APPLICATION FOR COURSE APPROVAL FOR
GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Course
Number: BGS
100
Course
Title: Pro-
Seminar
Check the
general education core area for this course: English
Communication (ECw)
Department(s)
in which course will be taught: Bachelor
of General Studies
Faculty
member(s) responsible for course: Dr.
Anne Hubbard,
Office: Shepard
252
Office
phone: 277-
5305
Will
non-tenure track faculty teach this course? Yes
If yes,
approximately what percentage of sections will be taught by non tenure-track
faculty? All sections currently
are taught by non tenure-track faculty. This course has been taught by
part-time faculty for the past decade or more.
The
integrated skills** that this course will focus on are:
XX Read
complex texts
XX Use
of information technology
XX Write
effectively
*Note: At
least three integrated skills are required.
Course
description (as would be found in catalog): Introduction to critical approaches to learning with emphasis on
reading and rhetorical skills appropriate to college students. Must be taken concurrently with URI
101. S/U credit.
Faculty
memberıs signature____________________________________________________
Chairpersonıs
signature_______________________________________________________
Deanıs
signature______________________________________________________________
PART I
(1) Please indicate the primary learning objective(s) of the course.
BGS 100 is
the first course most returning adult students take when they enter the BGS
program. This course introduces or
reintroduces students to core academic skills necessary in college, such as
critical reading, thinking, writing, listening, observing, questioning, and
speaking. The course assists the
students in developing a strong learning style and in forming a community with
fellow students to assist each other in their academic career. The knowledge and skills acquired in
this course will prepare students to succeed in their college studies and in
life beyond the classroom.
By the end of the course, students are expected to demonstrate, in their comments and questions, their papers, and their class presentations:
·
Familiarity
with the content presented in class;
·
Ability
to read complex materials and identify the main points present by the author;
·
Ability
to respond critically and thoughtfully in writing or orally to class material;
·
Ability
to write well organized, carefully considered short and long essays in which
students demonstrate their grasp of proper research, grammatical and rhetorical
skills;
·
Ability
to use various technologies to support their academic study. These skills include: the ability to
locate and evaluate internet web sites in terms of academic validity, accuracy,
and objectivity; the ability to locate and use course material on a WebCT site;
the ability to use electronic search capabilities to locate materials for
academic papers; the ability to use e-mail as an effective communication tool;
and the ability to correctly produce papers in a word processing program;
·
Ability
to use appropriate library research strategies to find information on a given
topic and to evaluate its use in a scholarly context.
(2) How does the course meet the goals established
for the general education program?
(a) the
ability to think critically:
Students
are challenged throughout the course to think critically through a variety of
in class and homework assignments, including evaluating websites for their
appropriateness for academic work, in-class discussions and writing assignments
on materials read and presented in class, and homework assignments that ask
students to interact with the material, identifying the authorıs main ideas and
the data provided to support these ideas.
Students are also asked to challenge their own ideas, and to make
decisions about the meaning and implication of what they are reading.
(b) the
ability to use the methods and materials characteristic of the discipline:
Students
are expected to use discipline-appropriate methods and materials. In my section
on Exploring the Human-Animal Bond for example, students are introduced to the
format of social science research articles and learn how to evaluate the
articles they read for their papers and presentations.
(c) the
instilling of a commitment to intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning:
Students are challenged to be curious about the broad subjects covered in class. The topics in this course are broad enough to allow students to interact with the materials from a variety of different points of view. In addition, since this course is the first of their academic career, students are continually exposed to new ideas and asked to reflect on them and on their impact on the studentıs own education. Many of the writing assignments ask students to use their own experiences to reflect on the material and how it will be useful to them in their academic career.
(d) an
openness to new ideas with the social skills necessary for both teamwork and
leadership; the ability to think independently and be self-directed; to make
informed choices and take initiative:
Students,
working as individuals and in groups, both in the classroom and on outside
assignments, learn to take individual and collective responsibility for their
learning. Students have the
opportunity to do independent research and writing on a topic of their own
choosing. Students have the
opportunity to work in groups during class sessions, conducting peer
evaluations of fellow classmatesı work, as well as discussing and evaluating the
topics on the class agenda. One of
the goals of this course is for students to form a learning community with
other students in the class so they can support each other during this semester
as well in semesters beyond this course.
