OAKTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

“Analyzing Sustainability”

(Honors Core Seminar, Spring 2017)

Dr. Marian Staats
Office DP 2514
Office Hours: MW, 10-11:40, T 12:30-1:20, R 8:20-8:50
Phone: (847) 376-7103
E-mail:
/ Jennifer Strehler
Office: DP 2162
Office Hours: M 11:00 – 2:00, T 12:20 – 2:00
Phone: (847) 635-1974
Email:

Course Materials:
Text - Triola, M. (2015) Elementary Statistics 12 ed. Pearson.
MyMathLab – Required
Calculator – TI83/84 strongly recommended
Course Prefix / Course Number / Course Name / Credit / Lecture / Lab
EGL / 102 / Composition II / 3 / 3 / 0

Prerequisite

C grade or higher in EGL101

Course Catalog Description

Course introduces strategies for planning, writing, and revising advanced expository essays and the college research paper. Content includes critical reading and analysis, the structure of argument, and the use of sources.

Learning Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Identify and apply strategies for planning, drafting, and revising advanced expository, argumentative, and research essays for academic audiences.
  2. Analyze and evaluate various forms and styles of argument.
  3. Accurately and fairly represent the ideas and opinions of others using techniques of summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation.
  4. Document source material appropriately using MLA format.
  5. Recognize the ways that other academic disciplines document sources.
  6. Use appropriate technology to identify and locate sources for college writing.
  7. Analyze, evaluate, compare, and synthesize source materials and use them effectively in assigned essays.
  8. Incorporate collaboration with others as part of the revision process.

Outline of Topics: (See Reading & Assignment Schedule)

Weeks 1-4: Critical reading, annotation, summary, and analysis

Week 5: Essay Project 1 due – summary and response essay integrated with statistical analysis

Weeks 6-8: Source synthesis

Week 8: Essay Project 2 due – synthesis essay with statistical analysis

Weeks 9-16: Research project, including library workshop, data collection, annotated bibliography, outline, and oral presentation

Course Prefix / Course Number / Course Name / Credit / Lecture / Lab
MAT / 131 / Elementary Statistics / 4 / 4 / 0

Prerequisites

MAT 110 or the equivalent with minimum grade of C or appropriate score on Mathematics Placement Test.

Course Description (catalog)

This course introduces statistics for students in physical, biological and social sciences. Content includes frequency distributions; measures of central tendency and variation; elements of probability theory; statistical inference; sampling techniques and correlation, regression and ANOVA.

Learning Objectives

It is presumed that students will spend a minimumof two hours outside class for each hour in class in order to meet the following objectives:

  1. Use descriptive statistical techniques to analyze data and interpret results.
  2. Calculate and interpret probabilities, various probability models and their statistics.
  3. Apply the Central Limit Theorem to solve problems involving the distribution of sample means.
  4. Generate confidence intervals and hypotheses, and use these to perform and interpret hypothesis tests of various types.
  5. Calculate and interpret the correlation coefficients and regression lines and their statistical significance.

Outline of Topics

A.Descriptive Statistics

1.Data Collection

2.Organizing data into frequency distributions

3. Graphing histograms and ogives

4.Measures of Central Tendency - mean, median, mode

5. Measures of variation: variance, standard deviation

6. Measures of position

B.Basic Probability Theory

1.Sample space and counting techniques including combinations

2.Complements

3.The Addition rule

4. Independence and the Multiplication rule

C.Probability Distributions

1.Normal distribution and normal curve

2.Binomial distribution and its relation to the normal distribution

3. The Central Limit Theorem

D.Statistical Inference

1.Estimation

2.The classical approach to hypothesis testing

3.The p-value approach to hypothesis testing

4.Inferences involving one population with regards to means, standard deviation or variance, and proportions

5.Inferences involving two populations with regards to means, standard deviation or variance, and proportions

6.Coefficient of correlation and regression lines

7.Goodness of Fit test and Chi Squared test for Independence

8.ANOVA

Combined Syllabus for Honors Core Seminar

Course Description for Honors Core Seminar

The focus in MAT131 is on introducing statistics for physical, biological and social sciences, while in English 102 it is on effective communication and argumentation. Of course, given their essential connection with language and critical thinking, these skills can be enhanced when placed in tandem. Our purpose in offering this learning community is to help students deepen their awareness of the relationship between statistical analysis and argumentation and give them the opportunity to apply those reasoning and communication skills in presentations,discussions, problem solving exercises and academic research projects.

