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Applicants must include with this application the following materials:

  1. A letter of recommendation,
  2. A cover letter that explicitly notes experience and interest in the topic of business and environmental sustainability
  3. A resume or curriculum vita
  4. Any available teaching evaluations
  5. Copy of the undergraduate and graduate transcript (unofficial is fine)
  6. A list of your financial support history at the University (how many terms of financial support received to date by term/year, department, description, appointment fraction)
  7. Teaching history (list course and department)

Course Description

ORGSTUDY 208. Business and the Natural Environment (Prof. Sara Soderstrom) (from CARF)

This course offers a broad introduction to the study of business and the natural environment, integrating insights from sociology, psychology, and economics. We will start with an overview of the triple bottom line framework, in which corporations take into account social and environmental performance in addition to financial performance. Then we will focus on contemporary business activities that address the natural environment. We will discuss the role of the natural environment on business management and strategy, operations, supply chain, product innovation, and marketing. Students will each review numerous cases on business and the natural environment and share their insights with others so that we can all learn about different approaches for business to address concerns with the environment. We will use sustainability reports of a diverse group of corporations to analyze and critique current business practices with respect to the environment. Finally, student teams will complete industry analyses in various geographies to identify future opportunities for business and the natural environment. Throughout this course, my goal is to provide students with an understanding of a variety of activities that corporations take to address challenges with the natural environment and to help them develop the skills to critically analyze these corporate activities and recognize strengths and weaknesses in different corporate strategies.

Anticipated Class Schedule: Mon/Wed 9:00-10:00am with 4 one-hour discussion sections TBD 
Estimated effort for the positions: 2 GSI position (.35 FTE) 
Benefits: Tuition waiver and stipend as provided in UM/GEO Agreement

Responsibilities

GSIs will be expected to attend every lecture and hold regular office hours. GSIs may be asked to deliver one lecture during the course of the semester. GSIs will have primary responsibility for their individual sections, which will include a mix of exercises designed by the instructor and group analyses of corporate sustainability facilitated by the GSI. GSIs will have primary responsibility for grading, in consultation with the faculty, and will meet weekly with the professor during the semester. GSIs will also be responsible for maintaining and updating grade sheets and other records. It is anticipated that the responsibilities will average 15-16 hours per week for a 0.35 FTE GSI.

Required Qualifications

In compliance with Appendix A of the 2011-2014 UM/GEO agreement (see pp. 90-92 of the UM/GEO agreement), the College of LSA requires that potential GSIs whose undergraduate medium of instruction is not English be evaluated for effective proficiency in classroom English. Effective proficiency includes fluent and intelligible speech, the ability to understand the English spoken by the undergraduate students, the ability to produce organized, coherent explanations, and the ability to contribute to the development of interactions with their students. As part of the training and testing, graduate students are required to demonstrate their effective proficiency by taking the GSI-OET conducted by independent evaluators from the Testing Division at the English Language Institute and a faculty representative from the department in which the prospective GSI will be teaching.

Desired Qualifications

Social science (e.g. sociology, political science, psychology, or economics) or related professional school (e.g. business, policy, social work, education) or environmental sciences (natural resources, environmental engineering) graduate student preferred. Applicants with work experience in management, consulting, or environmental sciences and/or as a GSI for courses at UM will be preferred but such experience is not necessary.

Contact Information

Melissa Eljamal Key Administrator 718 Dennison-1042 734.764.6811 eljamalm@umich.edu

Decision Making Process

All applications will be submitted for review to the faculty member teaching the course. After review of applications and possible interviews, the decisions will be made by the professor of the course.

Selection Process

Selection criteria include strong interest in the subject matter, merit, experience, other training or experience which may be required and explicit to the teaching goals/requirements of a specific course, applicant's previous receipt of financial aid, availability of funding, and relevance to graduate training. Decisions will be made and offers extended by the week of November 24, 2014. Applicants may request the status of their application from the program at any time.

GEO Contract Information

The University will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, familial status, parental status or pregnancy status, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, height, weight, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, HIV antibody status, political belief, membership in any social or political organization, participation in a grievance or complaint whether formal or informal, or any other factor where the item in question will not interfere with job performance and where the employee is otherwise qualified. The University of Michigan agrees to abide by the protections afforded employees with disabilities as outlined in the rules and regulations which implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Information for the Office of Institutional Equity may be found at hr.umich.edu/oie/contact.html and for the University Ombuds.

Unsuccessful applications will be retained for consideration in the event that there are last minute openings for available positions. In the event that an Employee does not receive his or her preferred assignment, he or she can request a written explanation or an in-person interview with the hiring agents(s) to be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time.

This position, as posted, is subject to a collective bargaining agreement between the Regents of the University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees' Organization, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO 3550.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.