Fall, 2011 UNIV 1301 SYLLABUS

Course Information

Course name & section CRN: University Seminar, CRN 14151.

Class meeting time: 8:30 am – 9:20 am MWF.

Class meeting place: EDUC 318.

Percentage online (if applicable) 49% or less.

Contact Information

Name & title: Owen Williamson, MA, Lecturer.

Office number/building: 209 Education.

Office hours: To be announced.

Office phone number: 915-747-7625.

Email address: (preferred method of contact!).

Peer Leader: To be announced.

Librarían: : Juan Sandoval; 747-6713; LIB 212;

Advisor: Sergio Contreras;747-5361; AAC;

Class online address:

Contact information for fellow classmate(s)

Name, phone and e-mail of two classmates:

1. ______

2. ______

Course Description: Seminar in Critical Inquiry

University 1301 is a 3-credit hour course created to help you make a successful start at UTEP. This course will strengthen your academic skills and will help with your transition to university life by offering you a “taste” of what it is to be a university student.

You will receive considerable support in the course. Your section will be taught by an instructional team consisting of an instructor, student peer leader, and university librarian. In addition, you will work closely with others, forming friendships with classmates. The goals, instructional team and class size all combine to make University 1301 a course designed for your college success.

Learning objectives (what students will know or be able to do at the end of the semester):

  • What content knowledge students will gain from the course
  • What skills students will gain from the course.

Goal 1. Students will begin to understand their roles, opportunities, and responsibilities that impact their success within the context of the university.

  • Objective 1.1 Students will explore one or more academic topics to become familiar with specific academic disciplines. The academic topic of this course will be “the rhetoric of food.”
  • Objective 1.2 Students will demonstrate knowledge of the rules of academic integrity and will practice acceptable academic behavior. Students will do primary research and do written and online assignments related to the two threads of the course.
  • Objective 1.3 Students will become familiar with current UTEP academic policies and requirements in order to remain in good academic standing and graduate in a timely manner. Students will study these requirements in the Borders textbook, and in classroom activities and out-of-class assignments.
  • Objective 1.4 Students will participate in appropriate advising procedures to develop a plan of study. Academic advising personnel will be scheduled to speak to the class at least twice during the semester.
  • Objective 1.5 Students will examine personal and social transition issues affecting college success. Both threads of the course will be directed to this goal, specifically, with the Borders text and through exploration of personal and social issues related to food and eating. In this latter thread students will be assigned to visit and review a restaurant, café or food vendor of their choice (on or off campus), and will be invited to attend the UTEP formal “manners” dinner for extra credit if they wish. [Note: an alternative assignment will be available on request for students who, due to serious religious, ethical or cultural reasons, or because of a diagnosed disability or medical condition, are unable to eat at any local commercial food establishments. Verification of disability or medical condition may be requested.]

Goal 2. Students will learn about and practice essential academic skills in order to strengthen performance in the university setting.

  • Objective 2.1 Students will work to improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They will be assigned to critically analyze their own attitudes and findings about food and eating.
  • Objective 2.2 Students will work to improve oral, written, and electronic communication skills. Students will communicate by electronic means and by use of blogs and wikis. They will do written and oral assignments in class.
  • Objective 2.3 Students will work to improve library and electronic research skills. They will research a self-chosen subject related to the class academic theme (the rhetoric of food), to produce a final report.
  • Objective 2.4 Students will work to improve discussion skills in both small and large groups. They will engage in class discussions on selected themes related to both threads of the course, and will produce a final collective report on their group research.
  • Objective 2.5 Students will work to improve appropriate skills and strategies for academic survival and success (e.g. active learning skills, note-taking, reading, test taking, time management, etc.). They will work toward this goal through completion of assignments in both class textbooks.

Goal 3. Students will begin to build a network of faculty, staff, and peers in order to create a supportive and positive learning experience/environment.

  • Objective 3.1 Students will meet at least twice with the instructional team (instructor and peer leader) to discuss academic progress and transition to UTEP and to explore options for improvement. These required conferences will be scheduled during the semester for each student.
  • Objective 3.2 Students will meet at least once with other appropriate staff and instructors, such as their academic advisor, their other professors and/or teaching assistants, and the librarian assigned to their UNIV 1301 section. These meetings will be scheduled during the semester.
  • Objective 3.3 Students will participate in group activities and learn more about group roles and facilitation skills. The students will work together in groups to produce a final oral and written report, including a multimedia or culinary component. Members of a work group will also be encouraged to collaborate on a voluntary basis on all other written homework assignments except for the assignments from Jacob’s textbook.
  • Objective 3.4 Students will become familiar with the university’s student organizations, services, and departments. They will be required to report on two campus events during the semester, plus one student organization.

Goal 4. Students will begin to assess and better understand their own interests, abilities, and values in order to more efficiently pursue their academic, career, and life goals.

