IS 1001:<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> First Year Seminar

“Al= one in a Crowd: Voices from the Edge”

&nbs= p;

Section 1: 1:00-1:50 PM Monday/Wednesday

Section 2= : 2:15-3:05 PM Monday/Wednesday=

Instructor

Michelle L. Page = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Email: pagem@morris.umn.edu

Office: 108 Education Building = &nb= sp; Web page: http://cda.morris.umn.edu/~pagem<= /a>

Phone: 589-6405

Office Hours

Mondays 3:15-4:15 PM; Tuesdays 1PM-3PM; and by appointment

Dates to Remember

•Required Convocation: Thursday, Septem= ber 4, 7PM, Edson Auditorium

Required Texts

Texts may be purchased at John’s Total Entertainment on Atlantic Avenue. Please attend class before purchasing your texts.

•Fat Kid Rules the Wor= ld by E. L. Going

•The Skin I’m In= by Sharon Flake=

•The Absolutely True D= iary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

•Keeping You a Secret = by Julie Peters<= /o:p>

•Right Behind You by Gail Giles

In addition, you will be assigned one<= /i> text of the following: <= /o:p>

•Deadline by Chris Crutcher

•Does My Head Look Big= in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

•Looking Like the Enem= y by Mary Matsuda Grue= newald

•Total Constant Order<= /span> by Crissa-Jean Chapp= ell

•Endgame by Nancy Garden=

Other Resources

This syllabus, as well as other resources will be posted in our class Moodle site: http://moodle.umn.edu . Log in with your UMM username and password and click on our course.

Students with Disabilities

This material and co= urse texts are available to persons with disabilities in alternate formats on request. Please contact Disability Services. It is University policy to provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations = to students who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate= in course activities or to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact their instructors and Disability Services to disc= uss their individual needs for accommodation.

Course Description and Goals

This course explores the lives of people who have been disenfranchised, marginalized, or isolated due to race, social class, illness, disability, etc. Further, members of the = course will study the “flip side” of this isolation—the concept = of community. Enrollees in this = FYS will study conditions that lead to isolation or community, will learn about their local and social contexts, and will become more critical thinkers abo= ut the communities in which they live.

My goals as an instructor are to serve as a resource and sounding board for yo= u; to be an approachable faculty member who can help guide you through this un= ique experience of first semester university; and to provide a safe but challeng= ing environment for you to explore ideas related to our course. My expectations of you are outlined below.

The goals of= each First Year Seminar are to teach you to think critically and to assess sourc= es of information. Additionally,= you will be challenged to recognize that your perceptions are not universal but= are shaped by the lenses through which you interpret the world and your own positions in it. <= /span>

Expectations (How to Succeed in this Course)

This course is run in seminar-style format.&nbs= p; As such, students in the course will be expected to do the following= :

Participate acti= vely in discussion by speaking and listening;
Learn to access resources related to various course topics; and
Become an active= and vibrant member of our course community and your campus community during the semester.

In addition, you should:

Be in cl= ass on time. Being late will disrupt the class discussion and negatively impact your grade.
Spend an adequate amount of time in preparation. To succeed in this course you= will need to be willing to spend, per week, four hours outside of class rea= ding and working on the course components (UMM policy is that one credit is defined as three hours of learning effort per week for an average stud= ent to earn an average grade in the course: 2 credits times 3 hours/week/credit - 2 hours/week in class =3D 4 hours/week outside cla= ss).
Cooperate with your peers. Coopera= tion is vital to your future success, which ever path you take. I encourage cooperation amongst students where ever possible, but the act of copyi= ng or other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. Material from t= he acade= mic integrity web site states: Academic integrity is essential to a positive teaching and lear= ning environment. All students enrolled in University courses are expected = to complete coursework responsibilities with fairness and honesty. Failur= e to do so by seeking unfair advantage over others or misrepresenting someo= ne else’s work as your own, can result in disciplinary action.=

Assignments and Grading

Your performance in this class will be evaluated based on several elements:=

•Class participation (30%)

