<p> Gerontology Senior Seminar GERO-48000 Spring 2012 Wednesday 6:50-9:25 pm, CHS 413</p><p>Professor: Mary Ann Erickson, Ph.D. Office: 421 Center for Health Sciences Phone: 274-3705 (office) E-mail: [email protected] Office hours: Tuesday noon-3 pm, and by appointment</p><p>Course Description: This capstone experience provides a structured opportunity for aging studies majors to integrate knowledge and experiences from course work and internships, explore a variety of theoretical, methodological, and professional issues in gerontology and conduct gerontological research.</p><p>Readings: Moody, Harry R. Aging: Concepts and Controversies, 6th edition. Pine Forge Press: Thousand Oaks, CA. 2006.</p><p>Additional required readings will be available online or in handouts.</p><p>Course Objectives:</p><p>The course objectives reflect many of the goals of the aging studies major. These are:</p><p>1. Think critically and communicate effectively in written and oral form;</p><p>2. Understand and apply theoretical perspectives related to the study of aging and apply them to a research question;</p><p>3. Integrate information and perspectives from various disciplines to understand the biological, social, and psychological aspects of aging;</p><p>4. Complete a research project using survey data, including data analysis and presentation.</p><p>5. Understand the diversity of the older population and appreciate the impact of rural/urban differences, culture, race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and gender;</p><p>6. Analyze professional and ethical issues and apply to careers in the field of aging. Course Overview: The primary goal of this class is to facilitate integration that will lead to a better understanding of the nature and scope of the field as well as gerontological research and practice. Based upon the class readings (and additional research), students will identify and debate important aging-related issues and theories with the goal of applying this information to actual practice in the field of aging. Students also will review experiences from internships, as well as revisit issues raised in previous courses. They will also conduct a research project. Finally, students will create a series of documents and the e- portfolio that will prepare them for their continued professional experiences in the field of gerontology.</p><p>Evaluation:</p><p>The grade for this course will be based on the following:</p><p>Research Project 25% Debate/Journal Presentations (5, 5 points each) 25% Theory Paper 10% Intellectual Biography 10% Eportfolio and presentation 13% Class Participation 10% Resume and cover letter 7%</p><p>Required but not graded: 2 professional activities</p><p>Assignments:</p><p>1. Research Project. You will be required to complete a final research project that involves analyzing data from the Pathways data and includes the following:</p><p> Selection of a topic from the data set that is of particular interest to you;  As much as possible, examination of this topic from multiple perspectives (e.g., biological, health, psychological, sociological, anthropological…)  Inclusion of all the elements of a research paper: problem statement, review of literature, methods, data analysis and presentation of findings, discussion of findings and their implications and conclusion;  In presenting your project, you must use handouts, audio-visual aids, and/or interactive learning techniques to create the best possible learning opportunity. Your paper must follow the APA style format.</p><p>This project will demonstrate your competence in all objectives except #6.</p><p>2. Critical Debates and Current Journals in Gerontology. You will be required to participate (in written and oral form) in a series of debates on questions that are at the forefront of gerontology. You will draw upon the readings (and additional sources) to present the most persuasive argument for your position. This assignment will demonstrate your competence in objective #1, #2 and #3. You will also review and present articles from a variety of current journals in the field (objectives #1, #3, and #6).</p><p>3. Theory Paper. You will write a paper in which you apply major at least 2 gerontological theories to the topic you have selected from the Pathways data set for your final research project. The theories should recognize the biological, psychological and social influences on aging. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your competence in objectives #1, #2 and #3. You will write several drafts of this paper, receive comments on each version, and present it to the class.</p><p>4. Intellectual Biography. You will write an “intellectual biography.” Almost all graduate or professional programs require a personal statement or “intellectual biography” that explains what brought you to this place in your scholarly/professional life and where you want to go from here. For job seekers, this scholarly biography will assist you when asked to write similar personal statements for a professional position and when interviewed for a position. For this assignment, you will write several drafts of this paper and receive comments on each version. (Objective #6)</p><p>5. Eportfolio. You are required to complete an e-portfolio in this class. We will spend some time in class on the e-portfolio; one-on-one help will also be available. You will present your e-portfolio to gerontology staff, faculty, and students at the end of the semester.