Making the Most of Winter Session

The first snowfall of the winter 2018-2019 season fell on a cold Thursday on November 15th, blanketing the campus in snow and sleet.

Students at the University of Delaware have a unique month-long period between the fall and winter semesters known as the Winter Session. Blue Hens often use this time to relax, pursue a hobby or work on their professional development through internships or job shadows. They also have the opportunity to earn up to seven credits taking UD courses during this period from January 4 through February 11.

“Winter is an ideal time to take a course that is a prerequisite for another course you need,” said Senior Assistant Dean of Student Services at UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics Marcia Rollison. “[This session] can be an opportunity to focus on a course that you want to give all of your attention to. It can be a chance to get ahead by taking credits to allow you to focus later on internships or allow you to reduce your senior course load as you begin interviewing for jobs.

“For those of our many students pursuing double majors and minors, it gives you the opportunity to take classes and continue toward your goal of graduating in four years or less,” Rollison continued. “Students should talk with their advisors if they are not sure what to take for winter.”

Registration for the Winter Session is open from now until January 7 for five-week courses and until January 11 for four-week courses. This year, in light of COVID-19, the University is allowing up to six credits to “float” from fall to winter or summer for full-time Newark Campus undergraduates.

There are over 100 Lerner courses in all departments that still have spaces this winter session, including several unique courses not offered during the fall or spring semesters. Some of the exciting courses available to students this Winter Session include Seminar in Moral Reasoning and Race, Start Up of the Professional You and Career Exploration and Professional Development. The leaders of these courses sat down with the Lerner College to describe the incredible benefits that these courses offer for students.

ACCT467/061 and BUAD 467/06: Seminar in Moral Reasoning and Race

Q&A with Anu Sivaraman, assistant professor of marketing, and Jennifer Joe, Whitney Family Professor of Accounting, Cohen Family Lerner Director of Diversity and chief diversity advocate who will be teaching this 3-credit synchronous online course.

Lerner: What are the primary skills that students will gain from this course?

Joe:

  1. Understand how laws, regulations, and corporate policy impact access to opportunities and markets
  2. Critically evaluate corporate policies and responses around issues of race
  3. Problem-solve around the core issues of race and equity in corporate policy
  4. Gain fluency in articulating the historical and institutional choices that impact current outcomes and status quo in business

Lerner: Why did you create this course?

Joe: This course is a labor of love for us. We created the course to meet the demands of our students. In their letter to President Assanis, both undergrad and grad students indicated they wanted classes that explored systemic issues surrounding race. They also wanted more classes taught by faculty of color. This is the only course of its kind in Lerner and it is being taught by professors who have personally experienced ethnoracial marginalization so we can speak on these topics with greater depth than a theoretical approach.

Lerner: Who can take this class?

Joe: This class is open for all majors across UD. We also welcome graduate students who will have the opportunity to delve deeper into the projects and gain leadership experience as team leaders.

Lerner: What will the structure of this class be like?

Joe: There will be a combination of readings and discussions as well as interviews and presentations with professionals. For example, students will have the opportunity to ask corporate representatives about their strategies and problem solve with small business policy stakeholders and entrepreneurs.

Lerner: What should students interested in taking this course know in advance?

Joe: Have an open mind and be prepared to engage with the material and the professionals they encounter. Be willing to meet everyone with grace and understand that we are all on different stages in our understanding of race and US history.

ENTR155194: Start Up of the Professional You

Q&A with Director of the Lerner College Career Services Center Jill Pante and Assistant Director of Employer and Alumni Engagement at UD Ryan Fuller, who will be teaching this 1-credit asynchronous online course.

Lerner: What are the primary skills that students will gain from this course?

Pante: At the end of this course, students will:

  1. Understand the importance of developing an entrepreneurial mindset and skills as you begin to start up your career path
  2. Begin building your network and managing meaningful relationships
  3. Develop your personal brand and competitive advantage
  4. Develop an A, B, Z plan and learn how to prepare for the certainty of change
  5. Articulate how you define life success
  6. Create and implement a relationship map and action plan for engagement.

Lerner: Why did you create this course?

Pante: The required reading for this course is the book The Start Up of You by Reid Hoffman (co-founder and chairman of LinkedIn) and Ben Casnocha. I read this book years ago and it changed how I look at careers, networking and developing my brand. I enjoy teaching this course because there is no right or wrong answer to choosing a career. It’s a very personal journey and this course helps students start and advance their professional story.

Lerner: Who can take this class?

Pante: This class is open to all undergraduate students from all majors.

Lerner: What is the structure of this class?

Pante: This is an online asynchronous, one-credit course.

Lerner: What should students interested in taking this course know in advance?

Pante: The learning is self-paced but there are deadlines and assignments due at specific times. The content we provide is practical and applicable to everyone’s professional development.

BUEC101010: Career Exploration and Professional Development

Q&A with Assistant Director, Career Services for Athletes/Student-Athlete Career Readiness Christine Motta who will be teaching this 1-credit synchronous online course.

Lerner: What are the primary skills that students will gain from this course?

Motta: Students will gain insight into the career planning process while researching and being exposed to different career paths. Students will learn how to balance career and personal life when making career decisions, become skilled in the use of career information resources, understand the nature of the changing labor market, and acquire job searching skills. Outside learning, class discussions, skill development tasks, weekly journals and written assignments are designed to help students apply their insights to on-going career development.

Students will also:

  1. Take Pathway U, a self-assessment career inventory, so they can identify their skills, values and interests and see how these personality traits align with career choices they may be considering.
  2. Learn about resume-writing/ refine their current resume
  3. Develop/improve their LinkedIn profile
  4. Rethink their networking strategies-in-person and on-line
  5. Prepare for interviews and participate in a videotaped or live Zoom mock interview

Lerner: Why did you create this course?

Motta: I really enjoy having the opportunity to help guide our students through their individual career development, and be a small part of their career-readiness journey over the length of the course. There are thoughtful and practical assignments, resources and discussions that are purposeful in helping students assess themselves and their own interests, likes, and values, while also learning about and researching the world of work. I also love that after engaging in my course, many of my students stay in touch with me, and/or make appointments with me to check-in or seek career guidance later in their UD academic careers (or even post-graduation!).

Lerner: Who can take this class?

Motta: Students of any/all majors and all class years can take this course.

Lerner: What is the structure of this class?

Motta: This one-credit class will meet synchronously only four times on Tuesdays Jan 12, Jan 19, Jan 26 and Feb 2 at 4 p.m. with assignments to complete each week. Students *must* attend all four class sessions.

Lerner: What should students interested in taking this course know in advance?

Motta: Students should know that they must attend all four class sessions of this course, and that it doesn’t matter where they are in their current career-readiness or career development journey, there is something in this class for everyone…whether they know what they ‘want to do’ after graduation, whether they have no clue what direction they may want to go in, or if they are looking how to gain some experience and knowledge about the world of work…taking this class can help!

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