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GESS 101/102: General Education Social Science (crn: 42045)
A CSUSM FIRST YEAR STUDENT LEARNING COMMUNITY COURSE

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Professor: Joanne Pedersen Ph.D.
Office: 6205 Craven
Office Phone: 750 4186
e mail: pedersen {at} csusm(.)edu
Class Meeting Time: M W 10:00 to 11:15 in UNIV 441

FALL LEARNING COMMUNITY THEME:
Building Healthy Communities: A Partnership with the City of Escondido
(Website for the City of Escondido: www.ci.escondido.ca.us)

City of Escondido Mission Statement:
"The mission of the City of Escondido is to provide quality service that enhances the safety, economic diversity, environment and health of the community, where our customers and employees can thrive in an atmosphere of courtesy, integrity and respect."

COURSE DESCRIPTION FOR GESS 101 (Fall Term)

In the classroom
The classroom content of GESS 101 will expose you to the research methods used and topics studied under the general heading "social science", the field of human knowledge dealing with all aspects of human social life (Hunt & Colander, 2002). You will learn about the specific disciplines within the social sciences and how research findings are applied to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities.

Learning Community
A learning community is a collaborative effort that links academic courses, students, faculty and community in a way that fosters student success and enhances community development. As a learning community course, the content of GESS 101 is linked to the other Fall semester learning community courses (GEH 101 & GEW 101). During the Spring 2003 semester, the learning community will continue with GESS 102, GEH 102 and GEO 102. In GESS 101 & 102 students will build a linkage with the community by participating in a service learning project with the City of Escondido. It is our hope that the learning community environment will help you create a sense of belongingness and purpose that supports your success as a student.

Service Learning
Service Learning is the active integration of academic learning (what you learn in the classroom) with issues and problems facing communities. Communities benefit because students provide them with expertise and service. Students benefit because service projects are relevant to course content. The service learning project for GESS 101 (& GESS 102 in the Spring 2003 semester) involves a partnership with the City of Escondido. During the Fall 2002 semester, our GESS 101 class will research the City of Escondido in preparation for a civic related service project to be done during GESS 102 in the Spring 2003 semester.

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED TO PURCHASE FOR GESS 101
(Available at the University Store):

1) Daniel, E. L., & Levine, C. (2001). Taking sides: Clashing views on controversial issues in health and society. (51h ed.) Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
2) Hult, C. A. (1996). Researching and writing in the social sciences. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
3) Hunt, E. F., & Colander, D. C. (2002). Social science: An introduction to the study of society. (11th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon
4) Johnson, S. J. (2002). Study guide for Hunt and Colander: Social science, an introduction to the study of society. (11th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon

COURSE ORGANIZATION FOR GESS 101
Your grade will be based on the following required items:

1) Lost on the Moon exercise/reflection 50 points
2) Exams (3 exams @ 75 points each ) 225 points
3) Field Trip Days (2 trips @ 25 points each 50 points
4) Newspaper Journal/Reflection & Journal Notebook 100 points
5) Term Project – Annotated Bibliography 100 points
6) Term Project – Group Presentation 100 points
7) Attendance/Participation: taken each class day, will influence final grade
Points will be deducted for unexplained or excessive absence

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS FOR THE ENTIRE SEMESTER: 625 points

Point scale to determine final grade:
625-562 90 % = A range
562-500 80 % = B range
500-437 70 % = C range
437-375 60 % = D range
374 & below F

DESCRIPTION OF EACH GRADED ITEM

Lost on the Moon Exercise/Reflection Paper
This fun in class exercise will enhance the group decision making skills and team building necessary for the Term Project. A short reflection paper, to be done as homework, will ensure that you develop a deeper understanding of the concepts being taught by the exercise (see Instructions for Lost on the Moon Reflection Paper).

Exams
The three exams will be based on lectures and specific chapters from the assigned reading. Questions will be multiple choice, definitions and short answer/essay. You should use your study guide to master the material from Hunt & Colander. It is recommended that you review your lecture notes and reading on a regular basis.

Field Trips
We will go on two required field trips to points of interest in Escondido. Dates for the field trips are noted in the course syllabus and include a morning at the California Center for the Arts & City Hall, and a morning at Daley Ranch. The field trips will serve to deepen our understanding of course material and prepare us for our Spring 2003 service project. You will be expected to provide your own transportation, just like you provide your own transportation to campus. Directions and further details will be discussed in class.

Newspaper Journal
The North County Times has generously offered to donate copies of the newspaper to our class. Reading the newspaper is an ideal way to keep up with the issues surrounding the City of Escondido. As you read the North County Times, you will prepare a weekly journal entry. At the end of the semester you will turn in an organized notebook with all of your journal entries along with a final reflection paper (see Instructions for Newspaper Journal.

Term Project
At the beginning of the semester you will rank order a variety of social science research topics related to the City of Escondido. Based on your rankings, you will be placed in a small research group (about 5 students per group). Throughout the semester, you will collect information on your topic and prepare an Annotated Bibliography (each student writes their own annotated bibliography). At the end of the semester, each group will present their findings to the class. This term project will prepare the class for the Spring semester when we partner with the City of Escondido to develop a Civic Fair. (see Instructions for Term Project).

Attendance & Class Participation I will be taking attendance for each class session. Your overall attendance pattern and level of class participation will influence your final grade. You are expected to do the reading ahead of time and come to class prepared to engage in critical discussion and ready to take exams.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE TERM PROJECT

The term project has two components, an annotated bibliography and a group presentation. The overall goal of the term project is for the class to develop a comprehensive understanding of the social structure of the City of Escondido in a way that prepares us for the spring GESS 102 service learning project. To that end, our class will use the following social dimensions to research the City of Escondido:

1) Conservation
2) Education
3) Culture
4) Politics/Government
5) Health Care
6) Recreation

You will be placed in a small research group (about 5 students) at the beginning of the semester. Placement in a research group will be based your relative interest in the six social dimensions. Your group will meet throughout the semester to collect and discuss information on your group's assigned social dimension and to prepare for a group presentation. Each member of the group will also prepare their own annotated bibliography. The social dimensions are very broad and individuals within a research group may specialize on a specific aspect of the social dimension. For example, if your social dimension is health care, one member of your group may research health care issues pertaining to senior citizens and another member of your group may research health care issues in low income populations. The annotated bibliography (worth a maximum of 100 points) and group presentation (worth a maximum of 100 points) will be given separate scores. YOUR SCORES WILL BE INFLUENCED BY HOW ACTIVELY YOU PARTICIPATE IN ONGOING RESEARCH AND GROUP ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER.