</p><p>6. Class Participation. Class participation includes attendance, thoughtful participation in class discussion, and completion of small class projects. Because this class is a senior seminar, it is expected that you complete the reading and assignments for each class. Your grade will be lowered for lack of preparation.</p><p>7. Resume. You will write (or revise) a resume and a cover letter. The group will make constructive comments and suggestions. This project is part of your professional development as you prepare for graduate school and/or a career (objective #6).</p><p>8. Additional Professional Activities. You must, as part of your professional development, attend at least two professional presentations or gerontology workshops during the semester. This should include the Distinguished Speaker lecture on April 12, 2012, at 7:00 pm in Emerson Suites, given by Kathy Greenlee, the head of the Administration on Aging!! ICGI workshops and other campus presentations related to aging can be used to fulfill this requirement. There are also opportunities for you to present your scholarly work, especially through the James J. Whalen Academic Symposium on Thursday, April 12th. Attending or presenting at the Whalen Symposium also counts as a “professional activity”.</p><p>These professional activities will not be graded, but failure to meet this requirement will lower your final grade by one half of a letter grade (A becomes A-, etc.).</p><p>ALL Assignments: Will be typed, stapled, and double spaced in 12 point font with 1 inch margins all around. A cover page with your name, date and name of assignment is also required. Appropriate citations must be made from sources other than your personal knowledge. “A” papers must show originality and thoughtfulness and be free of significant spelling and grammatical errors.</p><p>PLEASE NOTE: In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case by case basis. Students must register with the Office of Academic Support Services and provide appropriate documentation to the college before any academic adjustment will be provided.</p><p>PLEASE NOTE: In accordance with New York State law, students who miss class due to their religious beliefs shall be excused from class or examinations on that day. Such students must notify their course instructors at least one week before any anticipated absence so that proper arrangements may be made to make up any missed work or examination without penalty.</p><p>ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: See the Ithaca College Student Handbook which outlines the College policies regarding standards of academic conduct. Any evidence of academic misconduct will be referred to the College judicial system. LATE PENALTIES: All assignments are expected to be turned or posted on your E- portfolio at the beginning of class on the date indicated in the syllabus. Late assignments will be assessed a ½ grade penalty for each day they are late.Assignment Details Gerontology Senior Seminar Spring 2012</p><p>1. Intellectual Biography (draft due 2/1; final due 2/8)</p><p>The purpose of the intellectual biography (IB) is to critically review your life as a gerontologist (including other fields of study, if they are part of your intellectual development.) There is no one “right” way to write the IB. Often, the IB includes how you first became interested in the study of aging. You may also want to describe people who were important earlier in your life regarding your journey to gerontology / aging studies.</p><p>After describing the forces that likely led to your interest in aging, briefly explain the projects that you completed during your major that had the greatest impact on you.</p><p>Finally, describe where you plan or hope to be at the beginning of your career. In addition, where do you plan or hope to be in the future? You may want to describe your “dream” career in aging.</p><p>The paper will likely be at least two double-spaced pages, but you are welcome to write a longer piece. The IB as a whole or parts of it would be good additions to the Eportfolio. For example, a short version of the IB might be good text for the introduction page, and the discussion of meaningful projects could work as descriptions for papers you’re including.</p><p>The IB is worth 10% of your final grade.</p><p>2. Resume and Cover Letter (resume draft due 2/8, final resume and cover letter due 2/15)</p><p>Create or update your resume, tailored to the kind of job you might wish to have after graduation. Write a cover letter to go with the resume to an organization you might like to work for. For tips on resumes and letters, go to Career Services in person or on the web (http://www.ithaca.edu/sacl/careers/ourservices/resumecovletter/). We will spend time in class helping each other to improve. 