The content area for these presentations, exercises and research projects will focus on questions of sustainability and the environment and we plan to address at least some of these issues by utilizing resources on Oakton’s campuses. Some questions we plan to address include the following: How can statistical analyses frame arguments regarding climate change, and how can we read these arguments with critical acumen? What can we do to conserve resources and reduce waste and pollution? How are we impacting the environment with our eating and other consumption choices? What is the relation between population and sustainability? Will the world continue to have enough food and water for everyone? These are only a few of the possible questions students will be trying to answer in this tandem course. We believe the pressing issues connected with this topic and its relevance in everyone’s life, will strongly motivate you to apply your analytic and communicative skills to express your own carefully considered positions on these questions.

Course Practices Required

You will be engaging in a variety of activities in this course, including taking notes on content during lectures and participating in discussion and in-class writings in response to the statistics problems and course readings. This tandem class will be a marriage of two different disciplines that will draw on various skills – listening and note-taking, problem-solving, summarizing, analyzing and writing, so all assignments for both sections of the course must be completed before class, and you must bring the assigned readingsto every class period. You will need some form of looseleaf notebook for responding to readings and workshops, generating ideas and notes toward your essays and in-class writing projects, and reflecting on your progress through the course.

Designed with the assumption that thoughtful reading and computation prepares you for persuasive writing and analysis, this course focuses on principles of evaluating student and professional writing, as well ascollecting, organizing, summarizing, analyzing and drawing conclusions based on data. We will also focus on planning, drafting, writing, and editing your own texts in progress.Part of your class participation grade will includeparticipating in Kahoots, taking quizzes on the statistics material and course readings, which means it’s essential for you to read the assigned texts, do the homework, and come prepared for discussion and analysis. In order to effectively prepare for class discussion, you are expected to read each assigned essay carefully (preferably more than once), either annotating the text or taking notes in some other way, and, whenever possible, complete the homework assignments on the schedule, completing the problems sets, outlining and summarizing the writers’ arguments, and evaluating their supporting evidence.

Academic Integrity and Student Conduct

Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:

  • cheating,
  • plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
  • falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
  • helping others to cheat,
  • unauthorized changes on official documents,
  • pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
  • making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
  • any other behavior that violates academic integrity.

There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment, and a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.

Please review the Code of Academic Conduct and the Code of Student Conduct, both located online at .

Attendance

Because this course functions as a source of information as well as a collaborative workshop that involves individual and group contexts for sharing ideas and feedback about the readings and about one another's writing, your attendance is crucial. As such, an attendance sheet will circulate each class meeting. It is your responsibility to make sure that you sign the attendance sheet each session.

Class time is an opportunity for you to learn material, practice problems, try out your understanding of the material, advance your own readings of the texts, and get your questions answered. Thus, while there is no official attendance requirement, your overall success in the course will absolutely depend on your presence in class and poor attendance will be reflected in the participation grade and will likely result in lower quiz/exam scores.

Lateness to class, leaving in the middle of class, leaving early, and engaging in electronic diversions during discussion are all disruptive and will result in a lowered final daily participation grade, with a maximum of half credit for each incidence.

After our first class, you’ll have a list of students’ email addresses so that you can either contact one of your colleagues to find out what you missed or stop by my office during office hours to speak with me. If you wish to review material missed, you can stop by during office hours to clear up any questions you have after reviewing your colleagues’ notes.

Participation

You will be graded on your participation in every class discussion. Mere attendance does not equal participation. Rather, outstanding participation consists of closely attending to lectures and discussion, supporting your colleagues’ contributions, raising interesting questions, asking for clarification, and offering informed, critical responses both verbal and written to the readings and your colleagues’ questions.

Participation will count toward your final grade, and we will evaluate participation according to the following criteria:

“A” – You respond clearly and thoughtfully to all questions and activities posed by us and your colleagues, such that you demonstrate a high level of engagement with both the texts and your peers. You also consistently raise interesting questions about the materials and are able to answer quiz questions on class material. Finally, you link your interpretations, questions, and ideas to specific passages in the text(s), as well as make significant connections between the readings and what you know about contemporary sustainability issues.

“B” – You respond thoughtfully to most questions and activities, such that you demonstrate significant engagement with the texts and your peers. You raise some interesting questions about the material, are able to answer quiz questions regarding the material, and generally are able to link your interpretations, questions, and ideas to specific passages or images in the text(s), as well as make relevant connections between course materials and contemporary sustainability issues.

“C” – You respond to some questions and participate in activities, but fail to demonstrate that you have read and prepared for class very carefully. You have difficulty raising interesting questions about the material and cannot clearly link your interpretations, questions, and ideas to specific passages or images in the text(s), nor are you able to make meaningful connections between course materials and contemporary sustainability issues.

