![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Handshake]](/images/2004/1005trish.gif)
Trisha Niemeyer,
a student at Conrad Grebel University College, gets
congratulations from Mike Strathdee of the
Mennonite Foundation
of Canada at a recent community supper. She received the foundation's
Spirit of Generosity Award for her leadership in Engineers Without
Borders, particularly in organizing the EWB national conference last
year. "This is part of her concern," the sponsors say, "to express
her Christian commitment to use her education and vocational
opportunities for the welfare of all people and to contribute to the
establishment of peace and justice through engineering." Grebel
chaplain Ed Janzen looks on.
|
Although the degree program won't accept its first students until September 2005, interest is keen -- part of a growing enthusiasm for the subject of law that Desroches has observed over the years as director of the legal studies and criminology option.
Under the new program, students will be able to do a legal studies at the honours or general level. They'll also have the option of taking one of two areas of specialization, "financial regulation" or "personal finance", designed to "address perceived deficiencies in the educational background of the largest proportion of law students who continue to come from a liberal arts background," the program's web site explains.
"We're hoping to develop a number of areas of specialization by tapping into the unique strengths at Waterloo," says Desroches. The idea of a degree-granting program in legal studies was proposed by provost Amit Chakma, and a follow-up survey of students showed widespread support, he says.
The expansion seems like a natural step in the evolution of the program. Offered for the past 30 years, the legal studies and criminology option "was always a popular program," says Desroches, graduating 60 to 70 students per year.
The option will continue to be offered, and courses in the degree program will cover everything from business law and conflict resolution to environmental law, and law in the middle ages to criminal profiling. Participating departments include sociology, political science, psychology, philosophy, planning, peace and conflict studies, history, environmental studies, English, actuarial science, and accounting and financial management.
The program has spawned a number of new courses; among them, Legal Writing and Canadian Legal History, as well as Introduction to Legal Studies (LS 101) and Introduction to Criminology (LS 102). Also planned are English courses in Litigious Literature and Convict Literature, plus future offerings examining international law and Native people and the law.
This fall, Legal Studies 101 has an enrolment of some 200 students. "We've had to turn people away," says Desroches. Taught as an interdisciplinary course by faculty members from several departments, LS 101 explores the relationship between law and areas such as immigration, multiculturalism, the family, commerce, morality and human rights.
While some students are getting hooked on law courses in high school, he attributes the burgeoning interest in the subject to the recognition that "law plays a significant part in life. We're not teaching law, per se," he explains, "but how law evolved and functions."
Although the Legal Studies Degree is not "a necessary or sufficient condition for application to law school," it does provide the kind of background that would be useful for a career in law, or in a number of other fields including police, corrections, probation and parole, insurance or social work.
Staff meet at 3 p.m.A meeting is scheduled for this afternoon to let the staff association hear from staff members about what they want from the association in view of a shortage of leadership. The meeting will start at 3 p.m. in Physics room 145.Managers are encouraged to make their staff available if they wish to attend the meeting, says Catharine Scott, associate provost (human resources and student services). |
Computer science. Octavian Andrei Dragoi, "The Continuum Architecture: Towards Enabling Chaotic Ubiquitous Computing." Supervisor, J.P. Black. Thesis on display in the faculty of mathematics, MC 5090. Oral defence to be held Tuesday, October 12, at 12:30 p.m. in Davis Centre room 3323.
Mechanical engineering. Arash Narimani, "Development of Linear and Nonlinear Isolation Techniques for Passive and Semi-Active Applications." Supervisor, F. Golnaraghi. Oral defence to be held Monday, October 18, at 1 p.m. in Engineering III extension room 4117.
Mechanical engineering. Hua Ji, "Large Eddy Simulation of Free Surface Flows." Supervisors, F.-S. Lien and A. Strong. Thesis on display in the faculty of engineering, CPH 4367. Oral defence to be held Thursday, October 21, at 1:30 p.m. in Engineering II room 3324.
Statistics and actuarial science. Zeny Feng, "Statistical Methods in Affected Sib Pairs Analysis." Co-supervisors, J. Chen and M. E. Thompson. Thesis on display in the faculty of mathematics, MC 5090. Oral defence to be held Monday, October 25, at 9:30 a.m. in Math and Computer room 6007.
