University of Massachusetts Amherst

University Without Walls

Students

 

Giving to UWW

New Student Information—Incoming Students

Stay tuned: Spring 2010 text book list will be updated soon!

Note: Purchasing books before your course registration is confirmed in SPIRE is not recommended.

Books and course descriptions for fall 2009 core courses

Most of the individualized degree students will be signing up for a section of UWW 191G Frameworks of Understanding and one of the "reflections" courses during your first semester. Click on the links below for course descriptions and required books or other materials for each section.

See more information about the UWW faculty and staff in the staff and faculty profiles. Some of the faculty teaching sections of the reflections courses are from other departments than UWW, so their names and profiles will not be included on that page. Register for courses on the Continuing & Professional Education web site at www.umassulearn.net.

NOTE ABOUT COMPUTER AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: All UWW students are required to have a computer readily available and equipped with a recent (2003 or later) copy of Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel. Microsoft Works is not acceptable to meet this requirement. The instructors in all UWW courses require students to submit assignments electronically using MS Office programs to allow for easy exchange and commenting. (Learn more about computer requirements...)

PURCHASING BOOKS:Because most of our students live out of the Amherst area, we no longer order books through the UMass Textbook Annex. Students can purchase the necessary books through online resources, such as the publisher,half.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.

The course sections and required texts:

 

  • UWW 191G Frameworks of Understanding (required of all new UWW students)

    • Description: This course is designed to develop the skills in critical thinking, analytical and reflective writing, and research necessary for the UWW student to design an individualized degree and to develop a prior learning portfolio. Course assignments will include readings about critical thinking and analytical writing as well as exercises and papers designed to apply the skills, particularly to the examination of experience.  A portion of the course will be devoted to identifying and evaluating source materials for academic writing and then incorporating and documenting them in papers.

      Section taught by Karen Stevens (UWW-online)--required texts: (1) Nosich, G.M. (2005).   Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall; (2)  Gaines, E.J.  (1994).  A lesson before dying. New York: Vintage Contemporaries; (3) Hacker, D.  (2008). Rules for writers 6th ed.). Bedford:  St. Martin’s Press.                                 

      Section taught by Shekhar Regmi (UWW-online)- Same required texts as those used by Karen Stevens listed above.

      Section taught by Ingrid Bracey (UWW-blended)- -to be determined.

    • Section taught by Cynthia Suopis (UWW-online)--One text required: Hacker, D.  (2008). Rules for writers (6th ed.)and Writing across the curriculum package). Bedford:  St. Martin’s Press ; all other readings provided as .pdf files in the course.

    • Sections taught by Pamela Monaco, Lisa Fontes, or Jacqueline Castledine (UWW-online)-- Hacker, D. (2007). A Writer's Reference with help for writing in the disciplines - be sure purchase this exact title and the year 2007 edition.

      Section taught by Liz Brinkerhoff (UWW--live; for Elementary Licensure Students only)--(1) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon, Random House, 2003;  (2) The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman, The Noonday Press, New York, 1997; (3) A Writer’s Reference, Diana Hacker, Bedford Books, Boston, MA 1995, or any newer edition.

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  • UWW 310 Experiential Reflections on Technology

    • Description: This course is not a course about technology - there will be no technological skills taught in this course. Rather, it is a course about how we, as a society, approach and think about technology. Questions this course will ask are: How do we adopt new technology? Is technology inherently good, or inherently bad? How can we predict a technology's impact upon us?

      Sections taught by Gregory Dorchak (Communication)--All readings will be provided as .pdf files in the course.

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    • UWW 320 Experiential Reflections on Leadership

    • Description: This course is designed to help adult students reflect upon and write about the experiences with leadership they have had, as both leaders and followers, and put those experiences in the larger context of some leadership models and theories. Students will reflect upon and write about personal experiences of leading and being led, explore the dynamics of leadership within various groups and organizations, and place personal experiences with leadership within a larger context through the study of leaders and ideas about leadership.

Section taught by Rick Hendra (UWW--blended)-- Ender's Shadow (1991) by Orson Scott Card and Leadership Theory and Practice (2007) by Peter Northouse. Other materials will be available in the online class.

Section taught by Victoria Dowling (UWW--online)--Leadership Theory and Practice (2007) by Peter Northouse, The Killer Angels (1974) by Michael Shaara, and Our Iceberg Is Melting (2005) by John Kotter. Other materials will be available in the online class.

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  • UWW 330 Experiential Reflections on Public Policy

    • Description: At the beginning of this course students identify an area or issue in public policy that they have encountered through their work, community, or personal experiences.  A theoretical model of how to analyze and understand public policy will be introduced in the class through readings and case studies.  Students will then use this theoretical model to research and analyze the particular policy issue that they have identified from their own experience.  Course assignments will include several papers and participation in weekly small-group discussion.

      All sections of UWW 330 (Manchester, Eichwald, or Hendrickson--all online)) -- Policy Design for Democracy (1997)  by Anne Larason Schneider and Helen Ingram,  University of Kansas Press.

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  • UWW 340 Experiential Reflections on Organizational Life

    • Description: This course is designed to help us think through what we mean when we are talking about organizations, why they exist, how they function, how communication occurs in organizations, how people interact in organization, the influence of culture on organizations, and organizational change. It draws on literature from a variety of academic disciplines – psychology, communication, anthropology, and management – and is applicable to areas of concentration in health care, education, human services, and organizational leadership. Courses with similar content are often considered from the perspective of management; this course will explore the above topics from our perspective as participants in organizations and will emphasize our own individual and collective experiences. The emphasis will be on exploring the relationship between these experiences and organizational theory.

      Section taught by Laurie Salame (UWW)--To be determined

    • Sections taught by Chris Roberts (Management) --All required materials are to be downloaded and purchased from the Harvard School of Business at the beginning of the course.

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UWW 196Y Degree Development Seminar (Elementary Licensure only)

* Description: This seminar offers UWW students a process to assist them in designing a degree plan that encompasses the courses required for the elementary licensure program, builds on coursework already completed and provides for the potential use of experiential learning credit.  This process includes an examination of the issues in education, licensure requirements, and reflection on personal strengths, areas of knowledge, and areas for new learning.

Section taught by Elizabeth Brinkerhoff (UWW)--(1) The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America (2005) by Jonathan Kozol; (2) Why We Teach (2005) by Sonia Nieto; and (3) MTEL Communication & Literacy Skills (REA) The Best Test Prep for the Massachusetts Tests for Elementary Licensure: Field 01 (Test Preps--Paperback) by Gail Rae, et al.
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