Syllabus & Calendar | GLE101 FYI-UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE (Prof. Cohen; PL: Pietrowski)

GLE101 FYI-UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE (Prof. Cohen; PL: Pietrowski)

SYLLABUS

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INTRODUCTION

First Year Inquiry is a required course for all first-year students at Franklin Pierce University. Each section, regardless of theme, works on improving students’ academic skills, and addresses three goals of a Franklin Pierce Education---information literacy, inquiry and analysis, and career exploration. Readings, writing assignments, and activities are used to stimulate thinking about inquiry and decisions about students’ career opportunities. Students may not withdraw from the course; they may repeat it in the spring of the freshmen year. Students must pass this course to demonstrate proficiency in the skills coded for this course.

Since we need to engage in other activities (detailed below), at most 2/3 of the course will devoted to its theme. The theme is Uncommon Knowledge from the Hidden Side of Everything. Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? Well, the evidence tells us that they are much poorer than we imagine. In this course, we will explore the power of social scientific inquiry to observe hidden dimensions and to develop uncommon insights into human behavior and social interaction. What made Maserati (an expensive, luxury sports car) the car of choice in Iran in 2012? Does Tylenol really ease the pain of hurt feelings? Can images, not just consumption, of alcoholic beverages make us more aggressive? After decades of mutual hatred and violence, why are Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland finally at peace? Will the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever be resolved? We will engage these and other questions through the study of the social sciences. This course is intended for students who are curious about the fields of anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology. However, the professions in business, criminal justice and education cannot possibly survive without social scientific knowledge.

READING MATERIAL

Posted under Assignments and Course Materials

GENERAL ITEMS OF IMPORTANCE

1. Office hours are when I engage you regarding individual concerns. (Not the five minutes before class; not during class; not the five minutes after class.)

2. All course business and work outside of the classroom is conducted on CampusWeb. So, make a routine of being of checking our course site daily.

3. Assume that there is a new assignment every class day.

4. Computer/tablet use in the classroom is welcomed and encouraged, but proper, academic and scholarly use of technology is expected.

5. Tardy work is accepted but penalized. However, all work is zeroed after the "accepting late work" deadline for each piece of coursework.

6. Calendar, Coursework, and Assignments in the CampusWeb course make crystal clear all requirements, deadlines, and penalties for infractions. Knowing such things is as easy as logging onto the system and clicking on the course. Therefore, there is absolutely no excuse, including being absent from class, for not knowing what is exactly expected of you and when it is expected.

7. Academic dishonesty (Plagiarism, Cheating). Ignorance is no excuse for plagiarism and cheating. It’s either academic dishonesty or it’s not. A single instance of academic dishonesty will result in a FAILURE for the entire course. In addition, a report will be immediately forwarded to the Office of Academic Affairs so that the University may take action. The Franklin Pierce Academic Catalogue provides a precise definition of plagiarism.

Plagiarism is the act of stealing or passing as one’s own the ideas or words of another. Diana Hacker identifies three specific acts that constitute plagiarism: “(1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks and(3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words” (359 and 418). Specifically, this includes: copying the words of another student from examinations, themes, term papers, or theses; copying the printed words or ideas of a writer without giving credit to the author; using, borrowing, stealing, presenting or downloading another student’s ideas or writing and submitting such material as one’s own work; or resubmitting work in whole or in part that has previously been submitted in another course, without permission of the current instructor.

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press.

For a more detailed explanation and specific examples, please refer to sections MLA-2, APA-2, and CMS-2 in Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference.

LEARNING DIFFERENCES

If you have a documented learning disability, it is important that you work with the Academic Services Center to be sure you maximize the benefit of your efforts in this course. It is imperative that you be proactive and a self-advocate. Please talk to me. I can help! Additional information can be found at the Center for Academic Excellence.

REQUIREMENTS (Course Grade Weights)

See Gradebook for weights, grading scale and grades on all assessed work. Also, check it for your continuously updated course grade.

I. Daily Work (50%). Outcomes: IA

Your daily, graded coursework consists mostly of timed quizzes (See Coursework.), ranging from 3-10 minutes: 1) reading-assignment quizzes due before class; 2) classroom-session quizzes due after class; 3) occasional teamwork quizzes due during class. Take thorough notes on the reading assignments and in the classroom in order to perform well on quizzes. Quizzes ARE open-note/reading.

Occasionally, I will ask you to submit daily work other than quizzes. Part of your daily work requires you to attend the following: Career Services presentation; the DiPietro Library training and instruction; Majors Day; and the FYI Academic Showcase. Those who attend receive full credit and those who don't receive zeroes.

