Law673: Multi-Cultural Work Environments
2008 Course Information and Registration Instructions
Faculty:
Anne Lukingbeal, Associate Dean
(al50@cornell.edu, ext. 5-5839)
Please Read this page thoroughly BEFORE registering
The law faculty offers a course in the law school available to students with F1 visa status who seek curricular practical training this summer: Multicultural Work Environments I & II. Dean Lukingbeal has again agreed to teach the course.
Eligibility & Procedures:
The course is open only to those students who will be working during the summer in a country other than that of their citizenship. Course II is open only to those students who have completed course I. Each is a one (1)-credit, S/U course and may be taken as an elective in addition to the required degree credits. The course grade will appear on the student's transcript.
The registration deadline is June 1, 2008.
Registration:
Register on this web site beginning beginning February 1, 2008 and ending June 1, 2008. Prior to registering for the course, students must obtain a summer internship offer. The internship may be in an organization which previously employed the student, but the position and work assignments should not substantially duplicate earlier work for the organization. Once that has been done, registration can be done online on this web site.
A few days after you register on line for the course, you will receive an approval email from Sarah Hilsman at the International Students & Scholars Office. The email will explain that you need to bring a copy of that email along with your job offer letter to the ISSO (B50 Caldwell Hall) in order to obtain your work authorization. More information about Curricular Practical Training work authorization is available here. Come to the ISSO to discuss any questions you have about CPT or email us at: isso@cornell.edu.
You MUST notify the Law School Registrar if you change or drop the internship after registration. The internship may not be extended beyond the summer, and you may not drop the course after completing the internship without invalidating your work authorization and jeopardizing your legal status in the U.S..
Objective & Assignment:
The goal of this course is to promote an understanding of the challenges encountered in the work environment as a result of cultural differences. To that end, students are required to complete a 10 page paper by September 15 following their summer internship.
One approach is to compare the attitudes and interactions encountered during the internship to those of the student's country of origin. The paper can focus on such areas as hierarchies, gender roles, time management, communication channels and styles, teamwork, or other aspects of work life. In addition to identifying these differences, the paper should explore (a) what assumptions the student brought to the new environment, (b) how cultural differences affected the student's integration into the workplace, and (c) how cultural differences affect productivity.
A second approach may be taken by students with prior work experience in another country. These papers can address the broader issues of how different environmental factors (e.g., legal/regulatory, demographic, technological, socio/political) affect this field or industry in the two settings.
It is a good idea to keep a journal during the internship to record the situations and observations on which the final paper will be based. Students may meet individually with the teacher to review the outline of their course paper prior to the September 15, 2008 deadline. Revisions may be required before the final grade is posted.
Please go to next page to register online.