  • Objective 4.1 Students will engage in at least one goal-setting activity or exercise. This will be scheduled during the semester in class.
  • Objective 4.2 Students will participate in at least one activity or exercise to assess learning styles and adapt their personal learning style to college tasks. This will be scheduled during the semester in class, and will include individual responses.
  • Objective 4.3 Students will participate in at least one assessment activity or exercise that examines the student’s interests, abilities, and values. This goal will be met with the “Discover” program.
  • Objective 4.4 Students will participate in at least one activity or exercise to become familiar with the steps required to prepare for a career. This will be scheduled with the UniversityCareerCenter during the semester.
  • Objective 4.5 Students will participate in at least one activity or exercise to become familiar with Financial Literacy. This will involve use of the University-provided “Money Matters” website and class discussion.

Goal 5. Students will become involved in UTEP activities and utilize campus resources.

  • Objective 5.1 Students will attend/participate in social, cultural, and intellectual events at UTEP. They will be assigned to report on at least two different on-campus events during the semester.
  • Objective 5.2 Students will become aware of and use selected academic and student support resources, especially the WritingCenter, Math Resource Center, University Counseling Center, University Career Center, Academic Advising Center, Student Development, University Health Center, and on-campus computer labs. These will be discussed and explored through use of the Borders textbook and other assignments. Class visits to the Writing Center and the University Health Center will be scheduled on a time-available basis.
  • Objective 5.3 Students will demonstrate regular use of university information dissemination systems, such as email, bulletin broadcasts, and websites. Students will be required to check their personal e-mail before every class, to sign up for the University and individual class text-messaging systems, and to use the class website for assignments and instructions. They will also be assigned to use programs on the UTEP broadcasting station, KTEP-FM, for class-related purposes.

Teaching Philosophy: University 1301 is a 3-credit hour course created to help you make a successful start at UTEP. This course will strengthen your academic skills and will help with your transition to university life by offering you a “taste” of what it is to be a university student.You will receive considerable support in the course. Your section will be taught by an instructional team consisting of an instructor, student peer leader, and university librarian. In addition, you will work closely with others, forming friendships with classmates. The goals, instructional team and class size all combine to make University 1301 a course designed for your college success.

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: Seminar (web enhanced). A variety of instructional techniques may be used. These may include but are not limited to: lecture, multimedia, Wikis, cooperative/collaborative learning, labs and demonstrations, projects and presentations, in-class declamations, conferencing and scheduled out-of-classroom learning experiences. Methodology will be selected to best fit class needs. Students are responsible for taking notes during each class (including lectures and discussions, films and other activities) and are expected to dedicate about 3 hours outside of class for every hour in class (that is, about nine hours a week outside class). This includes an average of 75 pages of reading a week, a weekly written homework assignment from Jacob’s textbook, a weekly KTEP listener report, and a variety of other writing and research tasks, online assignments and activities. If any student ever finds that she or he regularly needs to spend more than nine hours a week outside of class on this course, she or he should advise the Instructor immediately.

Materials

Required readings/texts

  1. Borders (Current edition)
  2. Jacob, D. (2010). Will write for food: The complete guide to writing cookbooks, blogs, reviews, memoir, and more. Revised & Updated Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-7382-1404-7.

Suggested readings: None.

You must maintain a working cell phone number capable of receiving text messages, or if this is impossible, some other working telephone number at which you can be easily contacted. You must advise instructor immediately of any changes in phone number and / or text message address.

Email account & other instructional technologies: This course will use e-mail and text messaging. For normal communication or questions, please write or text to .

Grading Method & Scale: Ongoing student progress in this course is evaluated based on class participation, homework and out-of-class assignments, in-class quizzes, and in-class written responses. Each student will participate in a final collective research project and report on a selected theme. There will also be a comprehensive final exam covering the goals, vocabulary and subject competencies of the class.

  • Grades on major graded assignments will be A, (90-100%), B (80-89%), C (70-79%), D (60-69%) and F (59 or less). “Plus” or “minus” grades are not used in this class. In order to pass, students must complete all required major elements of the course as listed below. Any student failing to submit a completed Wiki with the assignments from Jacob’s textbook, two Campus Event Reports, a Student Organization Report, and a collective Research Project (including presentation), or failing to sit for the Final Exam, will receive a grade of "F" for the course. Any student who will not be able to attend the Final Exam at the scheduled date and time may request to take the exam early. No special arrangements will be available after the scheduled exam.

Grades will be based on the following required major elements:

  • Wiki (Weekly writing assignments): 20%
  • Public Speaking Activities (2): 5% each
  • Campus Event Reports (2): 5% each
  • Report on a Student Organization: 10%
  • Weekly KTEP Listener Reports: 10%
  • Final Collective Research Report: 20% (Written Report 15%, Presentation 5%)
  • Department-required UNIV 1301 Survey: 5%
  • Participation: 5%
  • Final Exam: 10%

Total: 100%

 To earn a passing grade (“A,” “B,” or “C”) students must have completed all major assignments, paragraphs, and essays and achieved an average of 70% (70 points) or better for the course.

