Shyamala Raman, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics and International Studies
Director of International Studies
Contact
Phone: 860.231.5515
E-mail:
sraman@sjc.edu
Dr. Shyamala Raman works hard to draw out inquiry, interrogation and curiosity from her students. "On many occasions when students have felt that the material was way above their understanding, I have gently nudged them via various means of making the sophisticated material understandable. They have surprised me. On two recent occasions, I have stood in class and applauded them."
The recipient of the 2005 Saint Joseph College Caritas Award, Dr. Raman is so connected into the present moment of teaching that she thinks of each of her classes as an offering: "My work is my prayer." Conscious of being an ethical educator, she often introduces materials in the classroom which teach students how to recognize issues such as sustainability, gender inequalities, and free market fundamentalism. In addition, she specializes in the "just in time" syllabus, where the document acts as an organic entity rather than a static contract. "I take pleasure in crafting a syllabus the way a jeweler would craft a piece of fine jewelry," she said.
Her favorite aspect of the Saint Joseph College experience is the "life of the mind" that the College fosters. "I feel very fortunate to be able to mold the minds of my students and make them prepared to face the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century."
Degrees
Ph.D., University of Connecticut
M.B.A., University of Connecticut
M.A.L.S., Wesleyan University
M.A., Madras University, India
B.A., Madras University, India
Research/Publications
Research:
Dimensions of Globalization; Economics and Pedagogy
Grants:
Recipient of several grants from Saint Joseph College for technology/curriculum design and faculty development.
Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, Understanding Globalization, in collaboration with colleagues from Consortium institutions, 1999-2000.
Understanding Informatics, in collaboration with colleagues from Consortium institutions.
Lotus Foundation Grant for Core Course on Living in a Global Society, 1990-1992.
IBM-Sloan equipment grant, Trinity College (sponsor), one of 20 colleges in the United States chosen for this award, 1989-1992.
Recent Presentations:
Co-director and presenter at a Professional Development Institute for Educators on Integrating Human Rights Into the High School Curriculum, sponsored by the UNESCO Chair on Comparative Human Rights, University of Connecticut and the Coalition of Human Rights Organization, New England, June 2005.
"Globalization," all day workshop on for the New York State Association of Independent Schools, sponsored by the Hill Center for World Studies, Ashfield, Massachusetts,
February 2005.
"Demystifying, Deconstructing and Democratizing Economics: Case Studies from the Undergraduate Classroom," International Association for Feminist Economics, Conference in Oxford, England, August 2004.
The Saint Joseph College Guyana Community Health Project: Preparatory Interactive Syllabus of Logistical and General Curricular Information Resources for Nursing and Counseling Students, Shyamala Raman, Ph.D. & Ronald W. DeGray, Ph.D., http://ww2.sjc.edu/faculty_pages/rdegray/Toronto/TitlePage.html, October 2003.
Developing a Web-Based Interactive Syllabus for An Undergraduate Course
in Systems Thinking and Complexity, Shyamala Raman, Ph.D. and Ronald DeGray, Ph.D.,
http://ww2.sjc.edu/faculty_pages/rdegray/SystemsThinking/NECSI2002/Interjournal.html,
June, 2002.
"The Just-in-Time Syllabus," in collaboration with Jean Shackelford, Bucknell University and Kim Sosin, University of Nebraska, Omaha, American Economic Association Poster Session: Teaching Techniques that Promote Active Learning, January 5, 2002.
"The Challenges of Designing and Delivering an International Studies Major: Scale and Scope Considerations in a Small Liberal Arts College," Global Education Conference, Roanoke College, November 2001.
"Experiences and Insights about Electronically Delivered Course Material on Systems Thinking and Complexity," in collaboration with Ronald DeGray, 4th Annual Online Teaching & Learning Conference, Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium,
October 2001.
"Globalization: Capitalism's Last Binge," panel at the 8th Annual Conference of International Association for Feminist Economics held in Ottawa, Canada, June 1999 .
"Rabindranath Tagore and Sustainable Economics," International Conference on Rabindranath Tagore, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, September 1998.
"Economic Discrimination of Women - Is the United Nations Doing Enough ,"
50th Anniversary Annual Conference of the International Association of Human Rights Agencies, Hastings Hotel and Conference Center, Hartford, Connecticut, July 1998.
"Intimations of Feminist Methodology in an Industrial Organization Story," jointly authored with Marcia Moen, University of Hartford International Conference for Feminist Economics, Mexico, June 1997.
Awards:
Winifred E. Coleman Service Award, 2010.
Honoree at the Fifth Connecticut Immigrant Day, May 16, 2002.
Reverend John J. Stack Teaching Excellence Award, 2001.
Wye Faculty Fellow, Aspen Institute, 1996.
University of Connecticut Day of Pride Graduate Honoree, 1994.
Article:
"Dorothy Goodwin, A Biographical Dictionary of Women Economists," edited by Dimand, Robert W., Mary Ann Dimand and Evelyn Forget, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2000.
