CLA 1001 Syllabus |
Course DescriptionCLA 1001 is a seminar course, which facilitates the integration of CLA learning community courses and collegiate academic expectations. The seminar introduces students to various dimensions of the American university system and sub-topics such as intellectual growth, academic goal-setting, and the exploration of majors. This year's section brings together students under the general heading of "Exploring Our World," a general topic that brings together the four shared courses and considers the possibility of taking classes in another country at some point in one's period of study at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The seminar meets for two 50-minute class sessions each week. Monday class sessions meet under the guidance of Dr. Schwetman. Wednesday sections meet with the teaching assistant Katie Murray. Course ObjectivesOver the semester, students should achieve the following goals:
ExpectationsIn order to reach these goals, students will have to do the following things this semester:
AssignmentsWelcome Week Response Paper 0-5 points Submit an e-mail to me at my e-mail addressÑ"jschwetm@d.umn.edu"Ñproviding an overview of what you experienced during Welcome Week activities according to guidelines I sent on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009. Cultural Event Response Paper 0-10 points Attend a cultural event on campus (music, drama, lecture, or something like that). Write a 3-page paper that explains what the event was, when it took place and where. Would you recommend this event to a friend? Explain the appeal or the lack thereof. Major Exploration Report 0-15 points Choose a potential major at UMD. Write a 3-page overview of the requirements for the major, career possibilities resulting from it and advantages and disadvantages associated with choosing this major. What interests you in pursuing this course of study and/or career path? Consider three areas of exploration that are crucial to choosing a major: self knowledge, educational knowledge, and occupational knowledge and address each of these in your paper. Major Exploration Presentation 0-5 points In a speech to your the class, present the major that you are writing about for the major exploration report. Explain why students should choose this major. And, again, consider this major on the basis of self, educational and occupational knowledge that you should acquire in researching the topic. You may also choose to collaborate with classmates on this presentation. A group can incorporate a debate about the merits of a particular major into its presentation, or it can compare related majors from different group members. The 5 minute minimum is for each member of a group in a group presentation. CLA 1001 Section 10 Website 0-15 points What would you tell next year's incoming students if you could tell them anything? This is your chance to send them a message about what to expect and how to get by in their first semester at UMD. This project will become part of the CLA1001 web page and remain visible to the public for the foreseeable future. Students may work individually or in groups. I will allocate time in class for groups to plan and write submissions to the web page and hold class in Kirby Plaza 134 on October 12th to facilitate this project. Students may use this project to discuss anything about UMD. What appears on the final webpage is subject to my approval, of course, but I will post pretty much anything within reason. I will not approve of the posting of material that offends community standards or crosses certain legal or ethical lines. CLA 1001 Journal 0-15 points
Due on most class days Opinion Piece 0-15 points Assignment guidelines available upon request. This assignment takes place primarily outside of class. The option is only open to students who discuss it with me by October 19th. Attendance 0-30 points Students receive two points for showing up to class on time and staying for the duration. Arriving late or leaving before the instructor ends the class means losing at least one of these two points. Grade BreakdownThis is a one-credit course in which students receive a grade ranging from A to F. Students earn points by completing the following assignments.
Grade Calculations:
Assignments receive grades according to the following factors:
Academic dishonesty tarnishes the reputation of the University of Minnesota Duluth and discredits the accomplishments of its students. Because the university is committed to providing students every possible opportunity to grow in mind and spirit, it must insist on an environment of trust, honesty, and fairness. Consequently, all members of the academic community must regard any act of academic dishonesty as a serious offense. In keeping with this ideal, this course will adhere to UMD's Student Academic Integrity Policy, which is available online at "http://www.d.umn.edu/assl/conduct/integrity/". This policy sanctions students engaging in academic dishonesty with penalties up to and including expulsion from the university for repeat offenders. Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might influence their capacity to perform in this class, should inform me at the start of the semester. I can make special adaptations of teaching methods, assignments, materials, or testing as required to provide for equitable participation in the course. Disability Resources is also available to assist students with disabilities. It is located in 258 Kirby Student Center and on the web at "http://www.d.umn.edu/access". There are several different ways to get the points necessary to passing this class, but showing up on time to each class makes this process the easiest. Points you lose from absences are points that you will have to make up by doing additional assignments. Furthermore, we will devote some class time to the completion of these assignments, so certain absences will double the negative impacts on your grade for the course. |
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John D. Schwetman 24 September 2009 |