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Putting Vocationinto the Academic Curriculum
Niesha Ziehmke, Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Provost VP Academic Affairs
Mary Gatta, Associate Professor of Sociology, Academics
Tiffany M. Bailey-Gilles, Academic Internship Specialist, Office of Partnerships
Madeline Ramirez, Guttman Student
Stella and Charles Guttman Community College CUNY
Are these the right questions about work?
What is the role of work in human lives?
How are careers created and developed, what are good jobs, and how does one learn about labor market needs?
What barriers and sorting systems must students recognize, understand, and overcome in a world where opaque forces are at play that favor the well-connected?
One experiential answerGuttman Community College’s Approach
My Place in the Workplace
Ethnographies Of Work at Guttman Community College
Mission
A commitment to making work-focused experiential learning central to the curriculum.
A promise to support graduates in successfully completing their degrees and helping them prepare for jobs that will offer a family-sustaining wage.
The Guttman Model
Combines research-based best practices:
Clearly defined educational pathway Integrated first-year curriculumEmbedded advisement
Preparation for careers and transfer Inquiry and place-based, multidisciplinary,
experiential curriculum
Demographics
• 1066 Students• 59% Hispanic• 27% African American• 8% White• 5% Asian or Pacific Islander• 71% Pell Grant Recipients• Average age at entry 18
Outcomes
Fall 2014 Cohort• 2-year graduation rate was 28%• 3-year graduation rate was 46% - more
than twice the national average of 22%.
Guttman First-Year Experience
Students
Attend full-time
Cohort of 25 within a house of 75
Fall 1 (12 weeks) Spring 1 (12 weeks)City Seminar 1 City Seminar 2 EoW 1 EoW 2Statistics Statistics (if needed)Composition 1 Composition 2
Fall 2 (6 weeks) Spring 2 (6 weeks)Arts in NYC
Objectives: EOW
EOW I EOW IIIntroduce and refine ethnographic methods (research design, observation, mapping and interview)
Critical analysis of work, using a social science lens
Workplaces are research sites to practice ethnographic skills
Use ethnographic skills to conduct original research and better understand the worlds of work
Objectives: LaBSS
LaBSS I LaBSS IIExplore potential Programs of Study and make connections between student’s identity, majors and careers
Build a resume and develop an elevator pitch for use in academic and professional settings
Use research as a tool for asking meaningful questions, seeking information, and making personal and academic plans for your future.
Identify meaningful experiences and opportunities for academic and professional growth
EOW Method:Researching Workplaces
Reading ethnographies on workplaces
Compare and contrast across workplaces and methods
Conduct fieldwork in different workplaces
Reflections on different career readings
Auto-ethnography
Life before and after Guttman
Ethnographic exploration of careers
Ethnographic investigation of workplace issues
In Students’ Words
I had to go to a law firm and [see] how that workplace was like...it taught me a lot. I didn’t know people could just own their own law firm and just only have 2 people in the firm. I thought it was like on TV where it’s a big building with several divisions.
It helps you recognize why you want a specific career path, not the career itself but the attribute of the career that you want
One thing I learned is that our careers are created and built. It’s not just that you get your degree, you learn a set of skills, you just get a job, and apply it. It’s not given to you that way. So I learned more of… career dynamics and how we’re always learning and navigating through different stages. It’s not as clear cut as learning how to do one thing…you get a specific task and you do it.
Career Exploration Paper
Semester-long project
Two structured observations
Interviews
Research
Academic and field research on career
Labor market demand in NYC
Presentation
Paper
“Consulting Firms” Research
Group semester-long assignment exploring a workplace issue
Interviews with workers; employers; community groups; policy officials
Research on topic
Paper
Classroom presentation
What are the experiences of women and people of color in top management? How can companies increase the representation of these groups?
What are the emotional labor demands of human services workers?
Student Reflections on Learning
If I go to Starbucks or McDonalds I just order something and leave. But sometimes when I go into these businesses now I am looking at it as workers and how they integrate with each other and how it’s structured.
I believe the way I look at work has changed. I grew up being taught my value would be based on my job. That in society I won’t have a say to make decisions and that I would not be respected if I have a low skill job. And I learned two things– in part what I was taught is partly true, that is a reality in this society, but also it doesn’t have to be that way.
The OPCE & SHRM Partnership
Office of Partnerships & Community Engagement (OPCE)
Acting as a bridge between Guttman Community College and New York City, OPCE works with community partners to provide
experiential opportunities designed to support an enriched curriculum and student career preparation.
The OPCE & SHRM Partnership
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
SHRM is the world’s largest human resources professional society, representing 300,000 members in more than 165
countries.
Student PreparationIN-CLASS PREPARATION SERIES:
Information Session with SHRM Led by Beth Schefflan and John McCaffrey
Guided email days All SHRM, OPCE, and group members Cc’d
Monitored responses
Professionalism presentation
Mock Interviews (optional)
Classroom pep talk drive-bys!
Sample Email to EmployerSubject: Guttman C.C. CUNY EOW Student Observation Dear Mr./Ms. First and Last Name of Recipient My name is First Name Last Name and I am a student at Guttman Community College CUNY. I am writing to confirm our visit to your workplace to conduct an ethnographic observation on DATE and then returning to your workplace for an ethnographic observation and interview on DATE. I will conduct the interview with my student colleagues: First Name Last Name, First Name Last Name and First Name Last Name. We plan to conduct our observation at your workplace for an hour at 2pm. Can you please let us know if that time works for you (or if not, if there is a better time) and any information that we need to enter your building (Photo ID, etc.)? In addition, can you please send us the contact information of the person who we should ask for when we arrive? We are very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to meeting you! Sincerely, First Name Last Name First Name Last Name First Name Last Name If you have questions related to this project, please feel free to contact Tiffany Bailey-Gilles, Academic Internship Specialist at [email protected] or 646-313-8115. Cc: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] **and the other students in your group
A Student’s Experience
Fieldwork ActivityAn example….
Work at Guttman
Identify 2 “entities” (object, persons) on that tell something about work at Guttman
1 physical object
1 person/service
Take a photo of each
Make a brief note about what each photo tells you
Guiding QuestionsIf you were our students we might ask:
1. How did the work you observed compare or contrast to findings in your class reading?
2. What new research questions emerged for you based on the theory we are focused on and your fieldwork?
3. What are the ways that inequality or power relations were evidenced in the work you observed it at all?
Guiding Questions
Our Guiding Questions:
1. What was your experience like being an ethnographer?
2. How did observing work make you think about your own work experience?
3. What questions did this session/fieldwork raise for you around bringing a course like this to your campus?