(3) How is the course suitable for the general education area [under which] you have requested it be classified? Please refer to the criteria for the relevant division as described in Appendix A as well as to your course materials appended to this form.
³EC²
courses and ³ECw² courses:
Students in the course have many opportunities to examine
the elements and conditions of effective writing. The most obvious way is through the texts that students have
been asked to read. In all
sections of the course, students are asked to be active readers, to read
critically and to evaluate and assess the material. Students also examine one anotherıs writing during the
semester. Finally, instructors use
handbooks (such as Diana Hackerıs A Writerıs Reference) and web resources (such as
Purdueıs On-line Writing Lab OWL) to teach students the elements of effective
writing.
In addition to the above, instructors focus on the
importance of audience in the course readings and in the studentsı writing.
A major emphasis in the course is on building and
strengthening critical reading and writing skills. Students are given ample opportunities for practice during
the semester through class discussion and a variety of writing assignments,
both long and short. Students work
with their peers, with their instructor, and in many sections, with a writing
consultant. They learn revising,
editing, and critical discussion skills.
Over the years, instructors have provided multiple
opportunities for writing and/or speaking and listening in different modes or
genres and for varying audience, purposes, and contexts. In terms of speaking, instructors
require student to be actively involved in class discussion. Some instructors also require students
to give an oral presentation on a topic related to the course. In writing, students are assigned a
variety of tasksfrom keeping a journal, to in-class writing, to reaction
papers, to more formal research papers.
(4) Explain how this course provides opportunities for practice in each of the integrated skills you have listed on the coversheet.
Read
complex texts: Many
of the students who come to this course have not read an entire book or a long
academic paper since their last educational experience. Therefore, the very process of actively
reading academic material presents a challenge to students at the outset of
this course.
Students
read from a wide variety of literature forms, becoming increasingly comfortable
with critically reading and analyzing what they are reading. In my section, for example, in addition
to their text and numerous handouts, students read an essay (introduction to a
book) by Harvard paleobiologist Stephen Jay Gould, excerpts from Oxford
University zoologist Marion Stamp Hawkinsı book, In Our Eyes Only?: The Search for Animal Consciousness,
and biologist Karen Pryorıs article on ³Non-acoustic Communication in Small Cetaceans: Glance, Touch, Position, Gesture, and
Bubbles.² Students also read a
social science research article (³Blind People and Their Dogs: An Empirical Study on Changes in
Everyday Life, in Self-Experience, and in Communication²) and critique its adherence to generally accepted research style. In addition, students are expected to
read social science research studies for their term paper. I do not expect students to understand
fully the statistical analyses in these articles, but I expect them to analyze
whether the questions under study follow from the literature review the
author(s) lists and whether the subject under investigation is related to the
studentıs paper topic.
For all
types of readings, students are asked to read the texts carefully and to
summarize the authorsı main points and conclusions and to recognize the data
that underlie these conclusions.
During the development of their research papers, students are exposed to
both primary and secondary sources and learn how to evaluate the sources for
use in building their argument in the paper.
Use of
Information Technology: Students typically come to the BGS
program with very rudimentary information technology skills. Throughout the course of the semester,
students develop their technology skills in a variety of ways. Students receive instruction in the
universityıs email system and are expected to communicate with their instructor
via email. Students are introduced
to the web as a tool for education and learn to evaluate sites for use in an
academic setting. In my section,
for example, students select three web sites and write an essay evaluating each
site according to the criteria outlined by the library staff in a session on
evaluating web sites. Students
also complete a tutorial on finding and evaluating web sites for use in
academic work. We spend time in
class sessions learning how to search some of the electronic databases for
material for the studentsı term papers.
Students are expected to use these databases in finding scholarly
material for their research paper.
