Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | INT-1050-VJ01 - Dimensions of Self & Society

In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Faculty

Katherine Leach Thorpe
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jennifer Gundy

General Education Requirements

CCV 1st Semester Seminar

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

In this interdisciplinary first-semester seminar, students make the transition to college-level academic culture. This seminar is designed to help students develop the learning skills and habits of success that will support them throughout their college experience and as they consider career pathways. Reading, writing, and discussion are central to developing an understanding of academic and societal responsibility. Students critically examine the relationship between societal values, individual beliefs, ways of knowing, and cultural worldviews.

Essential Objectives

1. Interpret, analyze, and evaluate a text and its sources.
2. Demonstrate foundational information literacy, research skills, and academic honesty necessary for academic writing.
3. Demonstrate effective written communication skills, including active engagement in asynchronous online discussion.
4. Apply effective strategies for building new knowledge and skills through reflection on learning preferences, challenges, and goals.
5. Identify possible career goals and educational pathways.
6. Examine social issues through the lens of the individual and society.
7. Examine personal assumptions and biases, and ethical impacts of decision making and participation in society.
8. Consider issues from multiple perspectives and discuss, debate, and defend ideas with clarity and reason as part of a respectful learning community.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a low cost ($50 or less) textbook or resource class. ***

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Spring 2024 textbook/book details will be available on 2023-11-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

INT-1050-VJ01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

For Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

This in-person class will involve a mix of the following:

• readings
• small and large group discussions
• short lectures
• hands-on activities
• videos and social media content
• museum trips and exploration (virtual and/or in person)
• writing assignments
• presentations (casual and not meant to be intimidating or scary!)

Weekly Schedule

The weekly schedule, found below, is a guideline and is subject to change based on the professor's assessment of the needs and interests of the students. Throughout the semester, your input and feedback will be sought and valued so that you feel empowered to help shape your experiences in this course. The goal of this course is to equip you to succeed in college and beyond. Honing your analytical and critical thinking skills and your written communication skills will be crucial. Most weeks will consist of some sort of short writing assignment but we will also devote class time to discussion and active learning. For larger writing assignments and projects, you will be given plenty of guidance and feedback, and everyone will have time and space to workshop ideas and improve work. The schedule below should give you some idea of what to expect each week. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Textbooks:

• Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
• Other readings will be available on canvas and online

Evaluation Criteria

Assessment:

Class participation (attendance, discussion, weekly reflections and reading logs): 25%

Final project/paper: 25%

Folklore collection project (collection, analysis, short presentation): 25%

Short essay (2-3 pages): 15%

Personal memoir: 10%

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Expectations

• This is a college class and college-level behavior, attention, and engagement are expected of all students.
• Respect for all students, the instructor, and for all points of view and opinions are essential components of this class. All students should feel that our classroom community is a safe space to be themselves, express ideas, and ask questions.
• Try your best and get outside of your comfort zone. This class is a foundation for the rest of your college career – the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.
• Homework and readings will almost always be posted on Canvas. Check Canvas often so you will have time to ask for clarification if you have questions.
• Use of cell phones (for phone calls, texting, or social media) is not permitted in class unless the assignment calls for it. Students may use laptops or tablets but use is limited to relevant class work and material.

Participation

• Active participation contributes significantly to your grade.
• I recognize that participation looks different for everyone. In this class, active participation includes contributing to class discussions, completing written reflections and reading logs, and participation in assignments, activities, and projects.
• Please see the instructor at the beginning of the semester if you have any questions or concerns about participation and expectations.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Engagement with the course materials and with your classmates is crucial in getting the most out of this course. All assignments are designed to help you build towards successful completion of the final project/essay and you should strive to submit all work by the posted due date for full credit.Communication with the instructor (prior to the deadline) is essential if you are experiencing an extenuating circumstance that makes it challenging to submit work on time.

Experiential Learning Expectations

Hours: 1-5

Throughout the class we will be discussing culture and society and will spend significant time learning about anthropology, ethnography, and folklore. Students will be asked to do their own fieldwork and will be collecting five items of folklore from various informants of the students' choosing. This will be key in understanding what folklore does in a community, even (or especially) one that is not built on notions of shared linguistic, ethnic, etc. heritage.

Students will also have the opportunity to visit a museum (in person or online) to write about object of interest or interview a museum professional or anthropologist on various topics of relevance.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity