Office of Pre-Health Advisement has moved to FIG 107

The USC Dornsife College Office of Pre-Health Advisement will be operating and serving all current students, alumni, and post-baccalaureates of the University of Southern California who are interested in pursuing a career within the health professions from our new location on the first floor of the Figueroa Building (FIG 107), near the volleyball and basketball courts. Please refer your students to our new location.

Pre-Health Advisors are available by appointment and on a walk-in basis. Please call (213) 740-4844 to schedule an appointment.

Office Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.

Appointment Hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm; 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm; and Fridays, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm; 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm.

Walk-In Hours  (10 minutes maximum) are Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:00 pm-4:00 pm.

New Course - COMM 499 "F2F In/And the New Media Classroom"

Announcing a new COMM 499 class that teaches students how to build digital artifacts, write and collaborate online and take field trips into Los Angeles, the ultimate learning lab.

"F2F In/And the New Media Classroom" meets T/TH 9:30-10:50.  It will be conducted 65% online, 35% face-to-face (F2F).  Using platforms like Skype, chat, Twitter and Wordpress, the class will meet synchronously during regular class hours.

F2F, we'll also make remixes, edit videos and discuss some of the most exciting scholarship about new media, learning networks, and what happens in our brains when we learn F2F.

Students in this class require no special technical training or preparation to participate.  The tools we will use are simple to learn.  It welcomes all levels of students, freshman through senior.

Here is a short video about the class:

http://vimeo.com/21949809

And the syllabus-in-progress:

http://bit.ly/hJIdON

Students may register for the class here:

http://web-app.usc.edu/soc/20113/comm.html

USC Dornsife College Advising Office: PRE-GRAD Workshop

USC Dornsife College Advising Office: PRE-GRAD Workshop

Planning on applying to graduate school (not law or medical school)? Come attend our Pre-Grad workshop where you'll learn about how you can craft the best candidacy for your target programs/schools. We will be covering the application process and its components, the application timeline, planning for the fall, and answering all of your questions.

Wednesday, April 13th

2:00 to 4:00 PM

THH 210

View the flyer online at: http://e2ma.net/userdata/19613/assets/pregrad_20111.jpg

Pre-Grad Advising Webpage: https://dornsife.usc.edu/pre-graduate-school/

Jewish American Studies Minor - Fall Course Offerings!

Judaic Studies is offering 4 courses in the Fall that fulfill the Jewish American Studies (JAS) minor, including one of the core classes: JS 300.

Click on each course title for the course flyer for distribution to your students!

JS 300 American Jewish History

JS 330 Jewish Power, Powerlessness and Politics taught  by Dr. Steven Windmueller

JS 382 Judaism as an American Religion taught by Dr. Bruce Phillips

JS 499 Sexuality and Judaism taught by Dr. Joel Kushner

CAA General Meeting Minutes: March 25, 2011

Council of Academic Advisors

General Meeting Notes

03/25/11 – THH 212

10:00am

New Interdiscinplinary Coure: MDA 475 - The Future of California

Want to do something for the future of California?

Can California fix itself?  Devote four units this Fall 2011 semester helping to figure out how the Golden State can regain its luster.

Multidisciplinary Activities (MDA) 475 is a new class, intended as a capstone experience for students across the USC campus.  Students spend the fall semester learning about the state’s policy, cultural and structural challenges, and begin the process of identifying solutions and options for structural reform.  In addition to the class instructor, students have the opportunity to hear from faculty in a range of different schools at USC and meet with policy experts in the public and private sectors, who will offer their insights as to possible solutions for the challenges confronting the state.

Students will also convene a half-day “Fixing California” conference, in which academic, political, and government experts will participate in a series of policy discussions. Students will participate in the planning of these events and join in panel discussions, offering their own ideas and insights as part of the program.   

Course:         MDA 475, The Future of California

Time:            Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 PM

Instructor:     Dan Schnur, Director

              Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics

To register, look for MDA in the department list on the Webreg system.  For more information visit:

http://dornsife.usc.edu/MDA475.

Pre-Health Week! April 11th-15th

The Office of Pre-Health Advisement Presents Pre-Health Week! April 11th-15th. Please let your students know about Pre-Health Week by distributing the attached flyer.

KCLC Spring 2011 Newsletter

The USC Kortschak Center for Learning and Creativity has just released their Spring newsletter.  Click here to check it out!

Two Newly Offered Finance Classes for Summer 2011 at USC

Two finance classes are being offered this summer which have not recently been offered during summer session. Corporate Finance (for non-business majors) BUAD 215x and Entrepreneurial Finance FBE 437 (for anyone) are being taught this summer by Dr. Bristow.  He won the Golden Apple Teaching Award two years ago and receives high teaching ratings and is himself a business leader.  Dr. Bristow incorporates current events from the Wall Street Journal into his lectures making what’s happening in the economy and business world understandable to everyone. 

BUAD 215x: Foundations of Business Finance (4 units) helps students how to value stocks and bonds as investments, understand the risk and profit potential in investing, understand how to select projects and make financing decisions and understand the basic foundations for modern finance.  Taking this class is great at helping you get a job.  Many employers will like that you understand business and finance.  M/W 9:00 to 11:30 in ACC 201

FBE 437: Financial Management for Developing Firms (4 units) helps students learn how to finance entrepreneurial firms from startup through IPO and on to growing through middle market size.  This class is relevant for students who plan to start their own firms at some point in their lives or who may be joining an emerging growth firm or family business.  You will develop a firm’s financing strategy in this class.  M/W noon to 2:30 in ACC 236

USC Marshall Bio: Dr. Bristow is an expert on corporate finance and entrepreneurship. He has over 30 years experience including ten years between his MBA and his Ph.D. with Eli Lilly & Company.  He has published papers in economics, engineering, and law journals, and advises on matters involving financing.  Professor Bristow is a corporate director of Landec Corporation (Nasdaq: LNDC) a materials science company and consults with other high tech firms.  His education includes: PhD Financial Economics, UCLA; MBA, Indiana University; BS Chemical Engineering, Purdue University.

Office of Pre-Health Advisement Open House

Office of Pre-Health Advisement
Open House

Join us as we celebrate the official launching of the Office of Pre-Health Advisement.

Friday, February 18, 2011
2:00pm-5:00pm
FIG 208

Reception to follow at Marks Hall (DXM)

Light refreshments will be served!

College Global Briefings

There is a new program offered by the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences for all members of the campus community interested in learning about contemporary global affairs. 

College Global Briefings bring together scholars whose expertise will help students, staff, and faculty understand the history behind contemporary world events.  The first briefing will be a panel on "What's Really Going on in Egypt," with faculty from History, International Relations, Political Science, and Public Diplomacy, scheduled for Thursday, February 17th, at noon in Mudd Hall of Philosophy Room 101.  Please forward this flier to any students in your academic unit who might be interested.  The same information is available online at: http://college.usc.edu/global-briefings/

USC-Mellon Mentoring Award- Call for Nominations

Each April, The University of Southern California recognizes faculty with the USC-MELLON MENTORING AWARDS—a program supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Provost.  This awards ceremony honors individual faculty and programs for their efforts in building supportive mentoring relationships.

We ask you to encourage your undergraduate students to nominate a faculty member for recognition as an outstanding mentor to other graduate students or undergraduates.  They may also nominate a school, department or academic program for recognition in the culture of mentoring award.

Attached to this email is the year’s “CALL FOR NOMINATIONS.” If you would like to nominate a faculty member or program for this prestigious award, please use the link located on this CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: http://www.usc.edu/academe/faculty/teaching/mentoring/ 

All nominations, along with letters of support, are due by February 25, 2011. NO PAPER SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

EASC Undergraduate Summer and AY Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

The East Asian Studies Center is proud to announce that Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships are now available for USC undergraduates for summer 2011 in addition to academic year 2011-12. FLAS awards will be given for intermediate-advanced study of Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.

About FLAS Awards

FLAS fellowships are provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education Title VI program. The purpose of the program is to enrich the nation’s pool of area and international specialists. Applicants should be planning to use their training to teach, to serve in government or international agencies, or to engage in other work that advances American understanding of other countries.

Summer 2011 FLAS

Summer 2011 FLAS fellowships are awarded for intensive language study at an institution in the U.S. or abroad. The language study must be at least 6 weeks in length and include 140 or more contact hours for intermediate level study or 120 or more contact hours for advanced level study. Fellows are awarded $5,000 maximum toward tuition and a $2,500 stipend. Application deadline: February 4, 2011

Academic Year 2011-12 FLAS

Academic Year 2011-12 FLAS fellowships provide awardees with $10,000 toward tuition and a $5,000 stipend. FLAS fellows enroll in one East Asian language course during both fall and spring semesters and must take at least two area studies courses on East Asia during the award period. All language and area studies classes must be taken for a letter grade. Application deadline: February 4, 2011

NOTE: FLAS fellowships are supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and fellowship awards are contingent upon federal funding.

Eligibility

·         Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents

·         Applicants must be enrolled full-time at USC

·         Applicants must engage in intermediate or advanced language study (2^nd year and above)

·         FLAS-eligible languages include Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean

Discovery / Global / Renaissance Scholars Program Reminder

I’m writing to remind you that the student application process for Discovery, Global, and Renaissance Scholars is beginning for 2011.  All three programs are being administered by the Office of Undergraduate Programs.

Students are being asked to file a one-page online application for each program by Friday, February 4. An email was sent this week to all undergraduates who have completed at least 100 units with a grade point average of at least 3.450 as well as all eligible December 2010 graduates. Please encourage eligible students in your unit to apply. This is particularly important if students require a nomination by your office in order to be eligible.

Once again this year Discovery and Global Scholar candidates are being asked to submit all supporting materials directly to the Office of Undergraduate Programs. We will log entries and distribute materials to school offices for certification. 

The additional essay/project submission deadlines for students who wish to be considered for the $10,000 Prizes are as follows:

Renaissance Scholar essays due Friday, February 18

Discovery and Global Scholar projects/theses/portfolios due Monday, March 21

Full information can be found at the following sites:

USC Discovery Scholars

http://www.usc.edu/discovery

USC Global Scholars

http://www.usc.edu/globalscholars

USC Renaissance Scholars

http://www.usc.edu/renaissance

Gene Bickers

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs

Advising 101ab and USC Undergraduate Advisement Database Training

The Office of Undergraduate Programs, in conjunction with the university’s Council on Undergraduate Education, the Council of Academic Advisors, the Vice Provost’s Academic Programs Council and the Provost’s Council of Deans, have developed a mandatory university-wide training program, Advising 101ab, for all new staff advisors and student affairs administrators at USC.

Advising 101a is designed to provide education and training in the basics of academic advising, including relational and conceptual skill building, and knowledge about USC policies and procedures. The goal, of course, is to ensure effective and accurate delivery of service for all USC students.  A total of 559 staff-level academic/administrators, and faculty completed Advising 101a since fall 2001.

Listed below are the dates, times and locations for Advising 101a for the Spring 2011 semester:

February 1, 2011                               9:00-12:00 & 1:00-2:30 at WPH403

February 2, 2011                               9:00-12:00 & 1:00-3:00 at WPH403

                                                           3:00-4:00 at  STU B1                       

February 3, 2011                              9:00-12:00 & 1:00-2:00 at WPH403

Please note that the program is a three-day cluster.  We offer one Advising 101a 3-day session per semester. To receive credit for the program, you must attend all three days.  The sign up deadline for Advising 101a is Tuesday, January 26^th, 2011.