GROUP PRESENTATIONS

Each group will be responsible for taking a single class period to present the results of their research and should highlight how the topic is relevant to the City of Escondido. Presentations will take place at the end of the semester during weeks 13, 14 and 15. Your group will be assigned to a specific day near the beginning of the semester. Groups are encouraged to use a variety of media for their presentation (e.g. short video clips, websites, Power Point, white board, posters, handouts). The idea is to teach the rest of the class about what your group learned. Preparations for the presentations will be discussed in class and take place throughout the semester during "research/reflection days." You should expect to meet with your group outside of class on a regular basis.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1
W 9/4 Introduction to the Learning Community & GES S

Week 2
M 9/9 lecture: What is Social Science? H&C Ch 1
W 9/11 lecture: Collegial Research in the Social Sciences Hult Ch 1
(rank order research areas)
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 3
M 9/16 Lost on the Moon Exercise/Reflection Paper Assigned Hal article
Assign Research Teams
W 9/18 Discussion of Term Project & Review for Exam 1
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 4
M 9/23 EXAM 1 & Reflection Paper Due
W 9/25 lecture: The Individual, Society & Culture H & C Ch. 7
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 5
M 9/30 lecture: The Family H & C Ch. 8
W 10/2 In Class discussion with the Escondido Youth Encounter
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 6
M 10/7 lecture: Society, Culture & Change
W 10/9 FIELD TRIP: California Center for the Arts & City Hall
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 7
M 10/14 Panel Discussion With The City Of Escondido
W 10/16 lecture: Geography, Demography, Ecology & Society H & C Ch. 5
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 8
M 10/21 FIELD TRIP: Daley Ranch
W 10/23 Research/Reflection Day & Review for Exam 2
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 9
M 10/28 EXAM 2
W 10/30 Research Reflection Day
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 10
M 11/4 lecture: Religion & Society H & C Ch. 9
W 11/6 lecture: Education (guest lecturer Dr. Charles Prickett) H & C Ch. 10
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 11
W 11/12 lecture: Ethnic & Racial Stratification H & C Ch. 12
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 12
M 11/18 Review for Exam 3
W 11/20 EXAM 3
Newspaper journal entry due

Group presentations begin week 13.
Annotated bibliographies are due on the day your research team presents

Week 13
M 11/25 PRESENTATION
W 11/27 PRESENTATION
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 14
M 12/2 PRESENTATION
W 12/4 PRESENTATION
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 15
M 12/9 PRESENTATION
W 12/11 PRESENTATION
Newspaper journal entry due

Week 16
M 12/16 Assessment Day
FINAL: Saturday 12/21 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
FINAL REFLECTION/JOURNAL NOTEBOOK DUE

GESS 102 (Spring Term)

SPRING LEARNING COMMUNITY THEME:
Society, Health, and Community Action

COURSE DESCRIPTION FOR GESS 102 (Spring Term)
Welcome to the second semester of the CSUSM First Year Student Learning Community. The theme for our GESS 102 course (Society, Health & Community Action) will guide us as we develop our Service Learning project with the City of Escondido (a Community Health Fair for the Grant Middle School community). Class time will be spent exploring a number of contemporary issues related to health and society. Basic principles of social science topic development, hypothesis formation, literature review and data gathering will be used as research committees develop various components of the Community Health Fair. Each research committee will do a class presentation/poster that assesses their contribution to the Community Health Fair and outlines a set of recommendations for the City of Escondido. Each student will also write a report that summarizes and assess the Community Health Fair project.

COURSE ORGANIZATION
Your grade will be based on the following items:
1) Midterm Exam – 100 points
2) Health Fair Report – 100 points
3) Health Fair Poster Presentation – 50 points
4) Quizzes (10 points each x 6) – 60 points
5) Health Fair Reflection Journal Entry (10 points each x 7) – 70 points
6) Health Fair Committee Worksheet – 50 points
7) Attendance/Participation (taken each class session: can influence final grade)

TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE FOR THE ENTIRE SEMESTER 430

Point Scale to Determine Final Grade:

430 to 387 90% = A range
386 to 344 80% = B range
343 to 301 70% = C range
300 to 258 60% = D range
257 % below F

EXPLANATION OF EACH GRADED ITEM:

Midterm Exam
The midterm Exam will cover Ch. 17 from Meyers and Issues 9 & 10 from Daniel & Levine. The exam will cover material from the reading and related lectures. Expect the exam to contain multiple choice questions, essay questions and short answer/definition questions. The material covered will help set the stage for the theme of our Service Learning projection (the Community Health Fair)

Health Fair Report & Group Poster Presentations
Each committee will do a class poster presentation that assesses their contribution to the Community Health Fair and outlines a set of recommendations for the City of Escondido. Each individual student will also write a report that summarizes and assesses the Community Health Fair Project (see instruction sheet)

Quizzes
Quizzes will be based on specific readings from Daniel & Levine (2001) and will take no more than 15 minutes to complete. Questions will be multiple choice and will be taken directly from the reading. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class on the dates indicated in the course syllabus and will serve to prepare us for critical discussion of the relevant topics. Small groups will prepare (in class) a written summary of our debates/discussions. NO MAKE UP QUIZZES will be given. Please bring a SCANTRON (available in the CSUSM bookstore) and a #2 pencil for each quiz.

Health Fair Reflection Journal Entries
Journal entries will be due on the days indicated in the course calendar and will serve as written documentation of your thoughts and ideas as we proceed with planning the Fair. Journal entry instructions will be discussed in class. LATE JOURNAL ENTRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Health Fair Committee Worksheet & Planning Log
This will be an ongoing semester long assignment that will guide committees as they plan for the Health Fair. The worksheet will be filled out every Wednesday and each group will present it to the entire class for discussion (see instruction sheet). A FINAL VERSION OF THE WORKSHEET WILL BE DUE ON 4/23 AND WILL REPRESENT YOUR COMMITTEE'S ACTION PLAN FOR THE FAIR.

Attendance/Participation
I will be taking attendance for each class session. Your overall attendance pattern and level of class participation will influence your final grade. You are expected to do the reading ahead of time and come to class prepared to take quizzes and participate in all discussions.

Sociology 150
First Year Seminar: Children's Lives

Katherine O'Donnell
Arnold 31
431-4894
Email: O_DonnellK

"A nation's politics becomes a child's everyday psychology."
-Robert Coles

"Democracy is not a spectator sport."
-Marion Wright Edelman

Overview
This course is about something that we have all experienced childhood. Although for many of us childhood was a time of fun and frogs, it is also a time of learning about constraints, rules, suffering, and loss. Children know and understand more than they can verbally express. I am often humbled by my child's wisdom and clarity of vision.

I have chosen to focus on children for several different reasons:

1) Looking at our childhoods is one way to understand the roots of the values we use implicitly or explicitly to guide and evaluate our actions. This course is
designed to identify, analyze, and evaluate the choices we make based on our value systems. This examination occurs on personal, national, and global
levels.

2) It is also a goal of this course to raise our consciousness about the state of the world's children. By doing so, we bring Hartwick into the world and create a
factual basis for action.

3) This course also raises many ethical questions, a principal one being, "Is it humane to treat children unfairly?"

4) Through readings, films, speakers, workshops, and community work, this course will allow us to identify problems relating to children and suggest possible
solutions.

5) Finally, I trust that this seminar will empower us to work effectively and co operatively with one another to transform our communities and how they treat
children.

In addition to being a rigorously analytic course, this seminar is also an emotional one. The topic of children in and of itself pulls at our heartstrings. Sharing our experiences (and I recognize that this is a risk that some of us are not ready to take particularly in a classroom context) makes us vulnerable. Commitment to beliefs and actions also puts us in the position of aligning with or against various people. This can be threatening. Cooperative work in groups entails openness, sharing, recognizing and resolving conflicts, commitment to group actions, responsibility, willingness to listen, equitable division of labor. Because of those aspects of our classroom, we will have to work hard to build an atmosphere in which it is O.K. to try new things, to take stances, and to share ideas. I am one of you in this process; it is not my role to be mother or police officer. I see myself as a guide, mentor, and midwife. We will be creating together and confronting ambiguity, tension, failure, and success.