A number of my readings are on electronic reserve in the library and on
various web sites. Students also
receive instruction on how to use a WebCT course site. Materials from the course are placed on
WebCT and students must consult them and complete an assignment on WebCT.
Throughout
the semester students are expected to become progressively more sophisticated
in their ability to express their ideas through their use of proper grammatical
and rhetorical skills. Students
submit drafts of their papers for review, critique fellow studentsı papers, and
work one-on-one with a writing consultant assigned to the class.
The
emphasis is on clear, grammatically correct writing that addresses the
appropriate audience for the assignment.
The process
and mechanics of writing a term paper is taught (selecting a topic, finding
suitable materials, taking notes, developing an outline, writing a first draft,
revising the draft, preparing the final paper, and correctly annotating
sources). Students are also given
detailed instruction on plagiarism and citing sources.
(5) Will your course sometimes be taught to groups of students larger than 60? NO
(6) If other instructors teach the course, what will be done to ensure that the proposed content and skills will be maintained across sections and instructors?
The Coordinator of the Bachelor of General Studies regularly reviews the course syllabi and meets with instructors, and will ensure that each section contains the necessary materials, texts and activities to meet the general education categories in this application (read complex texts, use of information technology, writing). The same instructors have taught the course each term for a number of years; at present, there is no problem with regard to maintaining consistency in content and skills across sections and instructors.
PART II
Please
provide documentation of the means by which your course attempts to reach the
goals of the general education program courses described above. Please attach a syllabus (mandatory)
and all relevant course materials (e.g., exams, homework and laboratory
assignments, classroom exercises) that will demonstrate how your course does
this. In addition, please feel
free to include any explanation(s) necessary showing how the course materials
are linked to both the goals of general education program and specifically to
the integrated skills.
BGS Office, Room 252 Office
phone: 277-5305
Email: ahubbard@uri.edu Office
Hours: M-Th (call for appointment)
A major focus in this course
is to provide you with opportunities to develop and/or to refine a number of
academic skills you will need to be successful in college. These skills include: critical learning, writing, reading,
listening, observing, questioning and speaking. You will have an opportunity to work on your own and with
your peers in furthering your education.
I am excited about the start of your educational journey, and I hope you
feel the same.
By the end of the
course, students are expected to demonstrate, in their comments and questions,
papers and class presentations:
·
Familiarity
with the content presented in class;
·
Ability
to read complex materials and identify the main points presented by the author;
·
Ability
to respond critically and thoughtfully in writing or orally to class material;
·
Ability
to write well organized, carefully considered short and long essays in which
students demonstrate their grasp of proper research, grammatical and rhetorical
skills;
·
Ability
to use various technologies to support their academic study. These skills include: the ability to
locate and evaluate internet web sites in terms of academic validity, accuracy,
and objectivity; the ability to locate course material on a WebCT site; the
ability to use e-mail as an effective communication tool; and the ability to
correctly produce papers in a word processing program;
·
Ability
to use appropriate library research strategies to find information on a given
topic and to evaluate its use in a scholarly context.
The topic for this term is
³Exploring the Human Animal Bond.² In this course we will explore our
relationships with the animal world from a number of different
perspectives. Historically, we
have used animals for a variety of purposes: food, travel, recreation, research, as subjects of art and
literature, etc. Our connections
to the animal world today are varied, complex, and ultimately important to us
and to the animals. Our
relationships to them are bound by factors such as culture, contact, prejudice,
and lack of knowledge, to name a few.
In this course we will spend part of the term investigating general
questions about our relations to animals and about animal emotions,
communication, and cognition. We
will read and write, view films, and discuss issues among ourselves, in an effort
to build an understanding of how each of us approaches these issues.
We will then focus on
domestic animals, particularly dogs and horses, and their relationship with us
from a number of perspectives. We
will explore how pets touch various parts of our lives - as companions,
therapists, assistants, confidants, etc. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has said that entering the
innermost lives of our pets and companion animals is pleasurable and rewarding, ³and in terms of our future health and
happiness, no subject could be a more important one for study.² *
We will have the opportunity
to talk to people who rely on animals for daily assistance and to observe
animals in action as ³therapists.²
In addition, you will have the opportunity to explore a topic of
interest in depth and share your knowledge with your fellow students.
