Course Syllabus

Spring 2023 | 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

Frederick Bennett
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jennifer Gundy

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 (both in class and online) are central to developing an understanding of academic and societal responsibility. Students will start by analyzing personal beliefs and styles of thinking and then begin to look at how others and society view core concepts such as power, dissent, alienation, oppression, and freedom.

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 oral and written communication skills in both online and classroom settings.
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.

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

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

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

The quality of the learning experience will be best if it is collaborative. Participation as a learner includes active participation within the class.

Teaching Methods:

• Learning conversations
• Small group and full class activities in class
• Skills building exercises, in and out of class.
• Audio/visual material online, in and out of class.
• Reading assignments, out of class.
• Optional writing assignments, out of class.
• Quizzes and Examinations
• Optional real time virtual office hours by pre-arrangement via Zoom.

Evaluation Criteria

1. Attendance and Participation- 1/3 of your grade

This semester has 15 weeks. Each week counts for 1/15 of the in-class material. For each week that you miss, your attendance score drops by 1/15. Participation is both for individual and group and for in-class and at-home assignments that are interactive. This is described elsewhere in this Course Description. Your score for this category is your total attendance times your total participation.

2. Weekly Assignments - 2/3 of your grade

This will be a weekly feature for our class and includes in-class and out-of-class assignments. The assignments vary in effort for preparation and carry commensurate credit.

Positive Participation:

· Show evident attention and engagement with the full class about the topic being discussed (not side conversations, please).

· Contribute positively, voluntarily, regularly, and moderately during each class.

· Develop a thoughtful and inquisitive manner about the material and each others contributions during class.

Classroom Comportment:

We will have one 15 minute break, approximately halfway through the class time. Use this as an opportunity to use the restroom, get a snack or drink, or to send or read email or text messages from your computer or phone.

Please do not send or read email or text messages while during class time. Also, please do not attend to other material online that is not part of the curriculum of the class or listen to media via earphones. This is a distraction to me and often your classmates. Of course, it is a break in your attention and participation also. Please note that these actions detract significantly from your active participation.

You may eat and drink during class time. The only restriction is you should not cause create distractions. Please be thoughtful and do not choose food that has loud wrappings or is loud to chew.

Please get up and leave the classroom if you need to use the restroom, need to take/make a critical phone call/text, etc. and we are not during break time. You do need to ask for permission for these activities.

During active class time, please do not have side conversations. This is also a distraction to me and your classmates. If you'd like to socialize or catch up with a classmate, please wait for a transition time between activities or leave the room to do so.

If you find you are drowsy during the course of our very long class, I encourage you to take a brief walk or to get a drink to help with your alertness. It is not acceptable behavior to "rest your head" or close your eyes during class time.

Correspondence Comportment:
Please note: All written work, including in class and out of class correspondence, should be thoughtfully made and express its content with a professional attitude. That is, you should explicitly attend to:

· function (e.g., what do I need and want to convey?)

· context (e.g., to whom and under what circumstances?)

· format (e.g., should this look like a letter, an essay, a research paper?)

· mechanics (e.g., have I checked the spelling and grammar?).

· means (e.g., is this neatly typed and submitted on time?)

Your attention (or lack of attention) to these details can affect your evaluation.

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

Positive Participation:

· Show evident attention and engagement with the full class about the topic being discussed (not side conversations, please).

· Contribute positively, voluntarily, regularly, and moderately during each class.

· Develop a thoughtful and inquisitive manner about the material and each other's contributions during class.

Classroom Comportment:

We will have one 15 minute break, approximately halfway through the class time. Use this as an opportunity to use the restroom, get a snack or drink, or to send or read email or text messages from your computer or phone.

Please do not send or read email or text messages while during class time. Also, please do not attend to other material online that is not part of the curriculum of the class or listen to media via earphones. This is a distraction to me and often your classmates. Of course, it is a break in your attention and participation also. Please note that these actions detract significantly from your active participation.

You may eat and drink during class time. The only restriction is you should not cause create distractions. Please be thoughtful and do not choose food that has loud wrappings or is loud to chew.

Please get up and leave the classroom if you need to use the restroom, need to take/make a critical phone call/text, etc. and we are not during break time. You do need to ask for permission for these activities.

During active class time, please do not have side conversations. This is also a distraction to me and your classmates. If you'd like to socialize or catch up with a classmate, please wait for a transition time between activities or leave the room to do so.

If you find you are drowsy during the course of our very long class, I encourage you to take a brief walk or to get a drink to help with your alertness. It is not acceptable behavior to "rest your head" or close your eyes during class time.

Correspondence Comportment:
Please note: All written work, including in class and out of class correspondence, should be thoughtfully made and express its content with a professional attitude. That is, you should explicitly attend to:

· function (e.g., what do I need and want to convey?)

· context (e.g., to whom and under what circumstances?)

· format (e.g., should this look like a letter, an essay, a research paper?)

· mechanics (e.g., have I checked the spelling and grammar?).

· means (e.g., is this neatly typed and submitted on time?)

Your attention (or lack of attention) to these details can affect your evaluation.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Late work might be accepted, on pre-arrangement with the instructor. "Pre-arrangement" includes both the email request by the student and the consent of the instructor. Students therefore must plan ahead and give the instructor at least 24hrs before the scheduled class time to respond.

If unplanned conflict in the last 24 hours prevents a student from receiving permission to submit an assignment late, the student needs to inform the instructor via email of this circumstance. In this case, the instructor will likely consent once a semester to this contingency.

Missing work: This will be represented by a zero score in the grading.

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