Advocates for Children Co-Director and Instructor for the Course:
Ruth E. Fassinger, Ph.D.
rfassing@umd.edu
Office: Wednesdays, 1-3

Associate Director:
Dawn Johnson
drj@umd.edu
Office: Tuesday and Thursday: 9:00-2:00; Wednesday: 10:00-3:00

Advocates Office: 1120 Cumberland Hall
Phone: 301-314-5909
Website: www.scholars.umd.edu/advocates

Description:
This course is the second in the four-course sequence that defines the Advocates for Children program. In the first colloquium, learning was focused on the overall world of children (developmental phases, domains of development, and social contexts in which children develop). This (second) semester focuses on self-discovery to help students better understand and position themselves (personally and professionally) for advocacy work in their futures. During the third semester, learning will focus on the context in which child advocacy takes place, introducing students to the "nuts and bolts" of advocating for children in existing social and political systems. These three courses ready students for the Capstone course to be taken during the fourth semester, in which they pull together everything they have learned to engage in extensive and informed real-world advocacy (choice of community-based research, grass-roots organizing, or community leadership).

This (second) course, entitled "Advocacy and Discovery," is aimed at helping students to:

1) Discover and articulate their unique strengths, talents, needs, and values;
2) Gain a basic awareness of human diversity, privilege, and oppression, particularly as these relate to advocacy and social justice;
3) Understand the importance and effects of their cultural location as advocates for children and families;
4) Determine how advocacy for children and families fits into their future career and life goals;
5) Build a professional portfolio that lends articulation and coherence to their experience in the Advocates program (and elsewhere);
6) Determine interests and direction for future activities that will build experiences and contribute to continued portfolio development .

Requirements:
This course is being conceptualized as a personal and professional development opportunity. Therefore, the more serious the attention given to the course work, the more the student will benefit from the course. Students will complete a number of highly personalized assignments to be detailed in class and on the website - these assignments will be designed to build both personal competence and professional portfolios. In addition, students will progress on reflection papers at several points throughout the course. Self-evaluation and peer-evaluation/feedback will be utilized throughout the course (including grading). There are no books assigned for this course, but readings, worksheets, reflection paper guidelines, and other assignments will be distributed in class or posted on the website. Attendance is required and active participation is expected. TAs who are Advocates second-year students and graduates will assist with the course, primarily to help with small group activities and to provide help and feedback on work.

Grading:
Final grades for this course will be computed as follows:

*Absence from or lateness to class will require medical documentation or other verification and should be cleared with the instructor ahead of time; unexcused absences and lateness will result in a deduction in participation points from the final grade for the course.

Academic Integrity:
No credit will be given for work that involves any form of academic dishonesty, including (but not limited to) plagiarizing, submitting the same work for two different courses without prior permission, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents, forging signatures, and taking credit for work done by someone else. Plagiarism will be interpreted in its broadest sense: ideas from others must be referenced, words from others must be in quotation marks and referenced, and paraphrasing without referencing is considered plagiarism. Students are expected to be familiar with the Student Honor Code, available in the Schedule of Classes and on the university web site at www.umd.edu/honorpledge.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
If you have a documented disability, please notify the instructor immediately so that accommodations can be discussed.

Religious observance:
Please notify the instructor immediately if you will need to be excused from class for religious observances at any point during the semester.

Course Schedule: