IDS 94/Cooperman Scholars – Fall 2021

IDS 94 – 02
0 course units (no-credit)
Term:  Fall 2021
Time:  1:30-2:50pm W
Place:  Social Sciences 228
Prerequisites: None		 Prof. G. Steinberg
Office: Bliss Hall 216
Office Phone: 609-771-2106
Office Hours:  3:30-4:50pm TF
Email: gsteinbe@tcnj.edu

GOALS.  By the end of the course, I want you

      1. to know more about the academic culture of TCNJ,
      2. to have shared experiences and given each other advice and support,
      3. to develop methods to help manage your time,
      4. to start developing a long-range plan to manage future decisions, and
      5. to learn to use the support services available on campus.

REQUIREMENTS.  As part of your contract with the Cooperman Scholars Program, you are required to

    • meet with your Cohort Mentor and participate in a weekly group meeting during your freshman and sophomore years. This meeting is estimated to require one to two hours of your time per week and is designed to help ensure your continued success in college.
    • attend one-on-one meetings with your Cohort Mentor every two weeks. This meeting is estimated to require one hour of your time every two weeks and is designed to help support you on campus, check in on your academic progress, and connect you to campus resources.

This course is graded Pass/Unsatisfactory.  In order to pass the course, you must attend and engage in both the weekly group meetings and the biweekly one-on-one meetings.

PROFESSOR’S AVAILABILITY.  My office is Bliss Hall 216.  My office hours this term are 3:30-4:50pm on Tuesdays and Fridays (except second Tuesdays of the month) and by appointment.  You may contact me by email (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu) or by calling my office phone (609-771-2106) and leaving a message (if I do not answer), but email is usually the best way to get in touch with me.  In an emergency (minor or major), you have my cell phone number and may call or text me.  Please, do not share my cell phone number with any other students outside our group.

COURSE SCHEDULE.  This schedule is subject to revision at the discretion of the professor.

Dates Topics
W Sep 1 Cooperman Kick-Off Event (meet in Education 113)
W Sep 8 What do you want to learn and do at these meetings?
Possible topics:

    1. career planning – how do I plan for my future beyond TCNJ?
    2. identity – who am I and how do I fit in?
    3. other majors and minors – what are options and ideas?
    4. microaggressions – how do I deal with people’s assumptions and biases?
    5. imposter syndrome – do I belong at TCNJ? when will everyone realize that I don’t belong?
    6. professors – what makes a good teacher? a bad one? how can I compensate for a less-than-perfect teacher?
    7. mentors – how can I find and meet and get to know a good mentor in my major?
    8. group meetings – what do I need from this group? what do I contribute to it? what more can I contribute?
    9. degree audit – what courses have I taken so far? what do I still need to take?
    10. Covid
    11. evil roommates – what to do to deal with a difficult person in your room, on your floor, in your suite?
    12. difficult friends – what to do to deal with a difficult person as a friend?
    13. other things?
W Sep 15 NO MEETING (Community Learning Day)
W Sep 22 Community Learning Day recap – what event did you attend on September 15? what was it like?
Getting organized – what strategies do you use (Google Calendar, to-do lists, post-it notes) to stay organized and on top of things?
W Sep 29 MEET IN SOCIAL SCIENCES 227 (not our regular classroom)
Covid – answers from Student Health Services about the pandemic
W Oct 6 MEET IN SOCIAL SCIENCES 227 (not our regular classroom)
Career planning – where you should be in your career planning process, transitioning HS resumes to college resumes, resources at the Career Center and its website, internships
W Oct 13 NO MEETING (Fall Break)
W Oct 20 DAÏSSA: difficult friends – what to do to deal with a difficult person as a friend?
W Oct 27 ERICA: stress reduction
W Nov 3 CORALIE: midsemester checkup (emotionally, physically, mentally)
CRISTABEL: evil roommates – what to do to deal with a difficult person in your room, on your floor, in your suite?
W Nov 10 JOHN:
W Nov 17 IRVIN: breathing
W Nov 24 NO MEETING (Thanksgiving)
W Dec 1 skimming – how to read more efficiently
W Dec 8 skimming II – how to read more efficiently