicles for counteracting stereotypes and for understanding literature as a force for political, cultural, and social change. Modern Middle Eastern Literature in Translation is offered in electronic collaboration with faculty at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Dynamics of Women’s Leadership: A Global Interactive Course Between Douglass College and Ewha Womans University   
Seth A. Gopin, Global Programs, FAS, New Brunswick  
$7,000  

  This project addresses multicultural and international understanding, scientific inquiry, information and computer literacy, and understanding the bases of individual and social behavior. Douglass College and Global Programs will work with Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea to create an interactive global course on women and leadership. The core of the course will be a project profiling women in leadership positions. Each pair of Rutgers and Ewha students will interview two leaders from the same profession, one in Korea and one in the United States. The students will work together through the course website to develop similar interview questions. Of greatest interest will be the identification of factors that create, encourage, and sustain women leaders. Emphasis will be placed on global similarities and cultural variations in expressions of leadership.  

Multi-Media Support for Interdisciplinary Instruction in German Literature, Art, and Film   
James A. Rushing, Department of German and Russian, FAS, Camden  
 $6,800  

  This continuation project addresses understanding of literary and artistic expression, multicultural and international understanding, historical understanding, critical thinking, and communication. Faculty members in German and in Fine Arts will further develop interdisciplinary courses in German art, literature, film, history, and culture. These will include courses on the relationships between literature and the visual arts, courses on German film, a team-taught course on German Expressionism and, in the future, an international study course, in which students travel to Germany, on German Art and Culture. Multimedia materials will be acquired to support these courses.  

Women in the Workforce: An Investigation   
Harriet Davidson, Women’s Studies Program, FAS, New Brunswick and Barbara A. Lee, Dean, School of Management and Labor Relations and Center for Women and Work  
$5,000  

  This project addresses scientific inquiry skills, intercultural understanding, information and computer literacy, and understanding the bases of individual and social behavior. The course, Women, Work, and Social Change, will be redesigned to focus on the use of scientific methods to research issues of women and work. Using web-based resources, students will collect data from such sites as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Economic Policy Institute, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Working collaboratively, students will compare the experiences of different women at work, thereby highlighting the role of cultural diversity in the workplace. A workshop aimed at developing web-based, technological research skills will be offered to students in the course. Students will present the results of their research at a public symposium.  

Developmental Science in Action: Laboratory in Developmental Processes   
Judith A. Hudson, Department of Psychology, FAS, New Brunswick  
$7,500  

  This continuation project addresses the process of scientific inquiry in understanding the development of individual and social behavior. In previous work, a laboratory course has been designed to accompany the large lecture course, Infant and Child Development. The laboratory course provides students with a rigorous, hands-on immersion in current methods in developmental psychology research. Students work with data collected by prominent researchers in a variety of laboratory and field settings, and also collect new data through direct observation and interviews with preschool children. In this continuation project, the course will be expanded to accommodate up to 160 students each semester. In addition, the use of videotaped experimental sessions will be extended by producing new ones. The new videotapes will be used to train students in naturalistic observation techniques and methods before they conduct their own observations.  

Incorporating a Laboratory in Introduction to Pharmaceutics Course (PH301)   
Thomas J. Cook, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, New Brunswick  
$7,000  

  This project addresses understanding of the physical and biological world and scientific inquiry skills. Introduction to Pharmaceutics, PH301, a required course in the Pharmaceutics curriculum, focuses on the physical chemistry of drugs and drug formulation. This project will introduce a laboratory component into PH301 and state-of-the-art multimedia technology into both laboratory and lecture as a means to enhance the learning experience of the students. Laboratory experiments illustrating important concepts will be developed based on standard assays and published methods. Ideally, a single drug or two closely related compounds such as aspirin and salicylic acid will be chosen as the subject for the entire set of laboratory experiments. Each experiment will build on information from the previous laboratory. Demonstrations of both laboratory techniques and concepts discussed in lecture will be shown using appropriate multimedia technology. Students will take pre-lab quizzes and will submit laboratory reports using the internet.  

