Subject: STAR

STAR 201: High-Impact Teamwork Skills (100/12982)

R 05:15-06:15 PM Oct 09-Dec 10

Reimschisel, T

The Job Outlook 2018 survey reported that the ability to work in a team ties for first place with problem-solving skills as the attributes that employers seek most in college graduates. Indeed, over the last decade there has been a growing emphasis on developing the ability of all professionals to more effectively communicate and collaborate in teams as they work together to provide services. Yet very little instruction is provided on how to be a more effective team member in collaborative projects. In this course students will learn teamwork skills that will help them be more effective members in high-impact teams. A high-impact team has three characteristics: high functionality, high performance, and impact on the organization or community. High functionality refers to excellent internal team dynamics, and students in this course will learn practical ways to maintain high functionality within teams. High performance refers to the quality of the service and deliverables that the team produces, and students in this course will learn helpful ways to ensure that the team's services and deliverables are of the highest quality. Lastly, due to both high functionality and high performance, teams make an impact on their organization, agency, university, and community. In this course we will discuss how teams can have this meaningful impact on those around them.

STAR 202: Exploring Biology at CWRU (100/12752)

F 02:15-03:05 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Crown, N

Welcome to the Biology Department! In this class, you will get to know the Biology faculty and their research. Each week, a different faculty member will present their research in a virtual seminar followed by a virtual "meet the speaker" session. You will learn about research programs covering the breadth of biology, including ecology, neurobiology, and developmental biology. The instructor will also hold informational sessions on academic research and how to obtain an independent research position in a lab. To receive graded credit, there will an open-note short quiz after each seminar. Seminars will be recorded so that students may participate asynchronously.

STAR 203: Introduction to Community Based System Dynamics for Advancing Equity (100/12760)

T 03:00-05:00 PM Sep 15-Oct 27

Hovmand, P

Recent events highlight the urgency to bring a more systemic understanding to a variety issues impacting social and health equities. This 1-credit course introduces students to system dynamics and applications for advancing equity. System dynamics is a method for understanding how systems change through the use of informal maps and formal models with computer simulation. The course introduces the foundations of system dynamics with an emphasis on understanding different dimensions of equity including distributional justice, structural justice, and epistemic justice. Examples will be drawn from a variety of examples of prior work from Cleveland and beyond including work in global health and development. The format will be hands on with a mix of individual and small group exercises. Students will complete a project tied to advancing social and health equity that will engage local community members, CWRU faculty and national experts as needed. No prerequisites. All are welcome.

STAR 204: Life, Universe and Everything (100/12750)

T 02:30-03:20 PM Aug 24-Nov 20

Princehouse, P

In this one-credit experience, you'll join like-minded people to explore the Origins Sciences --from the Big Bang and astronomy, the ongoing search for exoplanets, and the prospects for life on other planets, to the origin of life on Earth, dinosaurs, human evolution, the origin of the human mind, art, language, technology, and creativity, anthropology, evolutionary medicine, and more --including pressing issues like climate change that benefit from solutions informed by understanding the evolutionary origins of the physics and ecology of Earth systems and how humans interface with the environments around us. Each week, you are introduced to a different researcher or museum curator drawn from the over 200 Fellows of the Institute for the Science of Origins for in-person discussion (there are also asynchronous discussions and remote participation is possible). These scientists are also eager to explore the possibilities for students to join their research programs.