In addition to Advising 101a, staff members from the Office of Academic Records and Registrar conduct Advising 101b. They provide hands-on training sessions on the processes most important for advisors and in-depth information on issues in their areas.  The dates, times and locations of Advising 101b sessions at WPH403 are:

Monday, February 7, 10-11:30am (Academic Record Services)

Tuesday, February 8, 10-11:30am (Articulation Issues)

Wednesday, February 9, 10-11:30am (Registration Information and Processes)

Thursday, February 10, 10-11:30am (Probation and Petition Issues)

In addition, I would like to remind you that the University launched the USC Undergraduate Advisement Database for staff advisors effective August 7, 2007.    The Advisement Database is a web-based tool for managing the information and processes involved in undergraduate student advisement at USC. 

It is designed to increase retention and graduation rates by:

·         Increasing the efficiency of the advisement process;

·         Facilitating the transfer of data between schools and units;

·         Enabling proactive advisement by identifying students at risk of not graduating from USC;

·         Providing on-demand reporting for faster data analysis; and 

·         Safeguarding against loss of records due to staff turnover.

Most staff advisors have attended an Advisement Database training session.  There will be monthly trainings for all advisors who were unable to attend the sessions offered several weeks ago as well as for all recently hired advisors.  The dates and times will be announced soon.    Veteran advisors who would like a refresher are encouraged to attend also. 

The sign up deadline for the Advisement Database is one week prior to each session.

Madrid Summer Program & Buenos Aires Summer Program

USC College Department of Spanish and Portuguese

Madrid Summer Program

Late May – July 2011

First Informational Meeting:Friday, January 14
2:00 p.m., THH 119

Second Informational Meeting:Thursday, January 20
3:00 p.m., Location TBA

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the USC College announces its seven-week program in Madrid for 2011.  Improve your knowledge of Spanish language and culture and earn eight units of credit while living in one of Europe’s most exciting cities.  Students take two courses, live with a Spanish family, tour Madrid’s museums, make a one-week visit to Barcelona, and take short trips to the monastery of El Escorial and the historical cities of Segovia and Toledo.

Estimated costs: USC tuition (8 units, $10,880) plus airfare and room and board.

Possible courses:     
Spanish 265   Spanish for Communication: Society and the  Media
Spanish 266   Spanish for Communication: Arts and Letters      
Spanish 311   Advanced Spanish Through Contemporary Issues
Spanish 341   Advanced Conversation and Culture
Spanish 465   Cultural Perspectives of the Iberian Peninsula
Spanish 490   Directed Research

USC reserves the right to cancel any program in the case of an emergency beyond its control, or to cancel programs or substitute classes due to low enrollment or unavailability of faculty.  Should the program be cancelled, deposits will be refunded to students.  Students must register for eight units of credit.  If the program is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the decision to do so will be made by April 2011.

Program is tentative pending approval.
---

Buenos Aires Summer Program

July - August 2011

First Informational Meeting:Friday, January 14
2:00 p.m., THH 119

Second Informational Meeting:Thursday, January 20
3:00 p.m., Location TBA

The program will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from July to August 2011 (5 weeks). Students will choose one of two 4-unit courses: (1) SPAN 311, “Advanced Spanish through Contemporary Issues,” or (2) Spanish 466, “Argentina, Society and the Arts” at the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires. Classes will meet Mondays and Wednesdays, and will be complemented by required cultural visits and daytrips on Tuesdays and Thursdays through which students will explore a selection of museums, cultural, and historical sites in and near Buenos Aires. There will also be opportunities to explore Argentine culture through poetry gatherings, film screenings, theatrical and musical performances, sports events, etc. Students will live in homestays with local families. There will be an optional short trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the conclusion of the program.

Estimated Costs: USC tuition (4 units $5,440), plus airfare and room and board. 

Possible Courses:Spanish 311:  Advanced Spanish Through Contemporary Issues
Spanish 466:  Argentina, Society and the Arts
Review date of applications will be determined at a later date.

USC reserves the right to cancel any program in the case of an emergency beyond its control, or to cancel programs or substitute classes due to low enrollment or unavailability of faculty.  Should the program be cancelled, deposits will be refunded to students.  Students must register for four units of credit.  If the program is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the decision to do so will be made by April 2011. Program is tentative pending approval.

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUFP)

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUFP) is a unique program designed to encourage, prepare, and support underrepresented students and students interested in increasing opportunities for underrepresented students, to pursue graduate studies and an academic career. The program supports specific academic disciplines where a diverse student body and faculty have traditionally not been present.

The Mellon Mays Program supports its fellows through faculty mentoring, financial support, GRE test preparation, graduate school preparatory workshops, and networking opportunities with top graduate schools in the United States. Each fellow designs and conducts an individual research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor, and receives a stipend during the summer and the academic year.

Information regarding the fellowship is available at www.usc.edu/mmuf

I urge you to review this information, and encourage your students to apply for the fellowship.

All applications must be received in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC), suite 425, by 4pm on Friday, February 11, 2011. Completed applications will be reviewed and qualified applicants will be selected for an interview.

The USC Study Abroad Fair is on Wednesday January 19th!

USC Study Abroad Fair

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Trousdale Parkway, 10 am- 2 pm

Visit the Study Abroad Fair for information on all overseas study programs offered by USC. Check out all the places you can study abroad. Talk to students who have already studied abroad and speak to representatives from a wide range of study abroad programs.

Flyer 1 and Flyer 2 for Posting

Study Abroad Information Sessions

Science and Health-Related Fields: Thurs. Jan. 20, Leavey Auditorium, 12 - 1 pm 

Humanities, Social Sciences and Area Studies: Thurs. Jan. 20, Leavey Auditorium, 5 -6 pm

India Study Abroad: Fri. Jan 21, Leavey Auditorium, 12- 1 pm

Come to one or more of the information sessions above to learn about study abroad opportunities in your field of study as well as the program in India.

EDPT-110 for SCP students (Spring 2011)

All SCP students need to complete the course EDPT-110. It is required and should be taken during the earliest opportunity. Most students can and should take it their first semester at USC. If it conflicts with a major class required to graduate on time, or an athletic practice time, then please work out a plan for the student so they can take it as soon as possible.

EDPT 110 is on Mondays and Wednesdays

In the spring it is from 8am to 9:50am

In the fall it is from 12-1:50pm

There is also typically space in the course for a small number of non-SCP students. The course could benefit first year students, particularly those that go on probation after their first term due to time management, procrastination, and poor studying habits.

2011 USC Cambridge Summer Programme

The USC Cambridge Programme is geared toward students who have demonstrated academic excellence and a continuous love of learning.  This program is named in honor of Dean Joan Metcalf Schaefer, Dean of Women Emerita, of the University of Southern California.

The International Summer School in Cambridge, England, offers students an excellent opportunity to study British literature, history, economics, poetry, arts and government, and to examine the background of modern Britain and its rich and diverse cultural heritage.  Students live in traditional Cambridge Colleges and have the opportunity to visit some of England's major historic sites.

 

Dates:  July 11 - August 5, 2011

Eligibility:  Applicants must have maintained a minimum 3.0 cumulative USC GPA.

Applications:  Applications will be available in December 2010.  The deadline to apply and for submission of all documents is Friday, January 21, 2011 at 4pm.  Completed applications should be turned in to Kimberly Maes in CAS 200.

Students may earn 4 elective credits by taking two courses and completing a comprehensive essay in each course.

For more information: http://college.usc.edu/cambridge-program/

Course Flyer: Art History 430 - Studies in Renaissance Art

AHIS 430 COURSE FLYER

AHIS 430: Studies in Renaissance Art (12000D)
Instructor: Sheryl Reiss Monday 2:00 – 4:50 • VKC 260 Spring 2011

Between the early fifteenth and the later sixteenth centuries, the Medici family of Florence rose from the ranks of the city's merchant bankers to become virtual rulers of the republic, cardinals and popes in Rome, and, eventually, hereditary dukes and grand dukes of Tuscany. Much of the family's power and fame derived from two kinds of patronage: the social and political patronage that first established their faction and then enabled them to maintain control; and the artistic and cultural patronage that was central both to the fashioning of the family's image and to the realization of its princely ambitions. This course will explore the connections between the two types of patronage employed so effectively by the Medici. To do so, we will focus on works of art and architecture, on primary source materials, and on recent scholarship concerned with the Medici in particular and, more broadly, with patronage in Renaissance Italy.