Because First Year Seminars are designed to emphasize student responsibility, you will make choices on grading, group project actions, topics, research, and readings.

Texts
Scheper Hughes. Small Wars: The Cultural Politics of Childhood. Children's Defense Fund
Eder. State of America's Children Yearbook (CDF). Canada Human Rights Watch
School Talk. Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun
Fingers to the Bone: U.S. Failure to Protect Child Farmworkers.

Other readings will be given to you as handouts. You will consult the UNICEF (1998) The State of the World's Children, on the web.

Evaluation

Community Action
You will be graded on a group basis for your community work. Work will consist of library research, written and oral reports, and community action work. Community service should add up to 21 hours (1 1/2 hrs. per week) for the term, and includes your group meetings, any training you receive, and hours on site. Both you and the site supervisor need to keep records.

You may choose to work on any of the following topics or suggest an alternative. I will try and match your topical interest with a local or campus organization. You may also reach out to national or international organizations and create your own community action groups.

Health and Hunger
Homelessness
Class Inequality/Poverty
Ending Violence Against Kids
Media & Kids
Ecology
War and Kids
Moral Development
Race and Ethnicity
Global South/overexploitation
Spirituality
Gender

One or more groups may choose to work on the Madre, "Helping Hands Campaign," to collect material necessities for children in Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. In addition, groups may do fundraising for shipping costs, campus awareness activities, film showings with admission/contribution~1641 medical supplies, and eyeglasses acquisition. The best group size is 4 5 students. This component of your grade should be weighted the most as it entails the most work. You are graded on your analysis of and reflection on issues in your service site as they relate to the readings and analysis presented in class and through readings (30% group grade).

Papers
During the term you will do graded and ungraded papers ranging from letters to analysis papers. You will work up drafts in and out of class. For graded papers, references must be noted, and authors' quotes documented. Paraphrased texts must also have formal citations. Failure to do this constitutes plagiarism. Formal papers each 20 %. Individual grade

Attendance
We will discuss these issues in class the first week. I will give you individual participation grades. Should you choose to miss a significant number of classes, I will ask you to drop the class. Excessive absences that are unexplained result in a failing grade. Attendance is also required for your praxis group meetings and other activities/service developed or arranged by your group. Maximum 2 excused, missed classes.

Participation
Our class time is devoted to making connections between readings, our community work, world politics, and our lives. Here, we share and contest views, ask questions, seek answers, laugh, and sometimes cry. Some people are more comfortable talking in class; others prefer writing, journals, or emailing. All of these are fine. I normally grade participation in all its different forms. 10% individual grade.

Course Schedule

I. Sept. 4-11

What are we doing here? Our responsibilities Goal setting and critical thinking.
Readings: Wright Edelman "If the Child is Safe"
Hooks "Pedagogy and Political Commitment"
Baez "Message to the Next Generation"
Coles" I Listen to my Parents and I Wonder What They Believe" (handout)
Coles Chap. I in Political Life of Children
Scheper Hughes, Introduction

1) assignments write statement of personal goals, course goals
2) write letter to next generation
3) in class discuss full value contract ground rules for class discussion
4) create community action groups
5) discuss grading policy and weighting of projects
6) video: Interview with Robert Coles

II. Sept. 11 – Oct. 9

Mary Krekorian, Trustee Center, Community Work Discussion; commit to community action groups

How kids see their worlds perceiving, knowing, believing and valuing.
Violence in Kids' Lives identifying prejudice; comparative reasoning, problem solving.

Readings: Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun (will distribute discussion questions)
CDF Chapter 6
1996 UNICEF "Children in War" I choose between this one and the next 2
Coles Political Life "Northern Ireland"
Olujic "War and Its Aftermath in Croatia" in Scheper Hughes
Video: "If the Mango Tree Could Speak"

Discuss the impact of violence on children's' lives. What social structural dimensions of your childhood experience paralleled the violence experienced or exempted you from these forms of violence? Use Canada, video, and CDF, and Coles, UNICEF, or Olujic. 5 pages typed. Due OCT 16

III. Oct. 11 – Oct. 18

Equal Opportunity? Poverty, Racism and Children identifying prejudice, solving problems, evaluating alternatives, language as a tool and weapon.

Readings: State of America's Children Yearbook 1998(CDF)
Sklar "Mothers 'n The Hood"

Videos: "Hard Scrabble Childhood"
"Babar"
"Hoop Dreams"

IV. Oct. 25 – Nov. 13

Global Realities and the Impact on Children Identifying objective conditions, looking at problems and solutions.

Readings: (on web) UNICEF Report State of the World's Children
Goldstein "Nothing Bad Intended: Survival in a Shantytown in Rio, Brazil"
Scheper Hughes "Brazilian Apartheid"
Guttman "Marnitis and the Trauma of Development in a Colonia Popular of Mexico City" in Scheper Hughes Whiteford"
Children's Health as Accumulated Capital: Structural Adjustment in the Dominican Republic and Cuba" in Scheper Hughes
HRW "Fingers to the Bone"
Video: Lost Futures The Problem of Child Labor"
Guest Speaker Professor Lori Collins Hall Sociology Dept. "Impact of Family Violence on Kids"

Compare and contrast the U.S., Thailand, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, South Africa, and Sweden: infant mortality rate, life expectancy, percent of children suffering
from malnutrition, percent of population with access to health services, adult literacy rate, percent of population below absolute poverty level, female life expectancy, female adult literacy as percent of males'.

V. Dec. 6

How does poverty affect kids? How do race and ethnicity intersect with class? (Child labor)Discuss poverty in the US and 3rd World.
What do Edelman, Small Wars authors, and UNICEF suggest we do?
Discuss relevant observations from your community work. 5 pages. Due NOV 20

Readings: Eder, School Talk (will distribute orientation questions)
Sargent, "Bad Boys and Good Girls Gender Ideology in Jamaica" in Scheper-Hughes
How does gender affect kids? How do class, race and ethnicity intersect with gender?
Discuss relevant observations from your community work site. 5 pages. Due DEC 10

Where do we go from Here? Justice, Equity, and Public Policy Constructing arguments; evaluation.

Articles/readings chosen by class.

Possibilities include: UNICEF Report "Agenda for a New Order" Sidel "Toward a More Caring Society" Prepare group oral presentations for Final Exam Period. (See handout for participation evaluation and oral presentation grading criteria)

Complete written Community Action Report. The report will use the problem solving model developed in class and apply it to the group's topic. The report will also contain a personal reflection component where each student locates him/herself relative to the issue, a self and group evaluation section, and a formal reference section. (See handout for grade criteria and organization). Due at final period. Minimally 15 pages.

GSI: Rosa Peralta
Office: 4520 LSA
Phone: 615 0487
Office Hours: Wed: 12 3pm (or by appointment)
Email: rosap {at} umich(.)edu

Seminar: Tuesdays, 4:00 5:30
Coordinators:
400: Caitlin Patterson/ Maria Maridino
401: Jason Otto/ Bryan Yaldou
402: Vahbiz Karanjia
403: Jamie Taylor/ Meredith Swartz
404: Desiree Hunter
405: Tiffany Williams/ Omari Jackson
407: Kelly Corcoran

I. About Project Community

Project Community is a partnership between the Ginsberg Center for Community Service Learning and the Department of Sociology. Rosa (me) will be your direct link to Professor Mark Chesler in Sociology. In addition, other important names and numbers to know are:

Joe Galura, Director of Project community
Sean de Four, Associate Director of Project community
Melanie Bunce, Program Assistant for Criminal Justice

II. Required Text

Each section will have three books. They are available at Shaman Drum.

A. All Sections 400-407: Marc Mauer. 1999. Race to incarcerate.

B. Sections: 400 and 401 (Juvenile):

1. Males, Mike A. 1996. The Scapegoat Generation: America's War on Adolescents.

2. Siegel, Larry and Joseph Senna. 1997. Juvenile Delinquency. Theory, Practice, and Law, 6th edition. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company.

C. Sections: 402, 404, 407 and 405 (Men):

1. Jeffrey H. Reiman (1998) The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice.

2. Katheryn K. Russell. 1998. The color of crime: racial hoaxes, white fear, black protectionism, police harassment, and other
macroaggressions.

D. Sections 403 and 405 (Women):

1. Joanne Belknap, 2001. The Invisible Woman: Gender, Crime, and Justice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. (Second Edition).

2. Barbara Owen. 1998. in the Mix: Struggle and Survival in a Women's Prison (SUNY Series in Women, Crime and Criminology).

III. Course Requirements

In order to receive credit for the course, you must

1. Attend your service site every week
2. Attend and participate in seminar every Tuesday
3. Complete a weekly journal assignment
4. Complete weekly reading assignments
5. Complete a midterm project
6. Complete a final project

IV. Service

Students are expected to fulfill the service requirements of their section. You may miss site once without penalty. Since it is difficult to schedule make up hours, students need to act responsibly and with consideration for their classmates and for those that count on your service each week. If you miss more than one section, then you will not receive credit for the class. Of course, special circumstances will be taken into consideration.

V. Assignments

1. For Coordinators:

a. Students will complete weekly journal assignments designed to aid in considering questions related to both the readings and your experiences at service sites. These assignments may vary by section and will be designed, received and read by your coordinators. I (Rosa) will also read some of the journal assignments you turn in.

b. Students are expected to complete reading assignments and be prepared to discuss them in section each week. You will not be able to complete the written assignments without doing the readings.

2. Assignments for the GSI: Students will complete a midterm creative project and a final project/paper. All assignments will require the students to think critically about their service experiences and the sociological issues raised by the readings, the coordinators and the GSI (Rosa). Guidelines for the assignments will be passed out during the semester.

3. Assignment Timetable:

a. Midterm: February 18th

b. Final Project: Noon on April 14th

VI. SCHEDULE OF READINGS:

January 7:
Introduction to Project Community All sections will meet together and then we will break into our respective groups.
Topics: course logistics, site descriptions and administrative questions.

January 14: Introduction to Service Learning Reading: All SectionsKahn, "On Experiential Education and Service Learning" in http://www.umich.edu/ ocsl/Proj Community/coord/kahn.html
Howard, On Experiential Learning: Distinguishing Traditional and Experiential Learning," http://www.umich.edu/ ocsl/Proj Community/coord/howard.html

Journal Assignment: Why are you taking this class? What do you plan to contribute to it? What do you hope to get from it?

January 21: Intro. To Sociology
Peter Berger [1963] Invitation to Sociology. A Humanistic Perspective: Ch. 1: http://www.pscw.uva.nl/sociosite/TOPICS/texts/berger.od
C. Wright Mills (1959). The Sociological Imagination. Ch. 1: "The Promise": http://www.clark.edu/ goldman/socimagination.html

Journal Assignment: What do you perceive your role at site to be? Individually? As a group? How may this role differ from you other everyday roles in college and in your private life?

January 28: The Institution and its Experiment
Mauer. Race to Incarcerate. Ch. 1 and 2 (pgs.1 41).

Journal Assignment: Who are the people in prisons and jails in the United States? Why are they there?

February 4: Crime and the Justice System
Mauer. Race to Incarcerate. Ch. 3 5 (pgs.42 99).

Journal Assignment: What is the purpose of the criminal justice system? Does the system "work"? What does or doesn't it accomplish?

February 11: Race, Drugs and Limitations
Mauer. Race to Incarcerate. Ch. 6 8 (pgs.100 161).

Journal Assignment: Do the police serve communities or governments? All communities? How might policing operate in a more user friendly way? How would things be different if everybody were seen as a potential "criminal"? Would the police be "better" or "worse"?

February 18: (Midterm Project Due Today)
Mauer. Race to Incarcerate. Ch. 9 12 (pg. 162 194)

****And each section please read the following:"'
Sections: 400 and 401: Siegel. Juvenile Delinquency. Chapter 1 and 12
Sections: 402, 404 and 407: J. Reiman. And The Poor: Ch. 1.
Sections 403 and 405: Belknap. Invisible Woman: Chapter 1.

Journal Assignment: Is the prison system inherently violent? Why or why not? How might the prison be different for women, juveniles or people with HIV/AIDS? Is difference because of the systems or because of the individual?

February 25: Spring Break No Classes

March 4:
Sections: 400 and 401: Siegel. Juvenile Delinquency. Chapter 2 and 3.
Sections: 402, 404 and 407: J. Reiman. And The Poor: 2 and 3.
Sections 403 and 405: Belknap. Invisible Woman: Ch. 2 and 3.

Journal Assignment: What does affirmative action have to do with the people in prison/jail? Is access to education and jobs connected to ending up in prison/jail? In what ways is it or isn't it?

March 11:
Sections: 400 and 401: Siegel. Juvenile Delinquency: Ch. 4 and 6.
Sections: 402, 404 and 407: J. Reiman. And The Poor: 4 and conclusion.
Sections 403 and 405: Belknap. Invisible Woman: Ch. 4 and 5.

Journal Assignment: Are we locking up people for being poor? Why are so many people in prison for drug addiction and poverty related crimes? What could we be doing as alternatives to incarceration?

March 18:
Sections: 400 and 401: Siegel. Juvenile Delinquency. Ch. 10 and 11.
Sections: 402, 404 and 407: J. Reiman. And The Poor: appendix and paper insert.
Sections 403 and 405: Barbara Owen, In the Mix. Ch. 1 and 2.

Journal Assignment: Site specific

April 1:
Sections: 400 and 401: Mike Males. Scapegoat Generation. Ch. 1 and 4.
Sections: 402, 404 and 407: K. Russell. Color of Crime. Ch. 1 4 (pg. 1 68)
Sections 403 and 405: Barbara Owen, In the Mix. Ch. 3 and 4.

Journal Assignment: Site specific

April 8: site specific readings/movie and Journal Assignment

April 14: Final Project is Due by noon on April 14th in my locked mailbox in 3009 LS&A

April 15:
Wrap up. Presentation of Final Project. All sections will meet together.

Donald Stearns, Ph.D. and Kim Worthy, Ph.D.

FIRST YEAR LEARNING COMMUNITY K:
LIVING ON SPACESHIP EARTH: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND THEIR LITERARY PORTRAYALS

Instructors: Donald Stearns, Ph.D., Megerle Science Building, Room 413
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2:00-4:00 pm; Wednesdays, 5:00 7:00 pm and by appointment
Office Phone: Ext. 3197 on campus; (718) 390 3197 off campus
Home Phone: (856) 667-0486
Email: dstearns {at} wagner(.)edu

Course Description:
This course focuses on development of college level communication skills through reading, writing, discussions, and presentations stemming from issues raised in the learning community.

Specific course objectives:

To respond originally and lucidly to a series of reading based, experience based, and research based topics

To learn how to compose, by relating writing to perceiving, thinking, and expressing

To use the composing process to focus and develop perspective on any topic

To acquire the habits of supporting assertions, of building controlled paragraphs, and of revising and editing so that sentences are complex yet clear

To learn "to write for one another; to read your own writing to others; to listen seriously to what your classmates wrote; to give and receive positive criticism" (Toby Fulwiler, Chronicle of Higher Education, February 5, 1986, page 104)

Required Texts:

• Dell Publishing. The American Heritage Dictionary. 4th edition. New York: Dell, 2001.
• Des Jardins, Joseph R. Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy. 3' ed. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 2001.
• Hacker, Diana. A Writer's Reference. 4 1h ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000.
• Assigned Readings: Associated Press. "Suit Names Chemical, Water Companies." Staten Island Advance 2 Aug. 2000: A 12.
• Avril, Tom. "Toms River Cancer Deal Gives Children $13 Million" The Philadelphia Inquirer 23 Jan. 2002: A I, A8.
• Facione, Peter and Noreen Facione. "The Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric." In Facione, Peter; Facione, Noreen; Giancarlo, Carlo and Steve Blohm. "The CT Album" and Workshop Materials. Millbrae, California: Insight Assessment and The California Academic Press, 2002.
• Facione, Peter; Facione, Noreen; Giancarlo, Carlo and Steve Blohm. "The Reflective Journal" [modified from their "The Reflective Log."] "The CT Album" and Workshop Materials. Millbrae, California: Insight Assessment and The California Academic Press, 2002.
• Feeney, Tom. "In their Hearts, the Parents of Stricken Kids Find Truth." The Star Ledger 20 Dec. 2001: A26.
• Feeney, Tom and Mark Mueller. "Crusading Mom Shrugs off Vindication." The Star Ledger 19 Dec 2001: A22.
• Gawande, Atul. "The Cancer Cluster Myth." The New Yorker Feb. 8, 1999: 34 37.
• Kaye, Richard A. "Tie Dyed Food." The New York Times 21 Apr 2002, see. 14: 1, 9.
• Kelley, Tina. "How to Separate Good Data from Bad." The New York Times 4 March 1999.
• Lesman, Alex. "Reduce, Re use, and Recycle: The Coop's Environmental Policies and Practices." The Linewaiters' Gazette. Park Slope Food Coop, 782 Union Street, Brooklyn, New York.
• Light, Richard J. "Diversity on Campus," Chapter 7, pages 129 159. In Light, Richard J. Making the Most of College. Students Speak Their Minds. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2001.
• Loeb, Paul Rougat. "The Cynical Smirk." Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1999.
• Los Alamos National Laboratory. "The Karen Silkwood Story." Los Alamos Science 23 Nov. 1995.
• MacPherson, Kitta. "Toms River Cancer Tied to Pollutants." The Star Ledger 19 Dec. 2001: Al, A22.
• MacPherson, Kitta and Ted Sherman. "Experts Hail 6 year Toms River Cancer Study." The Star Ledger 20 Dec. 2001: A23, A26.
• "After 30 Years, Some Resolution." The Star Ledger 20 Dec. 2001: A26.
• Park Slope Food Coop. "Frequently Asked Questions." Park Slope Food Coop, 782 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY. 16 Sep 1999.
• "Mission Statement." The Linewaiters' Gazette 25 Jul 2002: 9.
• Pearce, Jeremy. "Trouble in Paradise." The New York Times 23 Jun 2002, sec. 14, 1,8.
• Peterson, Iver. "Many Cancers in Toms River Still Shrouded in Mystery." The New York Times 19 Dec. 2001: A30.
• Picard, Joseph. "Cancer Cases at OCC Spur State Investigation." Asbury Park Press 4 May 2002: A I, A6.
• Rampton, Sheldon, and Stauber, John. Toxic Sludge is Good for You: Lies, Damn Lies, and the Public Relations Industry. Monroe, Maine: Common Courage Press, 1995.
• "The Junkyard Dogs of Science." New Internationalist Jul 1999: 20 22.
• Rock, Andrea. "Toxicville." Ladies' Home Journal Sep. 1999: 106, 108 109, 114,116.
• Shermer, Michael and Pat Linse. "How Thinking Goes Wrong." The Baloney Detection Kit. Skeptics Society, 2001.
• Sucato, Kirsty. "What's Wrong in Toms River?" The New York Times 16 Dec. 2001, sec. 14: 1, 10.
• "Making a Particle of Difference." The New York Times 16 Dec. 2001, sec. 14: 10.

(Other readings may be assigned as needed.)

Assigned Films/Videos:

• Deadly Neighborhoods: Cancer Clusters. Executive Producer
• Paul A. Dowling, Writer Alan La Garde. Medstar
• Communications, Inc., 1996. (Package Copyright 1997 Films for the Humanities and Sciences).
• Project Censored. Dir. Steve Keller. Distributor: Media Education Foundation, 1999.
• Trade Secrets. A Moyers Report. Prod./Co writer Sherry Jones.
• Executive Editor Bill Moyers. Public Affairs Television, Inc. in association with Washington Media Associates, 2001.
• TV Nation. Dir. Michael Moore. Sony Entertainment Pictures, Inc. 1994.

Experiential Component:
As part of Reflective Tutorial, you are expected to include an experiential component that takes place outside the traditional classroom setting. The experience should relate to the general theme of the learning community (aspects of environmental issues). The goal is to provide a mechanism for each of you to understand more clearly the relevance of environmental issues through direct involvement that allows for reflection. Such reflection can be communicated via the journal entries and can become part of the general discussion in this course. Part of the experiential component of this learning community is project oriented and is called The Toms River Project, because it deals with various aspects of water pollution in Dover Township, New Jersey, where Toms River is located. This water pollution may be linked to a childhood cancer cluster found there. As part of The Toms River Project, you will be expected to attend all group trips to Toms River, New Jersey, which are expected to include at least two Friday all day trips. You will also attend the following evening meeting of the Citizens Action Committee for Childhood Cancer Cluster (CACCCC), as well as any additional CACCCC meetings that may be scheduled later in the semester:

Monday, September 30, 2002, 7:00 pm, Manuel Hirshblond Meeting Room, Dover Township
Municipal Building, 33 Washington Street, Toms River, New Jersey

Additional trips may be required, depending on their relevance to your Toms River research (e.g., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Manhattan, N.J. Department of Environmental Protection in Trenton, New Jersey, Washington, D.C. meeting with politicians and other officials concerned with the Toms River cancer cluster). You will receive detailed information regarding The Toms River Project from Dr. Stearns.

The experiential component will also require a group field trip to Washington, D.C., where you will meet a member of Congress who represents you someone you will have already contacted and arranged to meet on that day (tentatively set for Thursday, October 31, 2002). At that meeting, the two of you will discuss an environmental issue related to President George W. Bush's proposed national energy policy an issue that you will have researched prior to your trip. You will bring with you a carefully worded letter (see Letter to Member of Congress below) stating your position on the issue, with evidence for your position. The letter will be addressed to your selected Congressional member and will be the focus of your meeting with him/her. Dr. Stearns will describe this experiential component in class.

A community service activity required of all LC K students will involve working at the incredible Park Slope Food Coop for approximately three hours. Dr. Worthy will describe this experiential component in class.

Attendance and individual involvement will be evaluated as part of the active participation grade.

Failure to meet the minimal requirements of the experiential component will automatically result in Incomplete if you are passing at the end of the semester; otherwise it will result in an F for the course.

Letter to Member of Congress:
Decide your personal view regarding an environmental issue related to President George W. Bush's proposed national energy policy, and provide a written summary of that view no later than October 4th (the due date for the 2nd draft of your research paper). Carefully prepare a thoughtful letter describing your position, with evidence supporting your viewpoint. Address the letter to the member of Congress you will have arranged to visit October 3 01h in Washington, D.C. (see Experiential Component above). As part of your research, find out the position of that member of Congress regarding your selected issue and take that into account as you prepare your letter. You must see a WIT in the Writing Center before the due date, Thursday, October 17th. The WIT must go over the letter with you and must sign this draft of the letter. A revised, clean copy of the original letter and the signed first draft are both due in RFT class Thursday, October 17th. While this letter will not be graded as a short paper, it will be assessed for overall effort, as well as evidence of critical analysis and persuasive argument; that evaluation will constitute part of the active participation grade.

Journal Entries:
You are responsible for contributing to an ongoing, freewheeling, electronic group journal throughout the semester, with entries expected by 9:00 am Tuesday or Thursday approximately every week (see RFT syllabus for the days). Each entry should focus your thoughts on the content of the two lecture courses that are part of your learning community. You will be assigned specific study topics designed to enhance your understanding of environmental issues. The general goal of this journal writing is to encourage an introspective awareness of your personal role regarding environmental issues. Please note that this is not a diary: do not lapse into personal matters unless they directly relate to the environmental theme of the learning community. While each journal entry will not be graded, there will be a subjective assessment of overall effort and general improvement with time, and that evaluation will constitute part of the active participation grade.

Research Paper:
A research paper dealing with an environmental issue and its relation to a specific aspect of The Toms River Project is required as part of this course. The fourth and final draft of the paper must be at least 15 full pages of text (not including the title page, Abstract section, or References section). The paper must include at least five references that Dr. Stearns has approved. The paper must be prepared using the style recommended by the Council of Biology Editors (see CBE Formatting Style in the RFT section of packet). Consult A Writer's Reference and your WITs for help in structuring each paper. Correct formatting, spelling and grammatical construction are expected. Please save your file on diskette for ease during the rewriting/revision process. Three times during the semester you will meet individually with Dr. Stearns to review drafts of your research paper. To each conference bring a folder containing photocopies of all cited reference materials used for the paper. Dr. Stearns will evaluate your research effort, conceptual understanding of the research, and editorial/grammatical quality.

These conference evaluations will become a part of the overall grade for the research paper, along with an evaluation of the fourth and final draft. Dr. Stearns will be looking for substantial improvement with each draft. Late papers will be docked five points for each day late, calculated as the number of days after the deadline that the paper is turned in and found suitable for evaluation. Note: Your paper will be returned to you unread and docked points if it does not meet the formatting requirements cited earlier. Any additional instructions will be given in class.

Web Page Presentation of The Toms River Project:
After attending a workshop regarding the setting up of web pages on the Internet, you will create your own web page and post a summary of your research paper, especially that portion of your research dealing with Toms River, on the Internet, with web links to other related web sites (e.g., web sites of Toms River organizations related to the childhood cancer cluster there). Your instructors will provide more detailed information in class regarding preparation for this component of the Reflective Tutorial. At the end of the semester, during the Reflective Tutorial final exam period, there will be student web page presentations of The Toms River Project.

First Year Diversity Program:
As part of the First Year Program, all freshmen are expected to participate in an event that comprises the First Year Diversity Program, which is designed to introduce the diversity of New York City and to increase cultural awareness (see information in RFT syllabus on COURAGE). Attendance and individual involvement will be evaluated as part of the active participation grade.

Active Participation:
You are expected to attend and actively participate in all the described activities and are responsible for all announcements made during those activities. Active participation is expected, and participation points will be lost for poor attendance with unexcused absences, poor performance regarding journal entries or letter to a member of Congress, meager discussion, lateness to class or other course related event, missed appointments without giving proper and timely notice to your instructor, as well as missed deadlines that were not otherwise penalized.

Grading:
Research paper……………………30%
Short paper assignments………..25%
Web page setup/presentation….20%
Active participation ……..……..25%

Service-Learning Assistant: Sherrie Ann Vander Vliet

Course Objectives: The First Year Seminar Courses at Colorado State University have three primary goals:
1) to help you make the transition from high school to college as smoothly as possible
2) to enhance your written and oral communication skills
3) to give you a small, intimate class experience

In addition, through this class you will be expected to develop interest and appreciation of chemistry
1) through reading about and repeating experiments in chemistry
2) by service-learning in which students will take chemistry into local elementary schools
3) by exploring current topics in chemistry, or science in general

Required Reading: Uncle Tungsten, by Oliver W. Sacks (Alfred Knopf, New York, 2001) and handouts that will be distributed during the course.

Service-Learning
Service-learning is a process in which students reinforce ideas and information learned in the classroom by performing outreach activities in the community. Service-learning activities are not just outreach they present participating students the opportunity to Learn by doing . The service-learning activities in this class will focus on teaching chemistry to elementary school students. By exploring chemistry with elementary school students several times throughout the semester, students in this class will improve their understanding of chemistry and their ability to communicate concepts that we will cover in the class. Credit will not be given directly for the service-learning activity, that is, going to the elementary school and instructing. Students will be assessed on the basis of their preparation before the activity, their reflection about the activity afterward and their group participation.

Course Activities:
Labwork We will be performing all the experiments that will be used for service-learning. We will also explore selected experiments with chemistry from Uncle Tungsten.

Service-learning All students in this class will participate in service-learning where they will present chemistry to elementary school students in local schools. Students will work in groups of ~6 per elementary school class and will visit the classes 3 times over the course of the semester.

Group project All students will make a mini presentation to the rest of the class about a current topic in chemistry or science. This project must be a group effort including a contract from the group showing division of labor. The projects will be presented during the final exam time.

Written assignments Students will be required to keep a journal of service-learning activities. Journal assignments will be associated with the service-learning activities and will count toward that part of the course grade. There will be various other writing assignments throughout the semester.

SOME COURSE ACTIVITIES WILL INVOLVE LABWORK STUDENTS MUST ALWAYS COME TO CLASS PREPARED FOR LABWORK!
For Labwork Students must always:
Wear safety goggles or glasses. There will be no extra safety eyewear students are responsible for their own goggles/glasses.
Wear appropriate clothing pants that cover the legs completely, preferably made from natural fibers (cotton or wool); shirts that are not too baggy and cover the torso completely (no bare middrifts); shoes with closed toes and heels.
ie long hair back
Because the classroom is a laboratory, eating and drinking in class is strictly forbidden.

