INT 101:
Understanding Self and Other through theLens of Perception
Craig Coleman Telephone: 301-2507
Monday / Wednesday
3:00 p.m.- 4:40p.m.
Room 201 / HAR
Office Hours: 2:00 – 3:00
M//W, or by appointment
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between there are the doors of perception” – Aldous Huxley
INT 101. catalog description:
Understanding Self & Others (4hrs.)
Through a shared first-year experience, students will examine representations of and reflections on the self in order to develop as individuals in relationship to others. Subject matter will confront students’ conceptions of selfhood, their relationships with others, the moral and ethical values that guide them, and the influences that shape the formation of identities. Course content and assignments will be reflective of how the self and its relation to others has been imagined and defined by writers, thinkers, artists, and scholars representing the four domains of natural science, social science, humanities, and the arts. As a Writing Instruction course, substantial attention, in terms of both instruction and course work, will be given towards developing the practical skill of writing as specified in the Writing Instruction section of the catalog.
course description:
This course will explore how our perception of self and other affects and creates our experience and understanding of this dynamic relationship. Films, books, poems, articles, music, visual art, class discussions, and other mental and physical actualities will serve as launch pads for inquiry, dialogue and reflective writing. During the class hours, students will engage in one or more of the following: class discussion, reflective writing, peer review, taking a quiz, listening, thinking, considering, and respecting the thoughts of others. Outside of class students will read and respond in writing to texts in many forms of media such as, literature, film, and online episodes of “This American Life” and “Radio Lab.” You will also be expected to attend many cultural events both on and off campus.
fourth hour meetings:
We will use this time to learn practical writing skills that involve lecture, peer review, writing exercises, and individual conferences with your instructor. We will also work with computers to create multimedia “texts” by blending writing, speaking, and imaging into digital stories.
course objectives:
- learn how to think and write critically.
- structure an essay with a clear thesis that is supported by evidence and to learn to communicate clearly in writing.
- understand the relationship between the form and content of “texts” (film, novel, blog, painting, …etc…) and the proper use of different forms of writing.
- examine how reasoning and ethics determine how we filter, interpret, and derive meaning from our life experiences and form connections between self and others.
- understand how the domains of natural science, social science, humanities, and the arts approach experience, perception, self, and other.
- learn how to use the computer to record, mix, and edit sound and images into a digital story.
attendance:
Class attendance and participation are mandatory!!! Absences and/or lateness will not be tolerated and will affect your grade. If absent more than 4 times, your grade will drop 1 letter grade persubsequent absence. 4 times late = 1 absence. We will be involved in many class discussions (and film viewings!) and it is very important that you are here to participate in them.
grading basis:
Essays:50%
Weekly writings:10%
Attendance10%
Class participation: 10%
Digital Story: 5%
Experience Blog 5%
Cultural Events 5%
Quizzes: 5%
quizzes:
There will be unannounced quizzes during the semester to test your engagement with our texts (films, books, audio). Be sure to stay current with all of the assigned works.
essays:
There are five essays assigned for this course, which will be 4 - 5 pages in length. Further details on each essay will be given during the course. Each essay will require a rough draft to be turned in before the final version (see calendar for due dates). Rough drafts are to be 3 pages in length. If it is not 3 pages, turned in late or not at all, you will receive a 10-point reduction on your final essay. All papers must be typed, double-spaced, and stapled. The quality of your written work (grammar, punctuation, format, spelling, etc.) will be included in grading evaluations. Make sure you proofread all of your work and that your paper is photocopied or saved on disk.
weekly writings:
You will write one response per week for each of the assigned readings from texts in this class. They will be due the next class day after the assigned reading. Your response should take the form of two questions.The first one is for you to answer (1-1.5 pages in length, typed and double spaced) and the second question is for the class to answer in discussion. You will also write daily responses, in the same format, for film viewing in class. These will be due the following class after viewing a film. For instance, if we view half of a film on Monday, the daily response to that part of the film is due on Wednesday. If you are supposed to read pages 1-50 by Monday, the daily response to those pages will be due Monday. All daily responses are due at the beginning of class.
I am looking for evidence of the following:
1. Clear expression of thoughts (correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation)
2. Your own insight into the text, by relating your own experience or providing evidence that you are wrestling with your ideas / beliefs as they relate to concepts in the text.
3. Length of your response: at least 1 full page, preferably 1.5 pages.
You will receive one of four possible grades for your daily responses:
a+all three elements (A-B)
atwo of the elements (C)
a-one of the elements (D)
Xnone of the elements (F)
cultural events:
You will attend three cultural events throughout the semester. Some of the fourth hours of class may be spent at these events, but you must keep track of the events yourself. You will write at least one full page, typed and double-spaced, describing and evaluating the event. Make sure your ideas are expressed clearly. If I can’t make sense from what you have written, I will ask you to rewrite the cultural event. You must turn in all three writings in order to get 10% of your final grade (see above – grading basis). If you turn in less than three, you will receive 0%.
digital story :
Students will create a digital story using content generated on the student’s experience blog. You will need to make an outline of ideas and questions explored throughout the course to help organize and make sense of the linear path, of the course, and of your thoughts. Using pictures, writings, and audio, show a summary of your personal growth, discuss what you have learned, what ideas have changed and which ones have been strengthened. Many of the questions that arise through the reading of our textbooks and class discussions will become the same ones you will feature in this video. The final project will be between 3 and 5 minutes and should be saved as a quicktime movie or windows moviemaker file. Further instruction will be given throughout the course.