Summer Archaeological Excavation for Students at Ostia Antica, the Port of Ancient Rome

Summer Archaeological Excavation for Students at Ostia Antica, the Port of Ancient Rome,
(4 Units of Credit -- June 20 to July 31, 2011)

COURSE FLYER

Dear All:

AHIS 325 Summer Excavation Course in Italy (June 20 to July 31, 2011) has just been approved for this coming summer.  I have attached a flyer announcing the 4 unit course. Please post and/or pass this on to undergraduate students in any field in your classes and to undergraduate advisers. Here is a brief write-up from USC's Chronicle about last year's excavation at Ostia Antica: http://college.usc.edu/news/stories/791/summer-excavation-class-at-ostia-antica-the-port-of-ancient-rome/

Articulation petition actions being sent to Advisement Database

To:                               CAA

From:                          Articulation Office

Subject:                       Articulation petition actions being sent to Advisement Database

We are pleased to report that, as suggested by several advisors, emails sent to students regarding actions taken on their articulation petitions are now being sent automatically to the advisement database.  This is only done for petitions filed using the online articulation process on OASIS;  almost all students can and should use the online process rather than paper petitions.*

Students receive emails regarding their petitions with the following actions:

--Approved

--Denied

--Partly granted (e.g., they asked for equivalence and GE but only got GE)

--Hold for more information (e.g., the student is asked to provide papers, syllabus, etc)

--On hold pending departmental review (we have sent the petition to the relevant department)

--No action (this includes:  petitions we cannot grant, such as requests for GE IV or VI or equivalence to upper division courses;  situations where we cannot grant GE to a science lecture course but we advise the student to apply to take a lab at USC to accompany the lecture course;  student requests credit he or she already has).

The email that is sent to the student and the advisement database includes in the subject line: 

Petition number, course ID, action, student ID.  E.g.:

Artic petn # 3746 ENG 307U:  Hold for more info 1234567890

You can open the email in the advisement database to see the further message provided to the student (e.g., details on what additional information we have requested from the student).

Emails have been sent regarding petitions acted on since November 11.

Please let us know if this information is helpful, or if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thank you very much.

*The paper petition is still available but there is usually no reason to use it.  Even students who only have papers or other documents in hardcopy should use the online process and hand in their documents separately.  The only students who must file a paper petition are those whose transfer courses were taken at international schools (paper petition should be sent to International Admissions), or former students who do not have access to OASIS (see the articulation office home page for more specifics). 

Boren Awards for International Study - USC Deadline is Decemeber 17

Announcement from Academic Recognition Programs:

I would like to inform you of a great opportunity for your students interested in learning a new language while studying abroad. The Boren Awards for international study offer Scholarships for undergraduate students and Fellowships for graduate students. Both the Boren scholarship and fellowship focus on countries, languages, and fields of study that are crucial to U.S. national security and are underrepresented in study abroad. Countries within Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East are funded through the Boren Awards. Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the countries of Western Europe are not included.

The USC deadline to apply for the Boren Scholarship is Friday, December 17, 2010. The instruction sheet is available at http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/arp//Instructions/Boren_Instructions_2010.pdf

The Boren Fellowship does not have a campus deadline. However our office can assist students with the application. The national deadline is February 1, 2011.

SPANISH! Flyers for SPAN280 and SPAN316 for Spring 2011.

Here are two flyers from the Spanish department for posting/distribution.

Spanish for Social and Political Sciences
Span 316, Class # 62224, T & Th11:00 – 12:20 THH 203

Conversational Spanish
Span 280, Class# 62151D, 2 units, Wednesdays 12:00 – 1:50