State of the Planet

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Sustainable Development Seeking Teaching Assistants for Spring 2020

The Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development is accepting applications for Spring 2020 teaching assistant positions for the following courses:

  1. SDEV UN1900 Introduction to Sustainable Development
  2. SDEV UN2300 Challenges of Sustainable Development
  3. SDEV UN3310 Ethics of Sustainable Development
  4. SDEV UN3390 GIS for Sustainable Development
  5. SDEV GU4050 US Water and Energy Policy
  6. SDEV GU4350 Public Lands in the American West
  7. SDEV UN3550 Bangladesh-Life on a Tectonically Active Delta (NEW!)

Applicants must be current full-time Columbia University students enrolled in a degree-granting program. Students should expect to work 10-20 hours per week on average, but this can vary throughout the semester. Applications will only be accepted from graduate students and undergraduate juniors or seniors. Please note Teachers College and Barnard students are not eligible to apply. Be sure to check the description for each position for additional restrictions and information.

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS NOVEMBER 24 AT 11:55PM.


Teaching Assistant for SDEV UN1900 Introduction to Sustainable Development

The course is designed to be a free flowing discussion of the principals of sustainable development and the scope of this emerging discipline. This course will also serve to introduce the students to the requirements of the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development and the content of the required courses in both the Special Concentration and the Major. The focus will be on the breadth of subject matter, the multidisciplinary nature of the scholarship and familiarity with the other key courses in the program.

Applicants should have knowledge of sustainable development, with previous coursework in the area and be familiar with the structure of the major and the special concentration in the undergraduate program in sustainable development.

Time Commitment and Responsibilities:

A teaching assistant must fulfill the responsibilities as identified by the assigned supervising instructor while maintaining conduct of the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality. The teaching assistant may be responsible for directing drills, recitations, discussions or laboratory sessions related to courses offered by an officer of higher rank. They will be responsible for meeting and coordinating with the instructor regularly and performing other course-related duties as assigned, like grading written coursework. This also may include developing, distributing and statistically analyzing “peer review” and “self-review” forms.

Applicants must be current full-time CU students enrolled in a degree granting program. Applications will only be accepted by undergraduate juniors or seniors and graduate students.

To Apply:

Please post your cover letter stating your interest in the position and a resume (both in PDF format) here.


Teaching Assistant for SDEV UN2300 Challenges of Sustainable Development

This course provides an introduction to the field of sustainable development, drawing primarily from social science and policy studies. It offers a critical examination of the concept of sustainable development, showing how factors like economics, population, culture, politics and inequality complicate its goals. Students will learn how different social science disciplines (political science, demography, economics, geography, history, law, and sociology) approach challenges of sustainable development across a variety of topics (fisheries, climate change, air pollution, consumption, energy, conservation, and water management). The course provides students with some of the fundamental concepts, vocabulary, and analytical tools to pursue and think critically about sustainable development.

Time Commitment and Responsibilities:

Teaching assistants must fulfill the responsibilities identified by the assigned supervising instructor while maintaining conduct of the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality. The teaching assistant(s) will be responsible for:

  • Attending all lectures and completing all assigned reading;
  • Leading weekly recitation sections, where the TA will guide discussion and organize the flow of the class;
  • Meeting weekly with the teaching team to coordinate various aspects of the course;
  • Contributing to grading needs as required, including maintaining organized records of assignments; and
  • Being available for students who need help or have questions.

Applicants should have a keen interest in building teaching skills, including tools for explaining scientific information to undergraduates. The TA will devote an estimated 15-20 hours each week to the course. Applicants must be current full-time CU graduate students enrolled in a degree program.

To Apply:

Please post your cover letter stating your interest in the position and a resume (both in PDF format) here.


Teaching Assistant for SDEV UN3310 Ethics of Sustainable Development

The TA would perform primarily the following functions:

  1. Maintain an accurate spreadsheet tracking student performance, including contributions to online discussions on Canvas.
  2. Record on the spreadsheet any relevant data provided by the instructor, such as students’ grades on the mid-term and final assignments.
  3. Track the submission of course assignments for timeliness.
  4. If needed, provide assistance with grading students’ work and calculating final grades.
  5. Record student absences on the spreadsheet, on the basis of a classroom sign-in sheet and relevant e-mail.
  6. Record student class participation.
  7. Attend class regularly and occasionally meet with the professor to review any course-related issues or questions.
  8. Assist with editing weekly PowerPoints.
  9. Be responsive to students having technical or other questions.

Time Commitment and Responsibilities:

A teaching assistant must fulfill the responsibilities as identified by the assigned supervising instructor while maintaining conduct of the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality. The teaching assistant may be responsible for directing drills, recitations, discussions or laboratory sessions related to courses offered by an officer of higher rank. They will be responsible for meeting and coordinating with the instructor regularly and performing other course-related duties as assigned, like grading written coursework. This also may include developing, distributing and statistically analyzing “peer review” and “self-review” forms.

Applicants must be current full-time CU students enrolled in a degree granting program. Applications will only be accepted by graduate students.

To Apply:

Please post your cover letter stating your interest in the position and a resume (both in PDF format) here.


