Faculty Contact Information:
Instructor: Dr. Thomas Schmidt
E-Mail Address: tschmidt4@faculty.ed.umuc.edu | |
Consultation:
| For class-related matters I can be reached through the on-line conference “Questions for Dr. S.” and for matters of a more personal nature I can be reached at my faculty email account: tschmidt4@faculty.ed.umuc.edu | |
Required Texts and Readings:
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American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Okun, B.F., Fried, J., Okun, M.L. (1999). Understanding Diversity. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Thomas, A.J., and Schwarzbaum, S. (2005). Culture and Identity: Life Stories for Counselors and Therapists. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students’ research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
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This course is designed to develop appropriate skills, competencies, and knowledge bases and to examine the beliefs of counselors working with people across cultures. The course focuses on researching, reading, and developing an understanding of cultures, customs, languages, traditions, religions, and spiritualities of people across cultures. Emphasis is given to the understanding of counseling individuals in a very diverse world. As this course replaces GUCO 533, students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: GUCO 633, GUCO 533 or EDCP 612. | |
Course Goals:
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The goal of this course is to familarize students with various theories, counseling techniques, and a wide range of issues regarding fair, ethical and effective counseling in a world of cultural differences. A broad goal is to expand cultural awareness and knowledge in order to facilitate an appreciation of diversity in lifestyle and orientation, including culture, race, ethnicity, disability, age, language, gender, and sexual preference issues. | |
Course Objectives:
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By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand and discuss current theories of multi-cultural counseling.
- Discuss issues of diversity as they relate to counseling practice.
- Be familiar with current literature and research pertaining to the social patterns and counseling needs of various minority populations.
- Develop a more culturally sensitive perspective in the role of professional counselor.
- Describe the impact of the western "world-view" on American society.
- Understand and discuss personal cultural heritage and its impact on the development of counseling skills.
- Demonstrate an enhanced self-awareness of personal strengths, interests, and abilities.
- Demonstrate an enhanced awareness of the legal/ethical issues of multicultural counseling.
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Grading Information:
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Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90 - 100%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F 69% and Below
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade "F" is used to designate academic failure. "FN" is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog, available in your local Education Center or online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs. | |
Course Requirements:
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Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society.
In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, here are the course requirements for GUCO 533: (a)participation in Web-Tycho classroom discussions and written assignments, (b) completion of 2 individual writing assignments, (c) participation in 3 group mini-projects, and (d) a final exam. Grading will be as follows:
Participate in classroom discussions...........55 points
Self Assessment Project........................50 points
Interview and Cultural Report..................35 points
Group Projects.................................30 points
Final Examination..............................30 points
TOTAL POINTS 200 points | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Because self-analysis is important to promote understanding ourselves, and therefore important to counseling, each of you should be introspecting and analyzing yourselves. This course involves self-examination and degrees of sharing personal information with the class. Therefore, students must be sensitive to the right to privacy of others. Discretion and being appropriate in your personal sharing is very important in our WebTycho classroom; therefore be VERY mindful of what personal information you post onto WebTycho (which goes to each of us, and to no one else). Self-disclosure about yourself is also very important; BUT ALSO, be very mindful of what you share in class and NOT to share those personal things that you might regret, at some later time, sharing. Further, you must be sensitive to the privacy of your fellow students, and that all information shared REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL!
Assignments and Participation in Web-Tycho classroom discussions: Every two weeks you will have assignments to post in the Conference section of our virtual classroom related to the assigned readings for those weeks. The nature and topic for these assignments will be provided to you at the beginning of each 2 week period.
The Due Dates for assignments means assignments must be submitted no later than midnight, in your time zone, of the day the assignment is due. (For the more substantial projects we are undertaking this term I will provide you with reminders of upcoming due dates). Late assignments submitted within 24 hours of the due date will be accepted, and points will be deducted for lateness. Assignments submitted more than 24 hours after the due date, will not be accepted. If you are having difficulty getting an assignment done on time, contacting me before the assignment is late would be in your best interest.
During the term there are 11 weeks in which you will earn participation points, with a maximum of 5 points per week, for a total of 55 participation points. (The 12th week of the course is dedicated to the Final Exam so no participation points will be earned during that week). Students who will earn top marks for their participation will be those who show an ability to think critically about the readings and apply the knowledge they are acquiring. If you do brief, minimal, "adequate" (but "not bad") responses and work, that is "B" work. If you want "A" grades and "points" - you MUST do excellent, thorough, insightful, and/or "extra" work!! A grading rubric for participation is provided below to give you more specific information regarding grading.
“A” work
Student responds to the posted question with thoughtful, insightful ideas; clearly communicates his or her own ideas or opinions; and poses additional questions or ideas that deepen the class discussion.
Student responds to many (more than 2) other learners in a way that advances their thinking about content and pedagogy, makes connections, and builds on others’ ideas. Also challenges ideas – in a CARING way.
Student takes risks by sharing what he or she does not know, in addition to ideas and opinions. Learner asks questions, responds to suggestions, and actively supports all other students.
“B” work
Student responds to the posted question with thoughtful ideas and clearly communicates his or her ideas or opinions.
Student responds to two other learners in a way that advances their thinking about content and pedagogy.
Student takes risks by sharing what he or she does not know, in addition to ideas and opinions.
“C” work
Student responds to the posted question in a way that does not clearly indicate deep thought or original ideas or opinions; or is merely mimicking what is in the textbook
Student responds to fellow students in a way that does not clearly indicate careful thinking or advance the thinking of others.
Student takes a few risks in the online discussions, and is minimally involved.
“D” work
Student responds to the posted question but misses the main idea of the session or discussion.(No response – NO points)
Student responds to other learners, but misses the main idea of the discussion.(No response – NO points)
Student responds to other ideas only when he or she has the "right" answers.(NO response – NO points)
Note: While I definitely believe that responses such as: “I agree”, “Good Post”, or “Thanks for sharing” serve a valuable role in supporting our classmates, make sure you do not count these types of responses among your required responses.
Written Work
You are required to write 2 graduate-level papers, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. All incidents of plagiarism will be punished to the fullest extent of the University’s policies. Resubmission of coursework from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. APA style is mandatory for all graduate counseling course work.
Self-Assessment Project: For this assignment you will be embarking on a journey of self discovery into your own culture, as well as your cultural identity and development. This assignment is intended to be an in-depth analysis of yourself, your beliefs, your values, and how they have been molded by your culture. Specific instructions for the various aspects of this project will be provided to you in the Course Content area of our virtual classroom later in the term. Your self-assessment project will be submitted directly to me via e-mail or placed in your Assignments folder, should be typed in strict compliance with the APA-style manual, and should not exceed 13 pages. This project will be worth 50 points.
Interview and Culture Report: For this assignment you will be conducting a verbal and experiential interview with someone from a culture/sub-culture that is different than your own. Specific suggestions for completing this interview will be provided to you later. After you have conducted the interview you will RESEARCH multiple aspect of this person's culture/sub-culture including ethnicity, religion, and cultural identity and development.
In your report include: (a) the major findings of your research, (b) how these findings relate to the person you interviewed, and (c) for areas in which this person's worldview differs from yours, indicate advantages to his/her way of viewing the world. NOTE: In order to preserve the confidentiality of your interviewee only provide information on his/her gender, age, and cultural background as this assignment will be posted on WebTycho in a Conference area for everyone in the class to read and to which students will respond. This assignment should be written in strict accordance with the APA-style manual, approximately 4-6 pages in length, and is worth 35 points.
Group Work: For our group activities I will be assigning you to groups of 3 and presenting you with counseling scenarios. The task for your group will be to analyze the scenarios for evidence of cultural bias and suggest a less-biased approach for the counselor to pursue. Your group will post your response in the Conference area. On the group tasks, you will be graded based on the ideas generated by your group as well as on your individual performances within the group. Three (3) such group activities are planned over the term and they will be worth 10 points each, for a total of 30 points.
Final Exam: The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary for successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The final will be a take-home, essay exam and will follow the same basic format as the group activities, in which three (3) scenarios will be presented and you will be required to identify evidence of bias and suggest a less-biased approach for the counselor. The final will be worth 30 points. | |
Course Schedule:
This is the schedule for our 12 weeks of class.
Week 1, 30 Oct - 5 Nov 2006
1. Questions for Dr. S. - Questions about the course, syllabus, assignments, etc...
2. Read my intro entitled "Getting to know your professor."
3.A. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 5 November. Introductions: Introduce yourself to the rest of the class in the topic area "Introductions".
3.B. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 5 November. Respond to at least 3 of your classmates' introductions.
4. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 5 November. Post a response to the questions posed in the Conference entitled "Race, Ethnicity, and Culture"
4.B. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 5 November. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates' postings in the “Race, Ethnicity, and Culture” Conference.
5. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 5 November. Complete the Pre-test in the Course Content area.
6. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 5 November. Read the 10 Assumptions in the Course Content area in preparation for your group work.
7. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 5 November. Complete the module at the following link: http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp_writingcenter/modules/plagiarism/start.html
Week 2 and 3: 6 - 19 Nov, 2006
READING ASSIGNMENTS: Thomas and Schwarzbaum (T&S): Chapters 1, 2, and 3 and Okun, Fried, & Okun (O, F, & O): Chapter 1
1. Questions for Dr. S. - Questions about the course, syllabus, assignments, etc...
2.A. DUE DATE: WEDNESDAY 15 November. Meet your group members. At the beginning of the second week (6 November) I will be assigning each of you to your working groups. Introduce yourself to the members of your group by posting in your designated Group Area. Then read the counseling scenario provided and analyze the counselor’s effectiveness. Be sure to discuss evidence of bias with your group members. Your group's assessment and recommendations are to be posted by WEDNESDAY, 15 November.