A Hands-on Multi-Department Team Approach Incorporating Experiential Learning Strategies for the Solution of Complex ‘Real-world’ Problems    
Madara Ogot, Noshir Langrana, and Greg Elliott, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, New Brunswick  
$7,000  

  This project addresses scientific inquiry and understanding of the physical world. The Mechanical Engineering Department offers a capstone design course for seniors called Design of Mechanical Systems, which engages students in the process of knowledge creation as they solve problems suggested by industry. The aim of this project is to design new multidisciplinary course projects that will encourage participation by students from several different disciplines, including physics, chemistry, environmental science, biology, and business. The model is consistent with the “concurrent engineering” approach used in industry, in which project teams are formed from employees involved in all aspects of the business. The multidisciplinary student teams will work on design projects drawing from their respective areas of expertise to see projects through from the conceptual stage to final construction and testing. To ensure smooth running of the program, handbooks for students, faculty advisors, and industrial advisors will be developed. In addition, an internet-based video conferencing facility will be set up to allow students to obtain input from their industrial advisors.  

Environmental Chemistry Module for Analytical Chemistry   
James M. Schlegel and Roger A. Lalancette, Department of Chemistry, FAS, Newark  
$8,800  

  This project addresses scientific inquiry and understanding the physical and biological world. The second year course Analytical Chemistry has been devoted to teaching traditional topics of chemical separations and quantitative analysis to students with an interest in science. The acquisition of newly-available, compact electrochemical instrumentation will make it possible to incorporate a fresh approach to problems. Working in groups, students will use the instrumentation in a structured sequence of activities that will begin with mastering basic operations and will culminate with the analysis of environmental samples and a formal oral presentation of the results.  

Beyond Information Delivery: Maximizing the Web as Instructional Space for Students  
Barclay Barrios, Writing Program, Department of English, FAS, New Brunswick  $6,000  

  This project addresses students’ skills in written communication and critical thinking. The Writing Program recently created a website with extensive resources for Expository Writing, 355:101. Through this project, websites will be developed for use by students in other writing courses (355:098, 355:099, 355:100, 355:201) that serve populations ranging from the developmental student to the advanced student, creating a fully developed Writing Program website. Outstanding writing instructors will create content for the site and will learn how to translate that content to a web-readable form. Material will be student centered and include online tutorials, web-driven learning exercises, and a workshop on how coursework is graded and how students can apply this knowledge to their own work.  

Improving the Retention of Transfer Students Through Expanded Writing Program Course Offerings, an Enhanced Virtual Meeting Space, and Increased Instructor Use of Technology   
Ann Jurecic, Writing Program, Department of English, FAS, New Brunswick  
$3,000  

  This project addresses written communication and critical thinking. Experience has shown that when transfer students first arrive at Rutgers many have difficulty in writing intensive courses. To help meet the needs of these students the Writing Program has developed the course 01:355:301, College Writing and Research. In this project the Writing Program will expand the range of offerings in 301 to appeal to a broader range of students. One part of the expansion will be the development of a new syllabus, instructional materials, and course packets for a Douglass mission course to be subtitled Women and Autobiography. A second part of the project will assist transfer students through the development of an improved writing program website for this student population.  

Consultations Across the Curriculum   
Malcolm Kiniry, Department of English, FAS, Newark  
$8,000  

  This project addresses written communication and critical thinking. The Newark Faculty of Arts and Sciences has approved a proposal for new writing requirements for undergraduates at Rutgers - Newark. After completing the basic courses in English composition, undergraduates will be required to take two courses designated “writing intensive,” with at least one of them within the major. All writing intensive courses will call for several substantial writing assignments, expect revisions of work, and provide students with learning opportunities through critical feedback. To aid faculty in designing effective strategies for implementing the new writing requirements, project personnel will sponsor visits by consultants from successful programs in writing within the disciplines. The consultants will give a general presentation to the faculty and will also meet individually with those faculty members who are planning or considering writing-intensive courses. Consultants in the disciplines of Chemistry, Psychology, Urban Studies, and Mathematics have been identified and will be the first to be invited.  

Resources for Implementing a Campus Program of Writing Across the Curriculum   
Malcolm Kiniry, Department of English, FAS, Newark  
$4,000  

  This project addresses written communication and critical thinking. The Newark Faculty of Arts and Sciences has approved a proposal for new writing requirements for undergraduates at Rutgers - Newark. After completing the basic courses in English composition, undergraduates will have to take two courses designated “writing intensive,” with at least one of them within the major. Many of these courses will be new ones. In this project, interdisciplinary supporting resources will be developed for all writing-intensive courses including a manual for instructors, a website, and a cross-curricular library in the Writing Center.  

Retooling Introduction to Art History: Improving Writing Skills of Students and Electronic Resources for All Aspects of the Course   
Roberta K. Tarbell, Department of Art History, FAS, Camden  
$6,000  

  Through the revision of a large introductory course in art history, this project will address critical thinking, communication skills, and computer literacy along with the understanding of literary and artistic expression. In conjunction with the Learning Resource Center, upper level undergraduate assistants will be trained to help students enrolled in the course 50:082:101, 102, Introduction to Art History, to improve their writing skills. In addition, new electronic resources will be developed to improve communication between the students and the professor. A website with a listserve, a chat room, and links to electronic databases, electronic texts, and other relevant electronic resources will be created for the class.  

New Directions in Music Technology III: A Proposal to Improve Undergraduate Instruction   
Charles Menoche, Department of Music, Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Brunswick  
$2,000  

  This continuation project addresses understanding of artistic expression and computer literacy. To improve the level of undergraduate literacy in music technology and to help integrate instruction in performance, composition, listening, and research, the Department of Music has undertaken a major effort to transform its music technology classes from lecture and demonstration courses to a hands-on, project-based curriculum. With a new music technology curriculum in place, the department has been able to update the content of several course offerings. Continued program development will focus on creating a teaching facility that provides a suitable physical environment for music technology students, in part through the installation of a central audio playback system in the Music Microcomputer Laboratory.  
 
Digital Imaging Technology for Art History Undergraduates   
Carla Yanni, Department of Art History, FAS, New Brunswick  
$4,000  

  This project addresses understanding of artistic expression, critical thinking, and computer literacy. Students in the Art History Department’s senior seminars have in the past relied on traditional media, mainly books and journals, as sources for visual materials that they could incorporate in class presentations. Students made slides using 35mm film. This outdated approach will be replaced by the use of digital scanning technology and computer-assisted projection of images. Digital imaging technology will empower students to use the images creatively. In architectural seminars, for example, they may reconstruct images of demolished buildings to see how historical sites once functioned or to add virtual buildings to existing sites. Such exercises will enable students to think critically about the flood of visual material that has come with the Internet Age.  

Streaming Toward the Future: Further Explorations in the Pedagogical, Research and Community Service Potential of Internet Streaming Technologies   
Robert E. Wood, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, FAS, Camden  
$5,000  

  This continuation project focuses on developing students’ computer literacy. This project will expand the production of digital audio and video materials, both for a variety of web-enhanced courses and for the department’s web-enhanced curriculum. Use of these new technologies will be linked to both teaching and community service in a new service learning course in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, and a new Sociology of Education course.  

Merging Distance Learning and Personalized Systems of Instruction   
Stephen Jose Hanson, Department of Psychology, FAS, Newark  
$7,000  

  This project addresses mathematical reasoning and analysis and understanding the bases of individual and social behavior. The service course Statistics for the Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, 830:301, presents a serious hurdle for many students. Typically only 1/3 of the students who register successfully complete the course. A higher success rate would benefit students in many disciplines. Toward this end, project personnel will introduce a personalized system of instruction (self-paced learning) and set it up to run on the web, specifically on WebCT. Students will log on to WebCT and answer questions selected from a set of 1100 items, organized into modules, that will be prepared by the instructors. Only after they demonstrate mastery of each required module will the students be able to proceed. A group of teaching assistants will be trained in the operation of the website and will be available to answer the questions of students who need additional assistance.