3. Debate Assignment (due dates on schedule TBD)</p><p>For each of the debates you are responsible for, you will be randomly assigned to agree or disagree with the question. Read the material in the Moody book for evidence that supports your assigned position, and gather additional support from at least one outside source. Produce a short handout for the class that summarizes your key points.</p><p>In class you will present support for your position to the class. You may use Powerpoint if you want, but it’s not required. You will also be expected to offer a rebuttal of the evidence presented by your “opponent”.</p><p>You will be graded on the clarity and persuasiveness of both your handout and your presentation.</p><p>4. Current Journal Review (due dates on schedule TBD)</p><p>The week prior to a journal review day, students assigned to present that day will choose an article from the assigned journal. You should be prepared to present this article to the class. Include a short summary but focus your presentation on what theoretical framework the article uses and your evaluation of the article and journal. You should write a short (about 2 page) essay summarizing these points to hand in.</p><p>5. Theory Paper Assignment (draft due 3/7; final due 3/28)</p><p>Understanding theories of aging, the frameworks used in gerontology to explain what we observe, is often challenging. Gerontologists have built on theories in a number of disciplines from the biological and social sciences. They have also developed unique approaches to better understand the experience of aging and to identify factors that are most important for policy makers and practitioners to address. Thus, aging studies majors should have a basic understanding of major gerontological theories and have some experience applying them in research.</p><p>An important component of your research project is the theory piece, the part where you identify and explain the research problem you are investigating and the conceptual approach you will be using to examine the research question you have identified. Because this is so important for your project, you will complete a separate theory assignment that will serve as the basis for the rest of your research paper.</p><p>The specific theory you use will depend on the nature of the question you have chosen to investigate with the Pathways data. To help you better understand gerontology theory in general and to look at your research question from more than one perspective, you will identify and discuss at least 2 different theories, ideally that are based on different disciplines (say a social versus a psychological theory) and explain why you have chosen the theory you intend to use in your project. </p><p>You will write several drafts of the paper and discuss it with your classmates and professor. The paper will be approximately 5 pages long and is worth 15% of your final grade.</p><p>6. Research Project (first draft due 4/18; final due 5/2)</p><p>A major assignment for the Senior Seminar is the completion of a research project.</p><p>You will pick a gerontological question of interest to you that can be researched using the Pathways data file. Your theory paper is part of this project and you will add the other parts of a research paper for your final project, which will be presented to the class (and interested faculty) during the final exam period.</p><p>Sometimes students have done data collection themselves for this paper. If this is an option that interests you, let me know ASAP so we can get Human Subjects approval in time.</p><p>This paper should be approximately 15 to 20 pages (double-spaced) and must follow the APA style manual for formatting tables, references, etc. It is worth 25% of your final grade.</p><p>7. Eportfolio (section drafts due throughout the semester; final version and presentation in May, date TBD)</p><p>Minimum requirements: 1. Your Eportfolio has a home page, with 10 sections labeled appropriately.</p><p>2. Each of these 11 pages (home plus 10 sections) contains at least several sentences of text. For the home page, this will be a short introduction to the Eportfolio; for the 10 sections, this will be a short reflection on what college experiences helped you in that area.</p><p>3. Most of the 10 sections should have links to documents (1-2 documents per section). </p><p>More than the minimum: 1. Include pictures when possible. Especially appropriate for internships!</p><p>2. Add section(s) to highlight other relevant activities (AGES, study abroad, work experience…). 3. Higher quality and/or longer reflections within sections.</p><p>4. More documents per section than the minimum.</p><p>Evaluation: The Eportfolio itself is worth 10 points towards the final grade. An Eportfolio that meets the “minimum” expectations will be worth at least 5 points. The other 5 points will reflect the quality of the reflections and additions to the Eportfolio beyond the minimum. The presentation of the eportfolio will be worth 3 points.</p><p>Help is available through ITS and online; see this guide for how to get started: http://www.ithaca.edu/sacl/osema/docs/forms_apps/eportfolio.pdf</p><p>I am also available for one-on-one help at any point during the semester.</p>