experience blog:
Students will create a blog that documents their mental and physical experience with the issues they are exposed to in the course. It will contain informal reflective writings responding to specific readings and links to other things (pictures, songs, websites) related to class readings. Students will also post a self portrait every class day, taken with a digital camera/cell phone. These images should be made with the idea in mind that they will be placed together in sequence to form a time-lapse movie that documents the changing nature of physical appearance through the semester. The resulting video will be used in the digital story project. What we choose to post is reflective of our identity, blogs are a way to create a portrait of our interests, activities, and evolving selves. The material on your blog will be used to create your digital story project.
texts:
books:
A Natural History of the Senses, by Diane Ackerman
Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Phillip K. Dick
The Little Bear Handbook,
Richard Bullock, Michal Brody, Francine Weinberg
narrative films:
The Lookout
127 Hours
online episodes of:
This American Life
Radio Lab
cell phone policy:
Out of courtesy for all those participating in the learning experience, all cell phones and pagers must be turned off before entering any classroom, lab, or formal academic or performance event. Also, students must not leave or begin packing up to leave before the conclusion of the class or event.
participation:
This course requires a lot of work, inside and outside the classroom. You will gain from it as much as you give to it. You are expected to stay current with all of the assigned works (listening to audio or reading) and come to class prepared, ready to engage your classmates in thoughtful discussion and reflection. Quality and quantity can measure involvement. Your grade for class involvement will be given at the end of the semester and will reflect (1) the amount that you contribute (2) the thoughtfulness and (3) depth of your contributions. Anyone who has difficulty talking in class should see me to discuss strategies for your participation and help you feel more confident about your ability to contribute to class discussion. You will receive one of four possible grades for your participation:
a+all three elements (A-B)
atwo of the elements (C)
a-one of the elements (D)
Xyou did nothing (F)
statement of academic integrity:
It is expected that each student will behave honorably throughout this (and every other) course. All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code as stated in The Lair. All violations of the Honor Code will be referred to The Honor Council. I will provide as much information as possible to clarify my expectations for appropriate completion of assignments as they relate to issues of academic integrity (e.g. whether collaboration is permitted on a project, how sources should bedocumented, etc.). If you are unsure about any of these expectations, please feel free to ask me.
late assignments:
All assignments should be turned in on time. You will receive a penalty for late assignments. If you cannot complete your work because of situations beyond your control, you may discuss that with me in advance of the assignment deadline. The grade for late assignments will drop one letter grade each day past the due date of the assignment.
electronic submission of assignments:
Students bare sole responsibility for ensuring that papers or assignments submitted electronically to a professor are received in a timely manner and in the electronic format(s) specified by the professor. Students are therefore obliged to have their e-mail client issue a receipt verifying that the document has been received. Students are also strongly advised to retain a copy of the dated submission on a separate disk.
documented disability statement:
Students requiring accommodations for a disability should inform the instructor at the close of the first class meeting or as soon as possible. The instructor will refer you to theACCESSandAccommodationOfficeto document your disability, determine eligibility for accommodations under the ADAAA/Section 504 and to request a Faculty Accommodation Form. Disability accommodations or status will not be indicated on academic transcripts. In order to receive accommodations in a class, students with sensory, learning, psychological, physical or medical disabilities must provide their instructor with a Faculty Accommodation Form to sign. Students must return the signed form to the ACCESS Coordinator. A new form must be requested each semester. Students with a history of a disability, perceived as having a disability or with a current disability who do not wish to use academic accommodations are also strongly encouraged to register with theACCESSandAccommodationOfficeand request a Faculty Accommodation Form each semester. For further information, please contact Carole Burrowbridge, Director andADA/504Coordinator, at 301-2778 or visit theACCESS andAccommodationOfficewebsite at
requirements:
All students must attend the 3 of the following cultural events:
1 of the Gallery talks in the Hardman Hall Gallery
1 exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Sciences or the Tubman Museum. Dates are forthcoming.
1 of the GA Poetry Circuit
Poetry Readings:
Art in the Park lectures
XVAC video art presentations
student learning outcomes:
(USO)Students will understand selfhood in relationship to others as exhibited by the ability to:
1. Identify different aspects of self/paradigms of self: nature/nurture/individuality/
individual choice
2. Identify ways that self may change
over time
3. Analyze ways that the behavior of individuals or groups stems from their diversity
4. Demonstrate how self is defined
by the relationship to others.
(CRT) Students will be able to think critically as exhibited by the ability to:
1. Coherently integrate information
from a variety of sources
2. Support valid arguments with empirical, textual, theoretical and/or direct evidence
3. Identify strategies to formulate judgments, reach decisions, and/or solve problems
(WRT) Students will be able towrite clearly as exhibited by the ability to:
1. Demonstrate close and critical
reading of text
2. Identify and evaluate relevant
sources
3. Appropriately use and cite
relevant sources
4. Summarize, analyze, and/or
synthesize information in written work
5. Maintain focus, organization, and
logical development in written work
6. Produce texts that are appropriate
to the author’s purpose and the audience’s needs
*
I reserve the right to make appropriate pedagogical changes, as I deem necessary. If changes are made, I will notify you in class or through email or both.