Instructor: Charles Lesher, Department of Geology, College of Letters and Science, and the Education Abroad Center
Description: There are three main objectives for Engineers in a Global Context: 1) To explore current world events in the context of globalization of the field of Engineering; 2) To help students appreciate the skills required to work for an international engineering firm, including cross-cultural understanding, language and national identity; and 3) To explore how an overseas academic or experiential learning experience can be incorporated in the undergraduate curriculum for engineering students. This seminar will actively engage students in discovering their future as a global citizen with an engineering degree and how to take advantage of the opportunities for international experiences as an undergraduate student. Working with faculty and advisors from the College of Engineering, University Writing Program and Education Abroad Center (EAC), students will explore global issues related to engineering and work to understand them in a cultural context. Students will undertake curricular planning for study or an internship abroad.
Format: Students will develop: a knowledge of current international issues as they relate to the Engineering profession; an awareness of how cultural values influence academic/work environments; an ability to think critically about their place in the world and how it relates to their academic and career objectives as engineers; an understanding of opportunities on campus that will help them obtain the skills needed for international work. Activities outside of class time will include: attending the First Step Workshop (EAC); an interview of a faculty member (1/2 hour); and meeting with academic advisor (1/2 hour). Grading: P/NP based on (1) class participation (30%); (2) faculty interview (included in #5); (3) statement of purpose (15%); (4) individual four-year study plan (30%); and
(5) classroom presentation (25%).
About the Instructor: Professor Lesher is a faculty member in the Department of Geology and Director of the Education Abroad Center. His most formative years as an earth scientist were spent abroad, often in remote regions of unsurpassed natural beauty, and among the native people and the occasional polar bear. Geology has been his excuse for international travel and lifelong learning for 20 years. His hope is that this Freshman Seminar will pave the way for budding engineering students to study abroad while at U.C. Davis.
Jodee Ellett, M.S., is the Academic Coordinator of the Education Abroad Center (EAC). After completing her Master’s degree at UC Davis in the Plant Biology Graduate Group, Jodee worked in Melbourne, Australia a the on-site coordinator for hundreds of U.S. students studying abroad. Jodee’s work at the EAC includes Academic Integration, where she uses student participant data and collaborations with academic departments to develop information and advising tools for students who find it academically difficult to study abroad. Our course, “Engineering Your Studies Abroad” is designed to demystify the academic preparations for study abroad and begin a discussion on the growing need for engineers with global experience.