Course Requirements (include a brief description of each)

Participation: Students are expected to participate in class. Sleeping or appearing to sleep in class, unauthorized texting or other use of personal electronic devices in class, or other acts that show a clear attitude of contempt toward the class, the Instructor, classmates or visitors will be penalized by points off the student’s participation grade.

Homework: All online homework is due at 8:30 am on the indicated due-date. All hardcopy homework is due at the beginning of class on the due date. Any work posted or turned in late will be subject to late penalties.

Other daily responsibilities: All students are required to check their UTEP e-mail account and their text messages daily for messages from the instructor.

Projects: Each student will participate in a final collective research project, including a collective class presentation. No student will be permitted to “go it alone” on this project unless all other members of his/her work group have dropped or quit the class.

Tests/exams: The only formal test in this course is the Final Exam. There will be chapter quizzes on the Borders textbook, but these will count as daily work only.

Papers or other writing assignments: Major written assignments in this class include those listed above under “grading.” Handwritten assignments done outside the classroom will not be accepted.

Oral reports: Oral reports in this class will include: 1. Two in-class public speaking activities (declamations) related to your Wiki; and 2. The final collective presentation.

Group assignments: See “Projects” above. Also, in this class the members of any work group are encouraged to collaborate among themselves on a voluntary basis on all homework assignments except for assignments from Jacob’s textbook. Each individual group member who collaborates in this way must actually join the chosen student organization herself or himself, personally attend any events that the group reports on, and turn in her/his own written assignments clearly indicating the names of all the students who collaborated on the given homework.

Other: Each student will be required to turn a weekly two-paragraph listener’s report, consisting of a brief summary and a short commentary on certain spoken-word programming on the University’s FM radio station, KTEP. If the student does not have access to an FM radio receiver, KTEP programming is available on line at Students in a given work-group may collaborate on KTEP reports, but each student must actually listen to the program reported on.

Required Policy Information

  • Attendance / Lateness Policy: Students must treat this class as they would a professional-level job. Experience shows that absenteeism is by far the most common cause of failure in this course. For this reason, students are required to attend all classes. There are no (zero) excused absences in this class except for:
  • University-sponsored activities; or
  • Emergencies, here defined as immediate threats to health, life or property; or
  • Unexpected events that interrupt normal access to the university.

(Proof may be required.)

  • Every student needs to have some other backup arrangement ready to get to campus on time in case regular transportation plans fail or are not available. The fact that the student’s car was damaged or didn’t start in the morning is no excuse for missing class
  • Attendance will be taken at every class by means of a sign-in sheet. It is the student’s responsibility to sign in. If a student does not sign in, he or she is counted as absent.
  • Students are required to make non-emergency medical and dental appointments, or to schedule interviews and working hours outside of class time. Absences for non-emergency health care are not excused absences.
  • Students will be held accountable for all the material covered in every class. If a student misses class for any reason, excused or unexcused, she or he is still responsible for learning the material covered and turning in all work for that day. If a student does not make up missed work she or he may lose all credit for that work, plus receive an additional penalty off her or his “participation grade” for refusal to participate.I will not re-teach material that a student missed due to excused or unexcused absence. Please note that this course is not designed to be taken purely online.
  • Withdrawal: Simply ceasing to attend classes or do assignments does not constitute official withdrawal. Any student wishing to be dropped from the course must do so herself or himself. Please see advisors in order to withdraw from this class. If a student stops attending this course he or she will continue to be counted absent and will receive grades based on work completed and missing work. In cases of extreme absenteeism a student can fail the course, which will go on that student’s permanent record. If a student no longer wishes to participate in the course but cannot formally withdraw due to financial aid or eligibility requirements, he or she should have the courtesy to advise the instructor.

Tardiness and the "Ten Minute Rule"

If the instructor is more than ten minutes late for class without any notice, message or advance arrangement, students may leave without being counted absent. If a student arrives more than ten minutes late for class (or leaves class early before being dismissed), she or he will be counted absent.

Policy for late work: Assignments submitted after 8:30 am on the due date will be penalized one letter grade, plus an additional letter grade for every additional calendar day late.

 Students who fail to submit assignments on time do not receive proper feedback on their performance. Therefore, it is important to submit work before deadlines for full credit and proper feedback. If a major assignment is turned in over three calendar days late, the student faces failure for this assignment. However, in order to pass the class, students muststill complete all major assignments in good faith. "Better late than never." To earn a passing grade (“A,” “B,” or “C”) students must have completed all major assignments, paragraphs, and essays, even if these are too late to receive a passing assignment grade.