My main goal for you in this
course is to be excited by the learning process and the topics we will
encounter and to participate fully in this process as we together explore the
human-animal bond.
* In A. Beck and A. Katcher, Between pets and people: The importance of animal companionship,
West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press, 1996, p xi.
It is very important that you
attend classes, and I place a high value on your presence and
participation. There will be times
that you will have to miss a class due to illness or emergency. Please let me know if you will not be
able to attend class. If you miss
more than 3 classes, you will not pass this course. In addition, please make every effort to be on time for
class and to avoid leaving early your grade will reflect your attendance.
You will be expected to hand
in assignments on time, to do the readings and to participate in class
discussion. There are parts of
this course in which there is a significant amount of reading. I suggest that you start reading ahead
as your schedule permits, so you are not cramming the reading in at the last
minute. If you are having difficulty keeping up with the reading or are not
going to meet an assignment deadline, please let me know before the class so we
can work out an alternate arrangement.
Assignments handed in after the due date will be reduced by one grade.
You will have plenty of
opportunities to write in this course.
Most of these writing assignments will be short, but will provide you
the opportunity to develop skills and to become comfortable with this type of
academic writing. I expect that
your written assignments will be grammatically correct as well as logical, well
thought out, pertinent to the topic assigned, and handed in on time. Your grade for each assignment will be
based on these considerations.
The first writing assignment
may be hand written; however, all the rest of the written assignments must be
typed (on a computer). If you need
assistance in using a word processing program, please let me know.
The course is graded S/U
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. The
grade is based on your attendance (20%) (and this includes your sessions with
the writing tutor), your participation in the class (30%) and the assignments
(50%).
³Students are expected to be
honest in all academic work.
Cheating is the claiming of credit for work not done independently
without giving credit for aid received, or unauthorized possession or access to
exams, or any unauthorized communication during examinations.² (From the
University of Rhode Island 2002-2005 Student Handbook)
We will discuss the issues
surrounding plagiarism and you will be expected to use appropriate methods of
citing the work of others that you have used in preparing your papers and other
assignments.
·
Check your email
regularly for any homework tips, announcements, etc. Email me with questions if you get stuck.
·
Please turn off your
cell phones no calls are to be taken during class time. If you need to make a call, make it
during the break.
·
The Animal
Attraction: Humans and Their Animal Companions, J. Newby (1999) Sidney,
Australia: ABC Books.
·
A Writerıs Reference,
Diana Hacker (this book will be useful to you throughout your entire college
career) it comes with a CD that can be used with the book to increase your
grammar skills.
·
Additional Readings: I will assign additional readings as
appropriate. I may hand out
material to read, or the material may be on the courseıs WebCT site, or
electronic reserve in the library available to you online (over the web), or
may be located at specific web sites I will give you.
We have the good fortune this
semester to have an advanced student assigned to our class as a writing
tutor. I have prepared a separate
handout on the role of the writing tutor and we will discuss this the first
class. I urge you to take full
advantage of the writing tutor.
Please note that part of your attendance in this class includes visiting
the Writing Tutor at least twice
during the semester. If you do not
meet at least twice with the tutor, your attendance grade will be adjusted.
You will develop a term paper
on a topic of interest to you within the major theme of Exploring the
Human-Animal Bond. I will approve all
topics, so you need to let me know what topic you would like to write on by the
8th class. This is
not an opinion paper. Tell me what you have learned about
this topic and cite evidence from your readings, the films, and other
sources. This should be a 5-7 page
paper and is due the last class.
There is plenty of time to see the writing tutor and/or me and to rework
drafts.
We will take a large part of
the semester to walk through the steps in writing a term paper. We will discuss the paper several times
in class, and you will have an opportunity to present your topic and outline to
a group of your classmates for feedback. I strongly urge you to make an
appointment with the writing tutor and/or me to review your outline and/or
draft. I will grade this paper on
content (that is, the development of your ideas, your ability to draw the
material together, your ability to cite evidence from your reading) and on
structure (grammatically correct language, use of a thesis statement, your
conclusion, the format of the paper and the citations, etc.). You will use the APA style for this
paper. See pages 365 385 in
Hacker for information on the APA style and the following website (http://www.apastyle.org/elecgeneral.html),
which is the website for the American Psychological Associationıs up-to-date
information on how to cite electronic references in your paper. Your paper
should conform to this style.
In
addition to turning in the paper at the last class, you will also give a short
(no more than 10 minutes) presentation about your work, citing the topic and
what drew you to this topic, the questions you looked at, the literature you
found, and your major findings.
Weekly Syllabus
Week
One January 15
Assignments:
Reading:
·
Course syllabus write
down any questions you have and we will discuss these next week
Other:
·
Get your student id card
(go to room 125 to get your card).
·
Go to the library and
have the card activated
·
Get your parking pass
(if necessary)
·
Bring A Writerıs
Reference to class next week
·
Bring your syllabus to
class every class
Introduction to Human-Animal
Issues
Assignments:
Reading:
This looks like a lot of reading, but the handouts are all short pieces
·
Hacker pages 24-37 (Read
these pages as a follow-up to the discussion in class, and before completing
the writing assignment. Use the exercises on the CD, if necessary, to help
reinforce the pages you read.)
·
³First People², by Linda
Hogan (From Intimate nature: The bond between women and animals, L.
Hogan, D. Metzger, B. Peterson, Eds. New York: Fawcett Books, 1998, pp 6-19.)
·
³Native Lore: How Coyote
Stole Fire² http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore06.html
·
³Native Lore: How Rabbit Brought Fire to the People² http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore61.html
·
³Native Lore: The Origins of the Buffalo Dance² http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore02.html
·
³Native Lore: Bear Legend² http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore54.html
·
Handout on Relationships
Between Humans & Animals (quotations from Lopez, Barry Holstun, Of
wolves and men, New York: Charles Scribnerıs Sons, 1978)
Writing:
·
Your room looks like
a pigsty! Elephants never
forget! Iım happy as a lark! He
works like a dog! These are some expressions we encounter
in day-to-day conversation. Have
you ever thought about how these expressions began, or how they influence our
perception of the animal involved?
Or whether they are true/false, positive/negative? In the next class, we will talk about
some of societyıs preconceptions of animals. To help the discussion along, take 3 note cards and on each
one, list one expression similar to the ones listed above, concerning
animals. Then, write a short
paragraph (limited to the note card) about each expression. How might the expression have
started? What characteristics of
the animal does the expression bring to mind? Is the expression describing a positive or a negative aspect
of the animal? Do you know if the
expression is even true about this animal?
You
might respond to these questions, although you donıt have to. For each expression you list (3 in
all), write a coherent paragraph, with a thesis statement. Bring these cards and be prepared to
share them with the class.
Reading:
·
Handout on ³How to Read
a Difficult Book²
·
Handout on ³How to Read
Essays You Must Analyze²
·
Pp. 139 143 in The
Animal Attraction (Section titled:
³Does My Cat Love Me?²)
·
Introduction and
foreword to The smile of a dolphin:
Remarkable accounts of animal emotions, Bekoff, Marc, New
York: Discovery Books, 2000 (handout).
Read these two pieces carefully.
You will have to read these more than once in order to get an understanding
of them.
Writing:
·
For this writing
assignment you are going to read and analyze both the introduction by zoologist
Mark Bekoff and the foreword by Harvard paleobiologist Stephen Jay Gould (from The
Smile of a Dolphin). You will
use the handout on ³How to read essays you must analyze² as a guide, so follow
the directions under each step (but skip step 10). After you have read each essay, answer the questions on the
³Reading and Understanding Essays Worksheet.² Answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper for each
of the two essays (the Introduction and the Foreword). This is due next week.
