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Course Information
Department of Architecture, Cornell University


ARCH 5203: Multicultural Work Environments

Prof. Ochshorn will no longer be supervising ARCH 5203 for internships beginning with summer 2022. Contact AAP Student Services or the Architecture Department office for advice about taking an independent study course to comply with the requirements of Curricular Practical Training.

Fall or spring. 1 credit. Prerequisite: B.Arch. and M.Arch. students whose architectural internships are in a country other than that of their citizenship or prior work experience. Students with summer internships formally enroll in the course during the fall semester after their internship, but must submit approved independent study and ISSO forms during the spring semester prior to the internship and after obtaining an internship offer. Students with part-time fall or spring internships enroll in the course during their internship semester and must submit approved independent study and ISSO forms immediately after obtaining an internship offer. Students with internships during a leave of absence must formally enroll in the course during the semester immediately following their leave, but must submit approved independent study and ISSO forms during the semester immediately prior to the internship and after obtaining an internship offer.

Independent study. Promotes an understanding of the cultural assumptions we bring to the work environment and the effects of cultural differences on the ways in which architecture is practiced. A 5-10 page paper relates the experience of the internship to one or more texts approved by the instructor. Course may be taken more than once, but a maximum of 1 credit may be used to fulfill departmental free elective distribution requirement.


* This independent study course is useful for international students seeking internships in the U.S. under the Curricular Practical Training program.

STEP 1:

You must enroll in Independent Study for curricular practical training by filling out an Independent Study form. B.Arch students can use this one (pdf) and M.Arch. students can use this one (pdf). Return the form to AAP Student Services (aap-studentservices@cornell.edu).

For students who worked with Prof. Ochshorn in the past, the form incorporated the following information:

Give a brief preliminary list of resources and references:
I will be required to read a book dealing with the issue of professional practice. Possible texts include [list 1-3 examples here, final choice can be determined later]:

Which distribution requirement is this course intended to satisfy?
Free departmental elective.

What will be produced as a result of this study?
5-10 page paper discussing the chosen text in relation to the experience of the summer internship. In other words, the paper will outline the main ideas in the selected text, and compare those ideas or points with my own experience in the internship.

Describe the supervision expected:
Initial meeting to discuss choice of text; final meeting to discuss ideas for paper is optional.

Instructor can sign this form.

STEP 2:

Go to the Office of Global Learning International Services site, read all their information on CPT, and submit a Curricular Practical Training request from International Services. This is done by applying for CPT through the "mystatus portal" linked from the Global Learning website. Check with me before using my name and email for departmental approval on the CPT online form.

Important notes:

  1. Email your expected graduate date (month, day, year) to whomever will be supervising your independent study course (see step 1); your course supervisor will need this information to complete the online CPT form.
  2. Paper is due and must be turned in immediately after the internship is completed (e.g., prior to the fall term for summer internships).
  3. You may take the course more than once, but only the first credit hour earned will count towards graduation requirements.