“F” – You cannot respond to questions or participate meaningfully in activities, such that you clearly demonstrate a lack of engagement with the texts and your peers. You fail to raise interesting questions based on the course materials, or you do not interact at all during class.

Essentials for quality class participation:

1) To each class session, always bring a notebook and something to write with for in-class writing exercises, as well as for taking notes on lectures, readings and discussions.

2) ***Since discussion is text-based, you must bring the assigned texts to class so that you can annotate and write on them.People without the texts will receive a maximum of half the daily participation credit. Chapters from They Say, I Say, as well as other course readings,will be available on D2L and MyLabsPlus, so always give yourself time to print the assigned reading before class begins.

3) Prepare by reading carefully and thinking critically about the texts in order to make meaningful contributions to discussion and support your ideas with evidence.

Presentation

For EGL102, you’ll be in charge of leading discussion for one of the assigned essays. See presentation guidelines at the end of the syllabus.

Essay Projects

The three essay projects for this course are designed to give you experience writing on topics of your choice that relate to broader issues in contemporary sustainability studies that we’re discussing in class. In order to be accepted, each paper mustbe carefully proofread, typed and double-spaced in MLA format, with 10-12 pt. font and one-inch margins.

Because research writing is fundamentally dialogical, your papers will require drafts and workshop participation. If you wish to revise a paper after receiving your final grade, please consult with me/Marian first about rewriting your essay. And, if you’d like to work on your essays with me outside of class, feel free to attend office hours or make an appointment to address any of your specific questions about papers, drafts or revisions. Below is a rough sketch of the paper assignments for the course; I’ll provide you with more detailed guidelines for these essays during class.

Essay Project #1

(EGL 102)is a 4-6 page summary and analysis of one of the readings we’ve discussed in class, a “sustainability blog” that you like, or a recent news article/editorial on sustainability issues that includes an appropriate analysis of the content.

(MAT 131) is an individual persuasive response to a situation based on a computation of the expected outcome. A folded brochure that attractively outlines the facts, your computations and conclusion appropriate for distribution to colleagues in the student center is appropriate.

Essay Project #2 is a 5-7 page synthesis essay that you will do in collaboration with one or two of your colleagues, including appropriate analysis of the texts and statistical content.

Essay Project #3 is an 8-12 page group research project that will address an aspect of the course that includes a proposal, an annotated bibliography, collection and analysis of data, a formal outline, and an oral presentation with PowerPoint slides.

Written Homework for EGL102

Homework assignments, each worth 50 points, will count as 15% (150 points), of your final grade. I’ll collect at least two before midterm (one on 1/24 and the other on a date of your choosing), but no late or handwritten homework will be accepted. Note: If you complete the homework requirement early, you can either do additional homework for extra credit, or you can submit later homeworks in order to substitute a higher grade for a lower one. Some notes on how to approach the homework:

1)For each class period, you can find the homework assignment due by looking at the date indicated on the schedule.

2)Homework must be typed and, if you wish to earn higher than a “C,” completed. This means that you need to read the schedule carefully, set aside enough time to read and think about the material, and follow instructions discussed in class for summarizing, outlining, and analyzing the readings.

3)You can submit the assignments at times that work best for your schedule, but I highly recommend submitting at least two homework assignments before midterm and one after the midterm, as that gives you more time for both building technical skills and earning higher grades. Though I won’t be collecting all of the homework, it’s always a good idea to practice summarizing and outlining the texts for class to help with in-class writing assignments and participation in discussion. You’re also welcome to bring any uncollected homework to office hours if you want additional feedback on your progress.

Lateness Policies

Papers and homework assignments are due in class (or electronically) at the beginning of class; we will not accept latehomework assignments under any circumstances. Because we will each be evaluating your essay projects, you should make two copies, one for each of us. Late essay project 1 (ENG 102) and essay project 2 will be dropped the point equivalent of one full letter grade for each class period after which they arrive. All other essay projects may not be turned in late. If you miss a class, you are still responsible for submitting your work either to the appropriate Division offices of the Des Plaines Campus, Room 2430 (Staats)and 2180 (Strehler), or to our offices during office hours, or, in some circumstances, a dropbox on D2L by the date due. If you have difficulty completing an assignment within the scheduled time frame and you wish to receive an extension for one of the essay projects above, you need to notify us at least 24 hours in advance.

NOTE: Because your papers will require participation in writing workshops, drafts also must be completed on time. Any workshop missed will automatically lower your final grade by one full letter grade, and, with no exceptions, only students who attend workshop sessions with drafts will be eligible to take advantage of the revision policy.

Online Homework for MAT 131

Homework will be done and submitted online using MyLabsPlus. If you encounter difficulties, go to the tutoring center, e-mail me or come visit me during my office hours.