EDCE 201: Career and Life Planning
Section # 01875 / 3 Credit Hours / Winter 2001-2002
Ohio University/Athens Campus
Department of Counseling and Higher Education
Instructor: Terry McVannel Erwin, M.Ed., P.C., C.D.V.C.-KY
Office: McCracken Hall, Room #322
Office Phone: (740) 593-1437
Home Phone: (740) 589-7091 (between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.)
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: By appointment
Meeting Times: WF 10:10-11:30
Meeting Place: McCracken Hall, Room 240
Course Description:
Individuals who thrive in the midst of change are those who can anticipate it, have the skills to deal with it, and, ideally, can take advantage of it. This course will help you acquire the skills and attitudes to plan for and effectively manage the changes you will experience during your career. You will learn and practice skills through exercises, practical activities, discussion, and examples of real-life situations.
Course Objectives:
Successful completion of this course will enable you to:
1. look at yourself and your life and see �the big picture� by understanding your development and the roles you will play in your life, as well as how these can change over time. You will begin to understand your needs and your priorities.
2. use several decision-making strategies and know when different situations require different approaches. You will also learn how to find and explore options, assess what is best for you, and determine what is most realistic.
3. explore and learn about yourself. By becoming aware of your values, interests and abilities, goals, hopes, and dreams you will understand your beliefs and feelings and know how to figure these things out if you are confused.
4. discover how to learn and how to work for what you want. With a sense of your own identity and of what beliefs, activities, and people matter to you, you will learn to balance the different areas of life that keep you happy and healthy.
5. understand how the world of work is organized and how to obtain information about it. Further, you will be able to look at this information realistically and assess it in light of your preferences, abilities, goals, and desired lifestyle.
6. develop an awareness of what is happening in society and in the world of work. You will learn to integrate this external information with your own needs and goals as well as with the feelings and preferences of the important people in your life. This will help you make a choice that seems right for you, one that is realistic and satisfying and fits well with other aspects of your life and future goals.
7. take the initiative to approach others about training, internships, or interviews that will lead to job experience and to securing employment. You will learn the necessary social and communication skills to meet new people and situations with confidence.
8. follow through after being hired: form good working relationships and get along with co-workers, translate your education into a practical setting, and continue learning. You will learn good written and oral communication skills as well as the confidence and patience to negotiate new challenges gracefully and continue to learn on the job.
Required Books/Readings:
Carney, G. & Wells, C. F. (1999). Working Well, Living Well: Discover the Career Within You (5th ed).
Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Grading Policy:
1. Written assignments will be based primarily upon the significance, thoroughness, accuracy, relatedness, logic, and degree to which points made are effectively supported. Papers receiving a grade of �A� will be outstanding in each area. Grammar and style will be taken into account when they begin to detract from the presentation and/or meaning of the arguments made.
2. Assignments should be turned in at the assigned time. Late assignments may not receive full credit.
3. Grading Scale:
100-93% A
92-90|% A-
89-86|% B+
85-83% B
82-80% B-
79-76% C+
75-73% C
72-70% C-
69-66% D+
65-64% D
62-60% D-
Below 60% F
4. Summary of requirements:
Experiential Activities 50%
Resume and Cover Letter 15%
Personal Achievement Story 20%
Career Portfolio 15%
Course Requirements:
1. Attendance and Participation
Students should attend class regularly, complete assignments on time, and be a regular, appropriate, and knowledgeable participant in class discussions. Documented, reasonable excuses for absences (i.e., as defined in the Undergraduate Catalog) will be accepted. I will allow one unexcused absence, and then subtract three percentage points from your final grade for every class missed. BEWARE! That�s a lot!
2. Experiential Activities
You will complete experiential activities that chronicle your development, thoughts, and experiences. The emphasis of these activities will be on increased self-awareness, self-evaluation, and your personal understanding of the material. You must download your assignments from the following website: http://www.geocities.com/ouclasses. Assignments will be discussed in class and posted online approximately one week prior to the time they are due. Written activities must be typed and double-spaced, using a font size about the size used here and having margins of no more than 1� inches.
3. Resume and Cover Letter
You will receive detailed information later in the quarter regarding how to write a resume and cover letter. Your final draft should be included in your career portfolio for a final grade.
4. Personal Achievement Story
You will complete an essay-style final project entitled �My Personal Achievement Story.� Your story must be typed and double-spaced, using a font size about the size used here and having margins of no more that 1� inches.
