Fall 2006 Syllabus
Aug. 24-Oct 17
TR 3-3:50 Fitzelle 308

Dr. Renee B. Walker
Contact Information: Office: Fitzelle 312
Phone: 436-3346 E-mail: email me
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 12:00-2:00pm, or by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Talena Baideme

Required Texts:

Gladis, Steve (1999) Surviving the First Year of College.  Amherst, Mass.: HRD Press.

Assigned readings available on electronic reserve –  the password is on the syllabus you received in class.

Course Description: 

The College Life course is designed to help you begin your college career successfully.  You will meet twice per week for the first half of the semester to discuss academic and social issues of college life.  Our meetings and discussions will focus on the themes of transformation, community and personal growth.  Each section introduces issues of a particular discipline and serves as a forum for discussion of experiences relevant to students in their first semester at college.

Course Objectives:

·         Increase contact/interaction with faculty and other students.

·         Become better aware of and involved in on-campus events/workshops/activities.

·         Learn about study concepts and skills, such as time management, critical thinking, diversity, etc.

Course Requirements:

·         Reading – Material assigned should be read prior to class.

·         Papers – There will be 1 paper that involves an analysis of your first month at college.

·         Assignments – There will be a number of assignments; many will be written in nature.

·         Participation – participation in discussions, in-class exercises and out of class events/meetings is very important! 

Evaluation and Grading:          

Final grades are based on the following (this is subject to change):        

Assignments                                                                              30 points

Event Attendance                                                                      20 points

Class Project                                                                             20 points

Participation                                                                              30 points

Total:                                                                                       100 points

Grades will be assessed according to the following scale: >70% Pass – 69% or less Fail

Late Work Policy: All assigned work must be submitted in class on the due date and is considered due at the beginning of class (with a 10-minute grace period) – turning in work later the same day is still late. Work needs to be handed to me NOT under my door.

I will take off points according to the lateness of the work; 5 points off if turned later in the same day and 10 points off for each day after the due date (including weekends) that it is turned in. No work is accepted more than one week after the due date.

Expectations for the class:

·         Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty will NOT be tolerated.  The MINIMUM sanction for academic dishonesty is a 0 for an exam, paper or assignment, but a failing grade for the course is also a strong possibility, and dismissal from the college could even result from an act of academic dishonesty.

It is your responsibility to read and understand the policy on all aspects of academic dishonesty, as published in the Student Handbook. If you have any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, you should talk to your instructors. The following are examples of academic dishonesty, though this list does not include all possible acts of academic dishonesty (Faculty Handbook, p. 132):

Plagiarism – using materials from another’s work without acknowledgement, using quotations without identification as such, or paraphrasing without specific identification of the source.

Cheating - unauthorized giving or receiving of information on an examination or other exercise.

Copying or modifying another person’s computer file, program, printout or portion thereof for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor. Alternatively, knowingly permitting one’s computer file, program, printout or portion thereof to be copied or modified by another student for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.

Assignments

·         The Paper (20 points):

College Life Journal – due Oct 17: The assignment requires you to keep a journal in which you make weekly entries, and review/discuss your first six weeks at college, integrating issues discussed during the course.  Specific guidelines will be handed out separately.

·         Presentation/Discussion (10 points):

You will select two articles (one peer-review and one non-peer review) on the same subject and present a brief (1-3 minutes) summary of the differences between them.  You will also hand in short paper with the references to the two articles and a brief (250-300) word summary of their differences.

Participation

·         Participation (30 points):

      Participation in out-of-class events and meetings is essential, as is participation in the classroom. It is difficult to participate if you do not attend. Attendance is your responsibility and duty as a productive and contributing member of the class. You are responsible for all information associated with regular participation in the class, and for keeping up with the readings. Realize that the readings are not a substitute for class lectures, discussions and in-class activities.

     Everyone should feel free to participate. Personal thoughts and opinions are welcome. Remember, however, to respect the diversity of the class. Try not to dominate discussions, and try to leave biases at the door. If anything we talk about makes you feel uncomfortable, please let me know and talk to me or the TAs about it privately.

Event Attendance

·         Events (20 points)

You are required to participate in 5 on-campus events, two should be Success Series events (dates for these will be provided).  After attending these events, you will turn in a brief (1-2 paragraph), typed summary of what occurred at the event.  This will be turned in the next class meeting after the event has taken place.

Class Project:

·         Class Project (20 points):

This is common class project for all INTD 133 sections.  The goal of the project is a creative production describing the transition to college in 2006.  Something that is reflective of your initial experiences here.  A group dinner meeting will be held where you can share their project with the other sections. 

Other Information:

·         Classroom Etiquette:

-          You are expected to arrive to class on time, ready to start.

-          Class is not over until class is over; please don’t get ready to leave before I indicate that we are done for the day.

-          Expect that we will always be meeting for the full scheduled class period.

-          While it is anticipated that the need to use the restroom during class may periodically arise, please keep personal breaks to a minimum, and do so only if absolutely necessary.

-          No eating or smoking is allowed in class.

-          Make sure that cell phones are turned off!

·         Et cetera, but IMPORTANT:

-          The Center for Academic Development and Enrichment (formerly Learning Support Services) provides free academic services to students. If you need assistance and tutoring in writing, the Writing Center can help. For tutoring in subject areas and development of study skills, the Learning Center is a good resource. Both are located at 225 Alumni Hall.

-          Always save copies of your work.  It’s a good idea to print a hard copy, as well as save a copy on your computer, on a floppy or zip disk and to the network. A computer crash and loss of your work just before it is due is not an acceptable excuse for it being late.

-          If, due to serious injury/illness or dire circumstances such as a death in the family, you will be absent for several classes, please communicate with me as soon as possible, and consider calling Student Development (119 Netzer, 436-2513), to advise them, and take advantage of their assistance.