Stephen Wright (head instructor for the class; associate director of the program)
      Co-ordinator, " Issue Focus" groups
      Discussion Group Facilitator, "Issue Focus" groups
      301-422-8042 (home), 301-314-5909 (Advocates office)
      e-mail: sw125@umail.umd.edu

Albert Gardner (instructor; director of the program)
      Co-ordinator, " Advocacy Projects" groups
      Discussion Group Facilitator, "Advocacy Projects" groups
      Co-ordinator, Internships.
      301-405-2814 (Benjamin office), 301-314-5909 (Advocates office), 301-927-7210 (home)
      e-mail: ag5@umail.umd.edu

Julie Mulhern (instructor; assistant director of the program)
      Co-ordinator, "Service-Learning" groups
      Discussion Group Facilitator, "Family Issues" focus group
      301-314-5909 (Advocates office), 301-588-8145 (home), 301-405-1304 (Benjamin office)
      e-mail: jmulhern@wam.umd.edu

Betsy Bratek (teaching assistant)
      Discussion Group Facilitator, "Educational Issues" focus group
      301-314-3481 (home), 301-314-5909 (Advocates office)
      e-mail: bbratek@wam.umd.edu

Advocates office: 1120 Cumberland
Our mail boxes: in the work room (1130 Cumberland) opposite the main College Park Scholars office (1125 Cumberland).
Advocates web site address (url): http://www.umd.edu/afc/

1. Participate in discussions and special in-class activities, as well as listening to speakers. The "work" of learning something from our speakers is considered to be the most important feature of the colloquium. [See "Absence Policy."]

2. Short reading and writing assignments. You do not have to buy a textbook. Please hand in a hard copy of all writing assignments to Steve Wright.

3. Participate in a field trip of your choice. At least three will be offered, but students are strongly engouraged to participate in the overnight campout (cabins) in Roxbury, PA; we need the help that experienced Advocates like you can provide.

4. Focus Groups will be an integrated version of what has sometimes been separate in the past: activity groups, theme groups, and discussion groups. You will have only one group this semester, according to your focus group interest, and that group will also be your discussion group. There will be six focus groups of roughly equal size (about a dozen people each). One or more of the groups will be for students who want to do "Advocacy Projects," one or more groups will be for "Service-Learning," and the other groups will be for students who want to have an "Issue Focus," to explore an Advocacy for children issue in more depth. Each "Issue Focus" group will have a theme that is somewhat broader than the specific issues that smaller teams within that group will address. We will create these smaller teams from students with similar interests, and although students will work largely individually in a traditional research manner (finding materials at the library or on the Internet and writing up their findings), they will also integrate their findings with those of other members of the team into a presentation that will be made to the group.

August 30       ALL STUDENTS MEET
Discuss the plan for the semester. Survey topic and focus interests.

September 6       ALL STUDENTS MEET
Assignment of students to focus groups based on lst week's survey. Break into the three groups for furthur explanation and discussion.

PART 1:
Crime, Violence, and other "Risk Factors" in Adolescence

September 13       PRESENTATION AND GAME (SIMULATION)
Stephen Wright, Dept. of Human Development, UMCP
"Risk and Protective Factors in Adolescence"

September 20       GUEST SPEAKER
Tony Avendorph, Prince George's County Police Dept.
"Teenage Gangs in our Area"

September 27       DISCUSSION
Discussion of past speakers
      Split class: Students in the following groups come to class:
            Service-Learning groups
            Theme: "Crime & Risk" group

October 4       DISCUSSION
Discussion of past speakers
      Split class: Students in the following groups come to class:
           Theme: "Family Issues" group
           Theme: "Education" group
           Advocacy Projects groups

PART 2:
Education: Information & Knowledge; School Policy Issues; Children with Disabilities

October 11       VIDEO & BRIEF PRESENTATION
Video: "Children with Autism"
Stephen Wright, Dept. of Human Development, UMCP
"Two of my children are recovered autistics"

October 18       GUEST SPEAKER
Patricia Alexander, Dept. of Human Development, UMCP
"An Historical Look at Learning and Development: Stuff They Never Taught You in Psych 101"

October 25       GUEST SPEAKER
Martha Sheridan, Department of Social Work, Gallaudet University.
"The Inner Lives of Deaf Children"
She is also the author of a book by the same name, to be published in 2001.

October 28 (Saturday late morning)       SPECIAL VISITOR TO CAMPUS
Jonathan Kozol, author, Savage Inequalities
Recommended lecture. Place: Ritchie Coliseum, UMCP. Time: 11:30 to 12:30.

November 1       PANEL DISCUSSION
Lauren Rhim, Dept. of Education Policy & Leadership, UMCP
Tana Bishop, Dept. of Education Policy & Leadership, UMCP
Liza Briggs, Dept. of Education Policy & Leadership, UMCP
"Schools and Public Policy: Choice, Privitization, Teacher Quality, and Accountability"

November 8       VIDEO & DISCUSSION
Discussion of past speakers
      Split class: Students in the following groups come to class:
            Service-Learning groups
            Theme: "Crime & Risk" group
            Advocacy Projects groups

November 15       VIDEO & DISCUSSION
Discussion of past speakers
      Split class: Students in the following groups come to class:
           Theme: "Family Issues" group
           Theme: "Education" group

November 22       Thanksgiving tomorrow - class not held.

November 29       ALL STUDENTS MEET
To be announced. Some "issue topics" students give presentations.

December 6       ALL STUDENTS MEET
Final wrap-up. Some "issue topics" students may give presentations.

1125 Cumberland Hall University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742-9331