2.B. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 19 November. Respond to at least 2 of the other groups’ responses to the counseling scenario.
3. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 16 November. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Julie's story.
4. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 16 November. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Butch's story.
5. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 16 November. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to O, F, & O Chapter 1 in the appropriate Conference area.
6. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 19 November. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates' responses to the assigned readings.
Week 4 and 5: 20 Nov - 3 Dec, 2006
READING ASSIGNMENT: T & S: Chapters 4 and 5; and O, F, & O: Chapters 2 and 3.
1. Questions for Dr. S. - Questions about the course, syllabus, assignments, etc...
2.A DUE DATE: WEDNESDAY 29 November. Read the counseling scenario provided and begin discussing evidence of bias with your group members. Your group's assessment and recommendations are to be posted by WEDNESDAY, 29 November.
2.B. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 3 December. Respond to at least 2 of the other groups’ responses to the counseling scenario.
3. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 30 November. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Betsie's story.
4. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 30 November. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates' responses to Maribel's story.
5. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 30 November. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to O, F, & O Chapter 2 in the appropriate Conference area.
6. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 30 November. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to O, F, & O Chapter 3 in the appropriate Conference area.
7. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 3 December. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates' responses to the assigned readings.
Week 6 and 7: 4 - 17 Dec, 2006
READING ASSIGNMENT: T & S: Chapters 6 and 7; and O, F, & O: Chapters 4 and 5.
1. Questions for Dr. S. - Questions about the course, syllabus, assignments, etc...
2.A. DUE DATE: WEDNESDAY 13 December. Read the counseling scenario provided and begin discussing evidence of bias with your group members. Your group's assessment and recommendations are to be posted by WEDNESDAY, 13 December.
2.B. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 17 December. Respond to at least 2 of the other groups’ responses to the counseling scenario.
3. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 14 December. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Vu's story.
4. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 14 December. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Esteban's story.
5. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 14 December. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to O, F, & O Chapter 4 in the appropriate Conference area.
6. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 14 December. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to O, F, & O Chapter 5 in the appropriate Conference area.
7. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 17 December. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates' responses to the assigned readings.
8. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 17 December. ****** Submit your Self-Awareness Project to me either via e-mail or your assignments folder, DO NOT POST YOUR PROJECT IN ANY CONFERENCE AREA!
Week 8 and 9: 18 Dec - 7 Jan, 2006 (Includes the break)
READING ASSIGNMENT: T & S: Chapters 8 and 9; and O, F, & O: Chapters 6 and 7.
1. Questions for Dr. S. - Questions about the course, syllabus, assignments, etc...
2. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 4 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Maria Luz's story.
3. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 4 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Teresa's story.
4. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 4 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to O, F, & O Chapter 6 in the appropriate Conference area.
5. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 4 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to O, F, & O Chapter 7 in the appropriate Conference area.
6. DUE DATE: SUNDAY December 30th. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates' responses to the assigned readings.
Week 10 and 11: 8 - 21 Jan, 2007
READING ASSIGNMENT: T & S: Chapter 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.
1. DUE DATE: Ongoing. Questions for Dr. S. - Questions about the course, syllabus, assignments, etc...
2.A. DUE DATE: WEDNESDAY 17 January. ****** INTERVIEW AND CULTURAL REPORT DUE ****** Post your interview and cultural report write up in the designated Conference.
2.B. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 21 January. Post a response to at least 2 of your classmates' Interview and Cultural Reports.
3. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 18 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Frank's story.
4. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 18 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Bob's story.
5. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 18 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Katie's story.
6. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 18 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Carla's story.
7. DUE DATE: THURSDAY 18 January. Post a response to question(s) pertaining to Anthony's story.
8. DUE DATE: SUNDAY 21 January. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates' responses to the assigned readings.
Week 12: 22 - 28 Jan, 2007
DUE DATE: SUNDAY 28 January, 2007. **** Take Home Final Exam **** | |
Academic Policies:
Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Let me tell you a little about myself. I graduated from the University of Iowa in 1983 with a B. S. degree in Psychology. Shortly after graduating from Iowa, I joined the Air Force and spent 3 years at RAF Bentwaters, UK where I earned an M.Ed. degree in Counseling from Boston University in 1989. After leaving the Air Force, I worked in crisis, inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization, and day treatment programs with people experiencing a broad spectrum of mental health and addiction issues, who ranged in age from adolescents to older adults. Since earning my Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Counseling Psychology at the University of Connecticut in 2002 I have been teaching. Prior to this year I was teaching undergraduate psychology courses at Eastern Connecticut State University. This year is my second with UMUC/BSU where I have been teaching graduate counseling and undergraduate psychology classes. This class is my second DE class so I am sure it will be a learning adventure for all of us. | |