Assignments:
Reading:
·
Go to the following web
site that has a good tutorial and a practice WebCT course. This is the site we used during the
class session so you will be familiar with some of the material. Follow the links on the site to learn
more about WebCT - http://www.spcollege.edu/ecampus/help/webct/index.shtml
Spend some time following the practice course take the short assessment
to see if you might be comfortable taking online courses. (Follow the links for ³Content²
³Welcome to SPCıs eCampus² ³Is eCampus the Place for You?²) Bring in your results next week so we
can discuss them.
Writing:
·
Email the instructor (ahubbard@uri.edu) a short message on how the
course is going for you so far.
You might comment on the content, the readings for homework, whether the
course is going too fast or too slow for you, whether you are able to keep up,
etc.
·
Complete the WebCT
assignment and send it to the instructor via WebCT email.
Introduction to the
Term Paper Assignment
We will meet in the library
classroom
Assignments:
Reading:
Writing:
Week 6 February 19
Assignments:
Reading:
Writing:
Assignments:
Reading:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/notes.html
http://www.csuohio.edu/writingcenter/writproc.html
http://www.csuohio.edu/writingcenter/return.html
Writing:
Assignments:
Reading:
(These websites will also be posted on the class WebCT site.)
1.
Introduction to research and how to read a social science
research report.
2.
Writing Topic: topic sentences and controlling ideas
Assignments:
Reading:
Writing:
Other:
1.
Discussion on reading
and evaluating a research report
2.
Observation as a tool
for learning
3.
Therapeutic Riding
Observation
Assignments:
Writing:
Assignments
Reading:
Assignments:
Reading: (for April 22 class)
·
Beck, A & Katcher,
A. Between pets and
people: The importance of animal
companionship, West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press, 1996, pp
125-159. (electronic reserve)
·
Go to this address on
the web: http://www.deltasociety.org/dsb000.htm
Explore the material about service dogs including the following sections:
o
³Basic information about
service dogs²
o
Follow the links under
³Resources²
o
Go to this link: http://www.deltasociety.org/dsz000.htm#healthyallen
and read the article (it has several parts) ³The Healthy Pleasure of Their
Company: Companion Animals and Human Health² by Karen Allen, Ph.D
Writing:
·
Develop an in-depth
outline for your research paper.
This outline should include the preliminary thesis statement, the major
points/questions you will investigate, and a list of some of the sources you
will use for your final paper. You
must hand in this outline before your conference with the instructor. If you are ready to develop a first
draft of your paper, you may submit that to the instructor before your
conference. Contact the writing
tutor or instructor for help.
Other:
No Class
Individual Conferences with Instructor
(to be scheduled
between April 12 and April 16
but donıt wait
until the very end of the week to see the instructor!)
This conference will give you
and me a chance to review your paper draft/outline, go over any other issues
related to the class, and plan for the upcoming spring semester. Email your outline or first draft of
your paper to me at least a day ahead of time so I will be able to read
it before the conference.
Assignments: (Due April
22)
Reading:
Writing:
·
Write a 500-word essay
on the academic journey you have undertaken since the beginning of the
semester. Are there themes
emerging yet for you? Have
you been pleasantly surprised about your abilities? What areas are you still concerned about? This paper is due April 22.
Therapy and
Assistance Dogs
Assignments:
Writing:
Celebration
Writing Consultant
We are very lucky to have a writing consultant join us for
this course.
Email:
Phone:
Schedule:
Role of the Writing Consultant
The consultantıs primary role is to give you guidance and
feedback on your writing throughout the writing process --from start to
finish. Writing is a process and feedback from a knowledgeable person is very
important to any writer as she moves through this process from initial idea to
polished product. The consultant
will not write your paper, but her guidance and feedback will help you understand
when and how to work more carefully and successfully on your writing
assignments.
You will be asked to write continually throughout your
academic career. If you have been
away from school for a while, your writing skills are undoubtedly a little
rusty. This course is designed to
help you review and/or acquire solid writing skills so you will be a successful
writer in future semesters. I urge
you to take advantage of the tutorıs skills and make appointments to have her
review your papers. I guarantee
that if you apply yourself to your writing and get feedback from the tutor, the
Writing Center, and/or me, that your writing will improve.