Extra credit for daily work is awarded every time a student posts notes in the Class Session Notes thread in Forums. (See instructions in that thread.) These posted notes are especially helpful to absent students but generally helpful to all students when taking class-session quizzes. See instructions in that thread. Other opportunities (e.g., oral presentations, attending guest lectures, etc.) for extra credit may be made available to you by the instructor but may not be requested by students.

II. Research Project (25%). Outcomes: IA, IL. Your chance to be nominated for the FYI Academic Showcase!

This section of the course is devoted to the research paper. Though I provide close instruction in this area, you will find your writing reference, From Inquiry to Academic Writing and its guide to citation protocols, to be an essential tool box for drafting research papers from start to finish. Also helpful is this online summary of Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference, which also has a guide to research and source documentation.

The research project is conducted in four stages: 1) research question/annotated bibliography (7%); 2) outline (7%); 3) rough draft (a penalty for failure to submit one); 5) final draft (11%) Guidelines and specifications for the each stage will be provided in "Assignments" when they are assigned.

I will nominate one to two students from this class to present their work in the FYI Academic Showcase at the end of the semester. Nominees will present posters of their work to Franklin Pierce faculty, administration (The president, provost, and dean will be in attendance.), and students. The winners of the showcase will receive formal certificates of honor and gift cards for the campus bookstore.

III. APP (Academic and Personal Plan) (7%). Outcome: CE

IV. Peer Leader (4%)

Your peer leader, Ashley Pietrowski, gets 4% of the course grade. She will use it to assess how well you respond to her plans for you throughout the semester.

II. Final exam (14%). Outcome: IA

The final exam is comprehensive, with questions drawn from the semester's "Daily Work." It is NOT open-note/reading. It will be taken in Coursework during the time designated by the university. You MUST take it, 8 AM, December 17.

FIRST YEAR INQUIRY LEARNING OUTCOMES

GENERAL AND LIBERAL EDUCATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

In every general education course at Franklin Pierce, courses are coded to meet Franklin Pierce Learning Outcomes. This course is coded for Inquiry and Analysis, Information Literacy, and Career Exploration Learning Outcomes.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

Inquiry and Analysis (IA)

The participant will be able:

a. To ask questions about a subject, and then to identify a focused and manageable topic for research;

b. To design a logical inquiry into the topic (outline), and to present information from several relevant sources, which represent various points of view

c. To organize evidence to reveal important patterns, differences or similarities related to the question being asked

d. To state a conclusion which summarizes the main ideas of the paper and presents relevant and supported limitations and implications

e. To describe next steps/new questions

f. To determine the extent of information required, students will be able to successfully define the scope of a research question.

Information Literacy (IL)

The participant will be able:

g. To access appropriate information, students will be able to use a variety of search strategies and some relevant information sources. The student will also be able to demonstrate the ability to refine a search.

h. To evaluate the information and the source critically, the student will be able to discuss how one source is more credible than another.

i. To use information appropriately for the purpose, the student will communicate, organize, and synthesize information from sources.

j. To demonstrate the ethical and legal approach to obtaining information, the student will be able to appropriately cite and reference information utilizing MLA formatting.

II. Foster the Skills Necessary for Career Exploration (CE)

As a result of this course, students will meet the following learning outcomes:

a. Explore: Students will be able to research and identify realistic and informed academic and career goals related to pursuing a liberal arts education. This includes: identifying relevant academic polices, processes, and procedures related to advising, course planning, and major exploration as well as identifying appropriate campus resources and opportunities that contribute to their educational experience, goals, and campus engagement.

b. Set Goals: Students connect personal value and life purpose to the motivation and inspiration behind their goals

c. Plan: Students locate programs, information, people, and opportunities to support and reality test their goals

d. Evaluate: Students develop an Academic and Personal Plan (APP) to reflect on their academic progress in terms of programs toward academic and career goals. The APP will have five components.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR AND PEER LEADER

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR

This course is unique because the instructor is also your advisor. You can expect your instructor:

To provide learning opportunities aligned to the course objectives stated on page 1.
To provide timely feedback about your course work
To help you to register for classes in the Spring
To help you to add or drop classes
To help you consider your academic plan at Franklin Pierce

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM YOUR PEER LEADER

This class is also unique because a returning student has been assigned to your section. You can expect your peer leader:

To lead you through a number of social activities
To organize a monthly social experience for the whole group
To work collaboratively with the instructor
To provide you with important student life information
To assist you with academic advising