Teaching Assistant for SDEV UN3390 GIS for Sustainable Development

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of theoretical concepts underlying GIS systems and to give students a strong set of practical skills to use GIS for stainable development research. Through a mixture of lectures, readings, focused discussions, and hands-on exercises, students will acquire an understanding of the variety and structure of spatial data and databases, gain knowledge of the principles behind raster and vector based spatial analysis, and learn basic cartographic principles for producing maps that effectively communicate a message. Student will also learn to use newly emerging web based mapping tools such as Google Earth, Google Maps and similar tools to develop online interactive maps and graphics.

Applicants should have advanced knowledge of geographic information systems software, with previous coursework in the area.

Time Commitment and Responsibilities:

A teaching assistant must fulfill the responsibilities as identified by the assigned supervising instructor while maintaining conduct of the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality. The teaching assistant may be responsible for directing drills, recitations, discussions or laboratory sessions related to courses offered by an officer of higher rank. They will be responsible for meeting and coordinating with the instructor regularly and performing other course-related duties as assigned, like grading written coursework. This also may include developing, distributing and statistically analyzing “peer review” and “self-review” forms.

Applicants must be current full-time CU students enrolled in a degree granting program. Applications will only be accepted by undergraduate juniors or seniors and graduate students.

To Apply:

Please post your cover letter stating your interest in the position and a resume (both in PDF format) here.


Teaching Assistant for SDEV GU4050 US WATER & ENERGY POLICY

Essential Connections examines the development of America’s water and energy policies over the past century and how such policies helped to shape present-day environmental law and regulation. The focus of the course then turns to the current state of U.S. water and energy resources and policy, covering issues such as oil and gas exploration, nuclear energy, hydroelectric power and renewables, with a third and final section addressing the prospects for establishing water and energy policies that can withstand climate disruption, scarcity, etc.

Time Commitment and Responsibilities

A teaching assistant must fulfill the responsibilities as identified by the assigned supervising instructor while maintaining conduct of the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality. The teaching assistant may be responsible for directing drills, recitations, discussions or laboratory sessions related to courses offered by an officer of higher rank. They will be responsible for meeting and coordinating with the instructor regularly and performing other course-related duties as assigned, like grading written coursework. This also may include developing, distributing and statistically analyzing “peer review” and “self-review” forms.

Applicants must be current full-time CU students enrolled in a degree granting program. Applications will only be accepted from undergraduate juniors or seniors and graduate students.

To Apply

Please post your cover letter stating your interest in the position and a resume (both in PDF format) here.


Teaching Assistant for SDEV GU4350 Public Lands in the American West

Land use in the American West is inevitably dominated by the prevalence of federally managed public lands. Most western states have a land base that is at least 35 percent public, and competing interests navigate a complex bureaucracy as they vie for limited resources. This course will focus on the federal agencies authorized to make management decisions across those lands: the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Park Service, and others. We will explore the legal and regulatory framework that guides land use decisions, and study enduring resource access conflicts. Pulling from both academic scholarship and the gray literature in political science, environmental sciences, law, and organizational behavior, this course provides an interdisciplinary overview of governance challenges in the American West.

Time Commitment and Responsibilities

A teaching assistant must fulfill the responsibilities as identified by the assigned supervising instructor while maintaining conduct of the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality. The teaching assistant will work closely with undergraduate students, helping them with assignments and presentations. The TA will also be responsible for assisting the instructor with grading and presentation assessment. In order to enhance our unified approach to the course, the TA will be expected to coordinate with the instructor regularly and perform other course-related duties as assigned.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be current full-time Columbia University graduate students enrolled in a degree granting program.
  • Applicants should have a background in political science or policy, and some experience living in and/or studying the West.

To Apply

Please post your cover letter stating your interest in the position and a resume (both in PDF format) here.


Teaching Assistant for SDEV UN3550 Bangladesh-Life on a Tectonically Active Delta

This course uses Bangladesh as a focal area to bring together multiple earth science and environmental issues and their intersection with the human population living there.  Sustainable Development is a multidisciplinary field that aims to provide students with background in the wide range of disciplines that are necessary for the advance of human well-being without irreparable harm to the earth.  Many of these issues intersect in Bangladesh where a large and growing population lives in one of the most dynamic and sensitive environments on Earth, subject to multiple natural disasters and threatened by climate change.

This course will explore the interaction of riverine processes, water and hydrology, sedimentary processes, tectonics and earthquakes, land subsidence and sea level rise, environmental issues, cultural setting, and sustainable development in the world’s largest delta.  The course will explore both the hazards and resources for life in this dynamic environment through lectures, a field trip to Bangladesh during Spring Break and guest lecturers in earth and social sciences.

Applicants should have a basic knowledge of sustainable development, with previous coursework in the area.

Time Commitment & Responsibilities:

A Teaching Assistant must fulfill the responsibilities as identified by the assigned supervising instructor while maintaining conduct of the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality.  The Teaching Assistant may be responsible for directing drills, discussions or laboratory sessions related to courses offered by an officer of higher rank.  They will be responsible for meeting and coordinating with the instructor regularly and performing other course-related duties as assigned, like grading written coursework.

Applicants must be current full-time CU students enrolled in a degree granting program. Applications will only be accepted by graduate students.

To Apply

Please post your cover letter stating your interest in the position and a resume (both in PDF format) here.

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