Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2020 - URB 601 G100

Urban Professional Development I (2)

Class Number: 8137

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 8, 2020: Thu, 5:30–7:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Designed to assist and support urban studies student professional development as practitioners and change-agents in a range of possible career paths.

COURSE DETAILS:

This is the first of a two-course series designed to assist and support urban studies student professional development as urbanists and researchers in a range of possible career paths. This class will focus on professional development as urbanists.

Learning Outcomes

In this course, we will:

  • Create and foster an inclusive professional social network beginning with new student habits of peer support and extending into mentorship opportunities with alumni, adjuncts, faculty and associates
  • Understand and map the evolving landscape of urban professions in Canada
  • Learn to articulate our own urban professional and research skills and to relate these to the articulated needs of local organizations
  • Develop an effective professional CV
  • Gain practice in professional writing and referencing and in peer review
  • Gain practice in job search skills and interview preparation
  • Practice skills necessary for healthy work-life balance, and mental wellness, during graduate school and beyond
  • Backcast urban studies research results into a professional request for qualifications necessary to complete the research within the scope of a selected public or private sector organization

Remote Learning Format

We will convene synchronously on Zoom for two hours each week to participate in workshops, and attend and contribute to urban professional panels.

Course Policies

Remote delivery of this course means that ‘the usual’ course policies are now flexible.  Due dates, expectations, and requirements are all designed for resilience and adaptability.

Assessment

Each week, there will be a mini-assignment that you will complete as a part of your asynchronous work for URB601.  These mini-assignments follow up on the workshops, guest speakers, and required material presented in a given week.  At the end of the course, you will compile these mini-assignments together to create a professional development portfolio for official submission and assessment.  Some weeks, you will have a choice of options for the mini-assignment, giving you the flexibility to do what makes most sense for you and your urban career development goals.

Time and place of first class: See Canvas announcement in the first week of September with Zoom info and times.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

 

Grading

  • Active participation 20%
  • Weekly mini-assignments that form an end-of-term professional development portfolio 80%

NOTES:

Office Hours: Done online through Zoom.  Book via www.calendly.com/leanne_roderick

 

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Required Materials

All readings and course reserves will be available in digital format via SFU Library and online sources.


Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2020

Teaching at SFU in fall 2020 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).