•Group book project (25%)

•Journal or Blog (20%)

•Free writes and other in-class assignments (10%)

•Community building activities (15%)

Class Participation: Since this class is discussion based, your contribution to class discussions and activities is vital. What doe= s it mean to participate in class? It means coming to class—you can’t participate if you don’t = show up. It also means completing readings and assignments for class—you can’t discuss intelligen= tly if you are unprepared. Third,= it means speaking regularly in class—we all benefit from sharing in each other’s knowledge. You = have something to offer. As member= s of a community, all voices are valued and will shape what we do and the ideas th= at we develop. But beyond speaki= ng, it is also actively listening to your peers and trying to understand what they= are saying. Finally, class participation means THINKING—you must think about the books and other materials we are reading, think about and carefully consider your responses= and those of your classmates, and think about the themes of the course—isolation and community. When engaged in class activities, remember to respect others’ opinions, even if they disagree with you.&= nbsp; The important thing about classroom discussion = to remember is that you are not debating with your peers–you should be trying to understand different points of view and communicating your point = of view to others.

Group book project: In class you will indicate your preference of an additional book to read and you will be assigned to a group. Your group will presen= t on your book. Components of the presentation should include a brief summary of the book, a discussion of the important themes or ideas, discussion of how your book relates to the theme= s of isolation and community, an aesthetic component, and research/additional information about an issue or topic within the book. A detailed description of this assignment will be handed out in class.&nb= sp;

Journal or Blog: We will have an electronic course = web site via Moodle. Not only are resources posted there, but some activities and assignments will be complet= ed in this format. One of these = is the journal or blog. You may crea= te a blog in Moodle that your classmates (but no one else) can view or you may p= ost journal entries each week (which only you and the instructor can view). I will post some ideas each week in Moodle to help you get started. Your blog or journal should capture your thoughts on community and marginalization in the readings that we’ve done that week or build on ideas that came from class discussion or apply a personal perspective to our activities. You will be grade= d on the connections you make from the readings to real life and the connections= you make among the various readings and activities we do in class. The journal or blog entry will be = due by 4:30 PM Friday each week.

In-class assignments<= /span>: Occasionally you will be asked to reflect on concepts in writing or by performing some activity rather than by discussion. The quality of yo= ur in-class assignments will make up part of your course grade.

Community-building activities: Part of the work of this course is= to get to know your campus community and the broader local community. To do this, you will be asked to c= ollect Community Outreach Points (COPs). These are described in the handout distributed in class. Points might come from attending a meeting of an organization, finding information about Morris, or participat= ing in building community in our class. In addition, each of you will be responsible for leading at least one community-building activity in class during the semester.=

Work will be collecte= d at the beginning of the class period. No late work will be accepted unless arrangements are made in advanc= e or in the event of illness as verified by a physician.

Workload and Grading

This course is a two credit course. University of Minnesota policy defines one credi= t as equivalent to three hours of learning effort per week for an average studen= t to achieve an average grade in the course.&nb= sp; Therefore, at least 6 hours of learning effort per week are required= for this course. We spend approxi= mately 2 hours per week in class; you should expect to put in at least 4 hours of = work outside of class to achieve an average grade in this course. All courses must be passed with C-= or better in order to move forward in the program. A grade of less than C- will preve= nt you from student teaching. Grades= will be assigned based on the following scale, according to University of Minne= sota policy:

93-100% = ;	A	4.00	Represents achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements
90-92	A-	3.67
87-89	B+	3.33
84-86	B	3.00	Represents achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements
80-83	B-	2.67
77-79	C+	2.33
74-76	C	2.00	Represents achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect
70-73	C-	1.67
67-69	D+	1.33
62-66	D	1.00	Represents achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully t= he course requirements
0-61	F	0.00	Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either (1) complet= ed but at a level of achievement not worthy of credit or (2) was not complet= ed and there was no agreement between the instructor and student that the student would be awarded an I

Some Final Reminders

I want you to be enga= ged. The idea of the course is to think deeply about ideas. This is fundamental to a liberal arts education.&n= bsp; This is the type of experience where the more you put into it, the m= ore you get out of it. I want eac= h of you to have the best experience possible.&= nbsp; You will have that good experience by engaging with the material rat= her than thinking about learning as a process of jumping through hoops.