Guidelines for Writing Your Personal Achievement Story:
By the end of the course you should be focusing on a single occupational goal. Use at least TEN of the following elements to write your personal achievement story based on this occupational goal. You must label each element in your story to indicate which of questions you are answering. Write the story in past tense (as though you are looking back on what happened) in a continuous, dramatic way�not as a set of answers to the questions.
a. With whom did you compete in order to reach your occupational goal?
b. What standards did you set for yourself in striving for your goal?
c. What special accomplishment did your major occupational goal involve?
d. Why did your goal represent a long-term involvement? How long did it take to reach the goal?
e. What was there about your goal that motivated you?
f. What values did you realize or gain as you reached your goal?
g. What specific actions did you take to accomplish your goal?
h. Why do you think you were successful in reaching your goal?
i. What worries or fears did you have about working toward this career goal?
j. Describe your feelings about any past success that brought you closer to your goal.
k. Describe your feelings about any past failure that reduced your chances of reaching your goal.
l. What obstacles inside yourself might have kept you from reaching your goal?
m. To whom did you turn when you needed help in reaching your career goal? Why did you do so?
n. Why was your career goal realistic but challenging? In what way was it a moderate risk, yet not too safe?
o. What kind of information did you get as you strove to reach your occupational goal? How did you use this data to improve your performance or modify your goal?
p. How was your goal achievable, believable, controllable, definable, explicit, for yourself, growth-facilitating, and measurable?
5. Career Portfolio
All experiential activities will be assembled and presented as a portfolio for a final grade at the end of the course. Your career portfolio should include copies of your experiential activities, your resume and cover letter, and your personal achievement story. WARNING! BEGIN COMPILING MATERIALS FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO NOW SO THESE MATERIALS AREN�T LOST BEFORE THE END OF THE QUARTER! ALL ACTIVITIES COMPLETED IN CLASS AND OUTSIDE OF CLASS SHOULD BE INCLUDED. The finished portfolio can assume whatever form your creativity structures for it and can include artwork, photographs, and electronic media if you wish.
Academic Conduct:
Cheating on examinations, submitting the work of other students�or authors of articles, journals, or books�as your own, submitting prior work products for present assignments without written permission of the instructor, or plagiarism in any form will result in penalties ranging from an �F� on an assignment to expulsion from the university, depending on the seriousness of the offense. You have an obligation to educate yourself as to what constitutes plagiarism and the improper use of library, internet, and resource materials.
Questions, Concerns, Grievances:
Feel free to schedule an appointment to talk to me if you have follow-up issues to discuss, if you feel there is a problem or misunderstanding, or if you have a question or complaint. More formal grievance procedures are outlined in the Ohio University Student Handbook.
Course Evaluation:
You will have an opportunity to evaluate the course and the instructor during the last class of this course.
Disabilities:
As your instructor I face a hearing disability and ask for your assistance in the classroom. If you face disabilities as a student, please inform me as soon as possible so that I may, in turn, respond to your special needs. Students in my classroom can help by looking directly at me and speaking clearly in a normal voice tone�if I am not looking at you, I may not hear you. I may have difficulty hearing individuals who mumble or have accents that differ from mine. Everyone�s thoughts, ideas, and feelings are important to me. Please help me communicate effectively with each of you!
Counseling Services:
Issues and concerns that may be personally disturbing or difficult for you may arise as a result of role-playing, class discussions, or giving and receiving feedback from others. If you experience any personal discomfort, confusion, or distress as a result of your experience in this course, you are not alone. As your instructor, I may be able to help with some of these issues, or you may want to contact one of the campus or community agencies available to you�often at no cost�that can provide counseling, support, or an appropriate referral. Some of these include:
1. Counseling and Psychological Services at Ohio University�s Hudson Health Center, where up to 13 free counseling sessions are available for all students (593-1616).
2. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Programs (592-0239).
3. Student Health Services (592-1616).
4. Health Education and Wellness (593-4742).
5. Careline, which offers a 24-hour emergency hotline (593-3344).
6. Tri-County Mental Health and Counseling Services (592-3091).
7. Health Recovery Services (592-6720).
Content of the course is subject to change based on the unique
characteristics of the class and situations surrounding it.
Friday, January 4, 2002
Chapter 1 � Being Well, Doing Well
Course Overview, Expectations, and Introductions
Wednesday, January 9, 2002
Friday, January 11, 2002
Chapter 2 � Choices in Action
Wednesday, January 16, 2002
Friday, January 18, 2002
Chapter 3 � The Emerging Self: Birth to Adolescence
Wednesday, January 23, 2002
Friday, January 25, 2002
Chapter 4 � The Emerging Self: Beyond Adolescence
Wednesday, January 30, 2002
Friday, February 1, 2002
Chapter 5 � A World of Change
Wednesday, February 6, 2002
Friday, February 8, 2002
Chapter 6 � Paths in the Workplace
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
Friday, February 15, 2002
Chapter 7 � Just the Facts, Please: Conducting a Career Information Search
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
Friday, February 22, 2002
Chapter 8 � Inside/Outside
Wednesday, February 27, 2002
Friday, March 1, 2002
Chapter 9 � Finding a Job is a Job!
Wednesday, March 6, 2002
Friday, March 8, 2002
Chapter 10 � Work Adjustment and Career Expansion
Portfolios and Final Essay Due On or Before:
Tuesday, March 12, 2002, 8:00 a.m.