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Northwestern University
Chicago Field Studies Program
Level of Course:
Undergraduate
Instructor:
Dr. Nina Wieda, Ph.D.
Course Subject:
Field Studies Interdisciplinary Academic Internship Program
Number of community participants:
15
"Yellowdig has shifted the ratio of what I do in class. I always valued discussion, and the nature of my class that deals with controversial issues where I want students to see both sides, and want students to debate them, the very nature of my class invited the discussion format."
"I teach in Chicago field studies program, which is an academic internship program. It’s a unique interdisciplinary program. Our students do internships in different industries and at the same time, they take seminars that focus on issues that relate to those industries- social, moral and philosophical issues that inform their understanding in that industry’s role in the contemporary world. So I teach business field studies. My course is meant to illuminate the relationship between the world of business and society at large. And one of the goals in my course is to allow students to learn from each other and their internship experiences, as well as from me and from the readings. So social learning is very important component to my course, and that is why Yellowdig is such a useful tool for us."
By The Numbers
25
Students
+ Ease
Sharing Content
1
Community
Results
"We cover a few topics, for example, business ethics, and we will read some philosophy that explores the notion of ethics. We read some opinions from different periods of the 20th century. We compare them. We look at the evolution of the notion of business ethics, and then in the context of all that, we apply the ideas to current day events and present cases. Students use their own internships as another text to analyze and see in the context of theory and they use each other's internships, and they draw on the news. Students bring in events as fresh as the morning of the class. ‘Have you heard? This is what happened this morning. Let’s discuss, and apply our understanding’."
"When students come to class, and I’ve seen their discussion board participation, I know they have read the sources, discussed them, given them some thought, so I do not need to present content and do not need to gather initial opinions. I can move on to the third step which is to have them generate, let's say guidelines for a policy, or to have them critique a certain case. It gave me more time in class to do higher level activities because the preliminary steps can be done online, prior to the arrival of class... I realized that [the students] respond to [topic suggestions] with more interest and curiosity than I anticipated. When I see that some discussions generated more interest, I know I should pay more attention to that topic in my class, or assign more readings, or allow that topic to be discussed during in-class meetings."
Dr. Wieda's Yellowdig experience shows exemplary usage in order to facilitate social connections in a seminar class. Her class consists of a small group of students, meeting once a week for a three hour period. The in-person time is used for written work, so the Yellowdig portion of the seminar plays a very important role in connecting the class and facilitating profound discussion. Yellowdig has sparked interest and participation like Dr. Wieda has not seen prior in her course.
I feel like I am getting to know my students a lot better because i can see them participate on Yellowdig. I get an insight into all my students’ progress and their opinions and I really think I am getting to know my group better. The community aspect of my seminar has improved significantly now that I can read their online discussions every week.
~
Dr. Nina Wieda
About the Instructor
Dr. Nina Wieda, Ph.D.
Ph.D. (Northwestern University), M.A. (Central European University)
Professor at Northwestern University, Chicago Field Studies Program
Nina Wieda specializes in the history of ideas. Her research centers on culturally determined attitudes towards spending: why people choose to spend or save and what those behaviors mean to them. Nina is trained in analyzing daily behaviors through the prism of values and ideas that affect those behaviors. A former Assistant Professor at Middlebury College, Nina also has experience in journalism, advertising, and consumer research. Besides Business Field Studies, she has been leading seminars for President Schapiro's and Professor Morson's interdisciplinary course on modeling choice across disciplines (HUM 260) and teaching at Newberry Library. Nina has been published in three languages. She is one of 19 young professionals from the greater Chicago area selected to participate in the Emerging Leaders program with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2020 cohort.
About the Institution
Northwestern University
Northwestern is a comprehensive research university that is deeply interdisciplinary across multiple schools and units. Our rigorous yet empathetic academic environment provides a robust mixture of theory and practice, with an emphasis on top-tier research, new knowledge, creative expression and practical application. Northwestern is one of only four top 10 US universities also ranked in the top 20 in each of the five graduate education categories (https://www.northwestern.edu/about/facts.html).