I am here to help you! = If you are struggling with something, please see me and talk to me about it, wheth= er it’s related to the course or not.&n= bsp; Use my office hours, set up an appointment, whatever. Additional resources that may help= you include:

The Academic Assist= ance Center: www.morris.umn.edu/services/dsoaac/aac/

Student Counseling<= /a>: www.morr= is.umn.edu/services/counseling/

Disability Services= : www.morr= is.umn.edu/services/dsoaac/dso

Multi-Ethnic Student Progr= am: www.morr= is.umn.edu/services/msp/

Calendar of Learning Events

Date/Day=

Course Activities and Assignments Due<= /span>

= August 27 (Wed)

Course introduction=

Book selection=

= Community Building Activity: __Michelle Page _________= _

September 1 (Mon)=

NO CLASS—LABO= R DAY

September 3 (Wed)

Due: Fat Kid Rules the World

Chapter 1-41

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

= September 8(Mon)

Convocation discuss= ion

Due: Fat Kid Rules the World

Chapter 42-end

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

September 10 (Wed)

Library Research Session #1

Meet Jayne Blodgett in Briggs Library 350A

September 15 (Mon)

Due: Sizing Myself Up, Intimate Enemies, To Apu with Love, Cro-Magnon Karma =

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

= September 17 (Wed)

Due: The Skin I’m In

Chapters 1-15<= /o:p>

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

= September 22 (Mon)

Due: The Skin I’m In

Chapters 16-end

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

September 24 (Wed)

Due: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Beginning through “Hunger Pains” (p. 113)

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

September 29 (Mon)

Due: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

“Rowdy Gives = Me Advice… (p. 114) through end

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

October 1 (Wed)

Library Research Se= ssion #2

Meet Jayne Blodgett in Briggs Library 350A

= October 6 (Mon)

Due: Keeping You a Secret

Chapters 1-13<= /o:p>

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

October 8(Wed)

Due: Keeping You a Secret

Chapters 14-end

Due: Topics for book projects chosen =

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

October 13 (Mon)

Due: Speaking Out excerpts

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

October 15 (Wed)

NO CLASS, TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT

Michelle at Educati= on Minnesota=

= October 20 (Mon)

NO CLASS: F= ALL BREAK

October 22 (Wed)

= Due: Right Behind You <= /span>

Chapters 1-16

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

October 27 (Mon)

= Due: Right Behind You

Chapters 17-end

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

October 29 (Wed)

= Due: Doing What It Takes to Survive, <= st1:Street w:st=3D"on">Full Circle, Show and Tell, A Question of Class

Response ideas due, Sources due!!!

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

= November 3 (Mon)

Due: Strip!, Appraising God’s Property, Marked for Life, To Live and Diet in L.A.=

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

November 5 (Wed)

Video: Taboo or Waging a Living=

November 10 (Mon)

NO CLASS—MICH= ELLE AT CONFERENCE

Assignment: Small Group meetings, Work on Gr= oup Book Project

November 12 (Wed)

NO CLASS—MICH= ELLE AT CONFERENCE

Assignment: Small Group meetings, Work on Gr= oup Book Project

= November 17 (Mon)

Due: Book Presentation

November 19 (Wed)

Due: Book Presentation

November 24 (Mon)

= Due: Book Presentation

November 26 (Wed)

NO CLASS—THANKSGIVING BREAK

= December 1 (Mon)

Due: Book Presentation

December 3 (Wed)

Due: Book Presentation

December 8 (Mon)

Evaluations and Sur= veys

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

December 10 (Wed)

Celebrating our Community

= Community Building Activity: ________________________

December 19-21

Finals Week

FINALS WEEK—NO FINAL EXAM