Grading: Several important aspects of this course will count toward your grade.

In-class Participation
10 points/per class meeting
Total for the semester= 300
10 points = in class on time and participating in class discussions
5 points = in class on time
2.5 point deduction for arriving late to class
For every two (2) unexcused absences, a student s course grade will drop one letter value (8 unexcused absences will result in a failing grade)

Service-Learning
Total 300 points
This will be a group project in which all group members must participate. Students will be required to sign a contract agreeing to participate in the activity. Points will not be assigned for the act of going out to the public schools. Rather, points will be given for up-front preparation and reflection/journal exercises

Written/homework assignments
10 points each
Total 50 points
A few written assignments that are not associated with the service learning activity will be collected through the semester.

Group project
100 points
A final group project will cap the semester

TOTAL 750 POINTS

NOTE: You can earn 40% of the total possible points by simply coming to class on time and contributing to the discussion of the day.

Introduction, Objectives, Texts. Format and Assignments, Syllabus

Introduction
At the turn of the 21st century, we see a resurgence of community service, a decline in political participation, and the persistence of the urgent social problems that both seek to address. For example, a recent survey conducted by Harvard University s Kennedy School of Government reported that 60% of college students polled said that they were currently involved in community service. Yet only 7% planned to volunteer to work on a political campaign during the upcoming elections. These results parallel developments beyond the campus: as interest in the formal political system wanes, more and more people are practicing a new approach to democracy, problem-solving, and building power at the grassroots. Through service learning, this course explores service and democratic citizenship, and attempts to answer this question: What individual and collective actions are most effective in making our communities into places in which each person can thrive?

The course is also designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary study of community, focusing on such topics as inequality, environmental degradation, and racism; to help them develop leadership skills for effective service and citizenship; to increase their awareness of possible careers in the non-profit sector; and to prepare them for field experience in their majors.

During the semester, we will be learning through service. Each student will participate in a community placement and class project, and our seminars will include dialogues with local leaders. Our discussions and written assignments will emphasize reflection upon your experiences in light of the class readings and other materials. Our goal will be to create a genuine learning community, in which we all have the capacity to be both teachers and learners. As professor, my role is primarily to create conditions in which you can take an active role in your own learning.

Objectives
1. To explore theoretical and practical approaches to service, democratic citizenship, and community building, particularly in Appalachia.
2. To engage in critically-reflective placements with local organizations, and to participate in a class project designed and conducted in partnership with the community.
3. To develop effective skills in community service and citizenship, including oral and written communication skills, teamwork, leadership, diversity awareness, and participatory action research.
4. To formulate and examine the student s own commitment to service and citizenship.

Texts
Our basic text is an interdisciplinary anthology especially designed for courses like this one. Its wide range of materials, from philosophy and theology to poetry and literature to politics and sociology, represent differing perspectives on service, citizenship, and community. Our second book focuses on contemporary examples of what the authors call living democracy, and includes exercises that will help us link theory and practice. Several additional articles will be distributed in class.

Please buy the following books:
Benjamin Barber and Richard Battistoni, Education for Democracy: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers
Frances Moore Lappe and Paul Martin DuBois, The Quickening of America: Rebuilding Our Nation, Remaking Our Lives

Format
Each week, the students will each complete 4-5 hours of service (which must include community contact), and the class will meet together for a two-hour seminar. The placement experience is structured by the roles and responsibilities the host organization agrees to provide you, your own interests and learning objectives, and this course design. These three components will be formalized in a Learning Agreement, to be signed by the student, a representative of the host organization, and myself as the instructor. It is essential that the relationship between the student and the host be as reciprocal as possible; the community organizations and leaders who share with us this semester should be respected as equal partners, not treated as walking data.

In our weekly seminars, we will explore community building and democracy among ourselves. Sessions will include analyses of the readings; placement highlights and presentations by members of the class; and dialogues with community leaders. In our discussions, we will integrate scholarly and community voices which are not always included in academic or public debates. During our meetings, we will work hard to express our views and to listen to the views of others. This requires a degree of courage and trust; it is sometimes very hard to take an unpopular stand on a controversial or sensitive issue, or to open ourselves to a very different viewpoint. But if we can not do so in a class, how will we ever be able to do so in our communities?

Assignments and Evaluation
The assignments are designed to encourage structured academic reflection upon our service experiences outside the classroom, and to create an active learning community in class. Accordingly, the evaluation process is designed to match the multiple ways in which our learning takes place. The course grade will be determined as follows:

1. Journal: 20%. One of the most valuable tools for reflection is a journal in which you consistently record and analyze your experience in light of the class materials. After each session at your placement, record the date and times, and a brief report of your activity. Each week, write at least three entries (approximately three pages) reflecting upon these topics: (1) an issue or theme from the week s readings, (2) a critical incident that occurred during the week, and (3) an activity or dialogue that took place during that week s seminar.

The goal is to study the class themes in light of our experiences. Ask yourself such questions as: How do the readings help me to understand my experiences? In what ways does my placement tend to confirm or refute the readings? Remember that, although this journal is not expected to be a polished essay, it should not be purely stream-of-consciousness either. You may also attach media articles, photos, flyers, or other material relevant to your topic be creative! The key to effective use of a journal is to write immediately and frequently don t leave it until the day of class!

The journal should be typed or word-processed, double-spaced, and should be brought to class every week. I will initial it each week, and read and comment on it three times during the semester. At the end of the semester, you will submit the entire journal, with my comments.

2. Placement presentation and final summary essay (4-5 pages): 20%.

3. Analytic essays: 20%. These papers will give you a more structured format in which to reflect upon selected themes of the class (4-5 pages each).

4. Class community service project: 20%. Because service is best approached as a partnership, the class will decide on, design, and carry out a project in collaboration with the community. This may involve assuming responsibility for a specific activity or initiative, or participatory action research.

5. Community responsibility index: 20%. Because this class will be experiential as well as academic, your full participation is essential. So, I will ask you to gauge the extent to which you have met your responsibilities to our own democratic learning community, as well as to your host organizations. Your evaluation, along with those of the instructor and your supervisor, will be the basis for this part of your final grade, depending upon a procedure to which we all agree. Below is a suggested standard for evaluation:

COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY INDEX
a. living up to our commitments to our community host organizations;
b. diligent class attendance and active participation in our discussions;
c. completing required reading by the date assigned;
d. completing written assignments on time;
e. deporting oneself as an equal member of a democratic community.

More information about assignments will be given out in class. Check email regularly.

Syllabus (subject to change)
(selections from Education for Democracy noted with *, from Quickening as Q)
2/13 Introduction to service, citizenship, community
Placements, Learning Agreements
Entering the community safely and respectfully
Learning through service
Q Ch. 1; Mansfield, Coles*
2/20 Service 1
What is service?
Why do I serve?
What is public life?
Community dialogue: Jim King, FAHE
M. Teresa, Fuller, Nuesner, King*; Q 2; Coles (handout)
Learning Agreement due
2/27 Community 1
What is community?
What makes communities work?
Does self-interest have a place in community?
Community dialogue: John Capillo, Kentucky Environmental Foundation
Bellah, Moffatt, Kemmis*; Q 3
Journal due
3/6 Democracy 1
What is democracy?
What is power?
What is democratic leadership?
Community dialogue: Brenna Walhausser, Hospice Care
Class project planning (future scheduling as needed)
Jefferson, Madison, Barber, Lincoln, Boyte*; Q 4
3/13 Service 2
What is good service?
How is good service organized?
How is service organized at your site?
Community dialogue: Jeanne Hibberd, Communities by Choice
Addams, King, Hesburgh, Chi*
Essay due
3/20 Community 2: Diversity
Who belongs and who doesn t?
What approaches to community promote or discourage inclusion?
How does your site address diversity?
Community dialogue: Ray Reed, Culture Care
Lorde, Ellison, Steele, hooks, Reich, Jackson*
Journal due
SPRING BREAK
4/3 Democracy 2: Citizenship and service
How does service lead to civic engagement?
What are skills and tools are needed?
Community dialogue: Jeannie Brewer, WINGS
Clinton, Tocqueville, Putnam, Coats et al*; Q 10-13
4/10 Service 3: Service challenged
Can servanthood be bad?
Rand, Addams, Illich, McKnight, Chapman*
Placement presentation
Essay due
4/17 Community 3: Community challenged
Is community always a good thing?
King, Jackson, LeGuin, Wilkinson, Schaar*
Placement presentation
4/24 Democracy 3: Democracy challenged
Is democracy always a good thing?
Does civic responsibility at a local level undermine global responsibility?
Does our responsibility extend beyond human beings?
Gobitis, Korematsu, Thoreau, Barber, Leopold, Berry*
Placement presentation
Journal due
5/1 The resurgence of service and citizenship
How are ordinary Americans participating in their workplaces and the economy, making themselves heard through existing media, providing social services in new ways, becoming more active in local government, and educating real-world problem solvers?
Q, 5-9
Placement presentation
5/8 Community development in Appalachia
How are communities in our region rebuilding themselves?
Helen Lewis (handout)
Placement presentations
Final placement summary due
Journal due

BEREA COLLEGE
Home URL: www.berea.edu/GST/GST.home.html
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Last update:02/20/01
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Good command of English, both written and spoken.

Familiarity with computers, including ability to type, to send and receive e-mail, to be able to send "attachments," to search the VVEB for data useful to your education, and to search library catalogs both locally and world-wide for information necessary for the completion of your project.

Ability to work with others to achieve a common goal.

Ability to think both creatively and critically.

Instead of exercises designed to run you through the operations, but yielding nothing directly useful to you (like running a computer program's tutorials), assignments involving the above-mentioned skills will be directly applicable to your project this term, and once learned, will be useful to you in future projects.

So much for the features common to all FYC courses. This particular FYC course has to do with Restoration and Preservation. The world has always been in danger of losing its monuments to mankind's creativity, both large mid small. The great pyramids of Egypt have been used as stone quarries over the years. The Parthenon was used as a munitions dump, and subsequently blown up. A flood damaged thousands of murals in Florence in the 60s. An earthquake destroyed frescos by Giotto in Italy last year.

Restoration has recovered or at least arrested the damage to many buildings, paintings, and other artifacts over the years, and there is growing need for experts in the field. Even those who will never be called upon to do restoration work will be indirectly involved as voters or community leaders who have to decide whether preservation of a particular thing is practical, or even possible.

There is controversy over not only how to restore something, but even whether to restore it. A few years ago, Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling was cleaned. That led to a bitter controversy. Recently, it was suggested that the Leonardo's Mona Lisa in the Louvre be cleaned. The Louvre says "No way!" (Actually, Mais non!) You will learn what the arguments are concerning these matters … why some museums refuse, or are at least reluctant to clean their paintings,

This course is intended to sensitize you to the need to respect and care for your visual heritage, and to understand the pros and cons of restoration. Moreover, you will have an opportunity actually to provide a restoration, and to make a lasting contribution to the community. This is not a meaningless exercise; it is a hands-on project that you can be proud to have accomplished.



FYC
Huntington Courthouse,1998

Sep/ 3 Thur Introduction to course. Divide into groups (each group should have one computer- literate person, one artist). Showing of Michelangelo laserdisc. e-mail assignment (What were the objections, and defense?)
Sep/ 8 Tue Computer lab (firm)
Sep / 10 Thur Slide talk on Santa Croce/Giotto. San Francisco de Assisi.
Sep/ 15 Tue Video of Court House. Slides of Court House paintings.
Assignment: Search WEB and library for info on Huntington Courthouse.
Also, find out about G.A.R.
Sep/ 17 Thur Visit Huntington. Find out what you can about the paintings.
Sep/ 22 Tue Lecture on G.A.R. by Gib Young. Measure room beams.
Sep/ 24 Thur Projection and tracing of "scrolls" for determining dimensions.
Sep/ 29 Tue Begin lettering
Oct / 1 Thur Continue lettering of scrolls.
Oct / 6 Tue Discuss book, and do outline.
Oct / 8 Thur Research assignments handed out to all students.
Oct / 13 Tue Group 1 in Huntington. Group 2 library research.
Oct/ 15 Thur Huntington, painting scroll back-ground.
Oct/ 20 Tue Huntington, painting scroll back-ground.
Oct / 22 Thur Huntington, painting scroll back-ground.
Oct / 27 Tue Huntington, painting borders
Oct / 29 Thur Huntington, painting borders
Nov / 5 Tue Huntington, painting borders
Nov/ 10 Thur Huntington, tracing letters.
Nov / 12 Tue Huntington, tracing letters, and tracing corps badges
Nov/ 17 Thur Huntington, tracing letters, and tracing corps badges
Nov/ 19 Tue Huntington, painting letters, and corps badges.
Thanksgiving
Dec/ 1 Tue Manchester, discuss research, and interim papers.
Dec/ 3 Thur Huntington, drawing corps badges and painting
Dec/ 8 Tue Huntington, painting corps badges.
Dec/ 10 Thur Huntington, painting corps badges.
Final Exams

Some FYC courses are repeated. This one will not be repeated, nor has it ever been offered before. Expect to add items to the syllabus as we proceed. A great deal will depend on what sorts of problems arise during the course, and how we choose to solve them. Note that you must purchase two texts: the FYC Notebook, and "A Writer's Reference, 31 Edition," by Diana Hacker. Both are available in the bookstore.


ABSTRACT

Restoration and Preservation of Wall and Ceiling Paintings

As an integral part of a course on restoration of lost paintings, students, faculty, and local artists of Huntington, Indiana, will research the history of the paintings in the GAR room of the Huntington County Courthouse, and during the Fall Term at Manchester College, will repaint those missing paintings. That summarizes the project, itself. In addition to providing the county with a restoration it could ill afford if it were necessary to hire an outside agency, this project will acquaint students with the controversial subject of such restoration in general, and will involve them in study of more grandiose projects in the Vatican, in Florence after the flood, and other major projects. Students will learn to work in groups, with fellow students, with faculty, and with local artists. They will acquire writing, research, and computing skills as part of this project, not as mere exercises. The work will benefit the community, the college, and of course, the students. It should make the value of a liberal arts education immediately apparent to students in their first year, and prepare them to take seriously the studies they will face during the rest of their college careers.