Fall 2009: MWF 11-11:50 am in Mickle 114
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Centenary's First Year Experience (FYE) program provides a distinctive academic experience that introduces students to the liberal arts, those skills and habits of mind that allow one to approach complex problems from a variety of perspectives. The FYE program is designed to highlight these diverse forms of inquiry and to cultivate the intellectual skills that enable successful participation in scholarly, professional, and public discourses.
The FYE program integrates in-class work with a series of guest speakers and cultural events that present diverse perspectives, model a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving, offer material for exploration, and provide an opportunity to interact with people who have made important contributions to the public discussion of ideas.
In recognition of the thoroughly multidisciplinary nature of this program, the teaching faculty is drawn from across Centenary's many academic departments. Though each class section is individualized to reflect not only the teacher but the students, all FYE courses share a common set of student learning objectives. This semester you will can learn how to
We will occasionally reference public texts, like streaming radio programs or articles from newspapers and general-interest periodicals like The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, The Economist. You should also own a good collegiate dictionary, a common tool for any educated person. But for this class particularly, you should purchase, and liberally mark-up as your own, these required texts available in the Centenary Bookstore:
Read each assignment entirely before the class for which it is assigned. You may not always understand the readings, but make a good effort while articulating confusions or misgivings: take careful notes, construct brief summaries, and mark your texts. We will regularly enjoy reading quizzes. . . .
Responsible work in this course will be well rewarded! Strive to participate constructively in each class discussion: when you are not speaking, listen actively, showing speakers that you are paying close attention. Also create interesting and original individual work while serving ethically in groups; laziness violates group ethics and will quickly lower your grade.
Participation in the First-Year Experience goes beyond the classroom. Plan to attend required co-curricular events (often scheduled during the Thursday convocation hour) just as you would class. Some are already listed in the class calendar; more events may be added, but you will always be given ample notice. Always conduct yourselves as members of the College, modeling respectable behavior (for example, no text-messaging or other unruly displays of personal boredom) especially at required events.
Because this class consists primarily of discussion, group collaboration, and student presentations, you should attend and participate in every class and required co-curricular event. Missing any classes will adversely affect your performance in the course and could lower your participation grade. Students who miss class must work with me to ensure adequate class participation and timely submission of assignments; making arrangements before the absence is best.
In accordance with the FYE program's general policy on attendance, you will fail the course if for any reason you miss more than nine class meetings throughout the semester.
You will not be penalized for officially-sanctioned absences (including those for athletics, musical performances, or other school events), provided that you 1) make prior arrangements to complete all in-class and out-of-class work, 2) participate fully in the class overall, and 3) do not miss any other classes except in the case of an emergency.
Submit all assignments on time: late assignments receive one letter-grade penalty for each day they are late, but you must complete all assignments in order to pass the class. Format and document your papers according to MLA style and, unless otherwise noted, submit them all electronically as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx). Maintain a reliable system for keeping your drafts, making sure to keep track of all originals as well as graded documents with comments: I recommend that you print and keep hard copies of all work in this course.
As a student here, you are bound by Centenary's honor code. We will discuss plagiarism relevant to written and spoken assignments, and I will explain what collaboration is not allowable, but if you have any questions, ask rather than risk a problem. Handwrite, sign, and date the honor code on every assignment you submit, but know that I assume the code describes your general conduct with respect to this class, not just your strict adherence on submitted assignments.
As a member of this course, you pledge to attend all events related to the course. If you miss an event without notifying me, or if you know of a student who has without reporting it to the Honor Court or me, you have violated the honor code. I will report all suspected academic dishonesty to the Honor Court, so retain all notes, drafts, final papers, etc for each assignment in case you must prove your work in a trial.
Your final grade (A = 100-90, B = 89-80, C = 79-70, D = 69-60, F = 59-0) reflects
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