Mechanical engineering. Kevin Thomson, "Soot Formation in Annular Non-premixed Laminar Flames of Methane-Air at Pressures of 0.1 to 4.01 MPa." Supervisors, R. A. Fraser, E. J. Weckman and O. Gulder. Thesis on deposit in the faculty of engineering, CPH 4305. Oral defence to be held Thursday, October 28, at 1:30 p.m. in Engineering II room 3324.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
|
Introduction to Online Resources for New Faculty, Centre for
Learning and Teaching Through Technology, Tuesday 9:30 a.m., Flex Lab,
Dana Porter Library,
details
online.
Campus TechShop vendor fair -- demonstrations of new products, answers to questions, prizes, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Student Life Centre. WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) training for staff, faculty, grad students: today 10 a.m. or Thursday 2 p.m., Davis Centre room 1304. Video and brief quiz last about 90 minutes. Fulbright Program information meeting about US-Canada exchanges for faculty, graduate students and senior undergrads, 2:30, Humanities room 334. 'Chapter II: Right on the Market: How to Survive Building a Tech Company," 3 to 7 p.m., Federation Hall, as Communitech's Entrepreneur Week continues. Free for would-be entrepreneurs. Career workshops: "Interview Skills, the Basics" 3:30, "Preparing for Questions" 4:30, Tatham Centre room 2218. Interdisciplinary Coffee Talk Society: Guenter Scholz, physics, "Zero-Emission Vehicles: What Is the Situation?" 5 p.m., Graduate House. Missions/Internship Day sponsored by peace and conflict studies, Conrad Grebel University College, Wednesday 11:00 to 1:00, Grebel atrium. Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology presents Jim Estill, Synnex Canada, "How to Start a Business and Sell it for $50,000,000", Wednesday 12 noon, Davis Centre room 1302, reservations by today to lcurtis@uwaterloo.ca. Noon hour concert: Njacko Backo and band, African music from Cameroon, Wednesday 12:30, Conrad Grebel University College chapel, free. Playwright Tomson Highway visits in the Silversides Theatre Artists Series, Thursday 12 noon, UW bookstore, South Campus Hall. |
![[Weinberg speaks]](/images/2004/1004peri3.gif)
Wouldn't you know it, I bungled the name of Saturday's convocation
speaker in a note in yesterday's Daily Bulletin. The lower right
photo (right) showed
Steven Weinberg of the University of Texas at Austin, who received an
honorary degree and gave the convocation address.
Anthony Leggett, whose name I mentioned, is a noted physicist too, but
did not attend the convocation ceremony.
The main entrance of the Davis Centre library reopened yesterday, signalling that the end of the summer-long renovation project is in sight. "Work continues," writes Mary Stanley of the library office. "Each day more services become available." With the entrance finished, "Patrons will now be able to see into as well as enter the Library from the new glassed entrance." And she adds: "The renovations to Davis have been well received by students and staff. A total of 668 places to sit and work are now available in the Library, with 80% of these places on the main floor. Features include 38 computers in the RBC Information Commons with MS Office; 38 express workstations; 84 internet and power connections at study tables; 109 silent study carrels under the galleria; 182 other study carrels, single desks or single rooms, many with power outlets so you can have light and plug in a laptop."
Graduate students will be asked to vote later this term about creating a dental plan. "Balloting will take place electronically," writes Simon Guthrie, vice-president (corporate affairs) of the Graduate Student Association, "on November 30, December 1, and December 2. More information will be forthcoming before the balloting dates. Any students interested in being a part of either the Yes or No committees, or wanting further details, should contact Jason Grove (jagrove@engmail)."
A second person has been sentenced in connection with the April 24 incident at Ron Eydt Village in which two men entered a lounge through a window, set curtains on fire, then fled pursued by police. In August one man received a $1,500 sentence, and last week another man -- [name deleted 2007 Feb 22], who is a UW student -- was fined $2,000 and sentenced to community service on charges of mischief, drunk driving and failing to stop for police.
Bob Copeland, senior director in development and alumni affairs, has issued his periodic update on the annual fund -- money that comes to UW in gifts from alumni and other friends. "Giving results for the spring term were very strong," he writes, citing $1,690,656 in cash and pledges, which is a 24 per cent increase over the same term last year. "The Call Centre raised a record $1,203,266," he writes, "clearly demonstrating that the Call Centre is the fund-raising engine of annual giving at UW. One out of every three people we reached on the hone agreed to support UW." There was a total of 4,349 donors during the May-to-August period.
CAR