HMXP 102 – The Human Experience:  Who Am I?

Spring 2008, T & R 2:00 – 3:15, Owens 209

Dr. Marge Tebo-Messina

http://faculty.winthrop.edu/tebomessinam

COURSE DESCRIPTI0N: This course primarily emphasizes student engagement with ideas by reading, analyzing, discussing, synthesizing, and writing about five thematic units.  Class time is spent systematically examining new readings, connecting the ideas across the five units continually throughout the semester, encouraging and coaching mature, critical thinking and participation among students, and developing ideas that students will later explore in writing assignments.  Writing serves as a means for understanding the focus of ideas.   

COURSE GOALS:

1.     Encounter life-changing ideas about identity:  This course strives actively to engage you in the academic community, pulling you into a dialogue that connects your sense of identity to powerful and persuasive intellectual arguments.  The course focuses first and foremost on transformation through ideas.  These ideas pertain to the themes of (1) Self & Education, (2) The Autonomous Self, (3) Self & Communities, (4) Self & Nature, and (5) Self & the Sacred.   

2.      Engage texts individually and collectively:  You will explore the themes of the course through the deliberate and demanding study of readings, through in-class dialogues in which we explore those readings, and through a variety of activities that will help you master their key concepts.   Participation – active and appropriate contributions – to discussion and activities is one key to success in this course.  You and I will regularly assess your participation.

3.    Hone thinking through integrative, thesis-focused writing:  You will demonstrate what you learn about your self and the readings in three essays – each of which must be revised at least once – which effectively integrate material from the readings.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

The Human Experience:  Who Am I?  Third edition.  Ed. Committee Burmeister, Alice and Kathy Lyon.  Littleton, MA:  Tapestry Press, 2007.

Harris, Muriel.  Prentice Hall Reference Guide. 6^th edition.  Upper Saddle ‘river, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006.

ADDITIONAL READINGS (and other materials) to be distributed and/or kept on reserve at Dacus Library may include:

Bacon, Francis. From Novum Organum, “The Idols.”

Campbell, Joseph with Bill Moyers.  The Power of Myth. New York:  Doubleday, 1988:  “Myth and the Modern World.”

Fukuyama, Francis.  Our Posthuman future:  Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution. NY:  Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2002.   “Human Nature” excerpt.

Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson.  Metaphors We Live By. Chicago:  U of Chicago, 1980:  “Metaphor, Truth, and Action,” “Truth,” “The Myths of Objectivism and Subjectivism.”

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a disability and need classroom accommodations, please contact Gena Smith, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities (x2233), as soon as possible.  Once you have your “professor notification letter,” please inform me so that I am aware of your accommodations well before the first major assignment.

EXPECTATIONS/POLICIES/REQUIREMENTS:

1.  ATTENDANCE:  You are allowed three absences.  With each subsequent absence your grade will drop one full letter grade.

Promptness:  If you are more than 15 minutes late, you will be marked absent.

Preparation:  assignments are due on the date listed on the calendar.  If you have not completed the assignment, then you are NOT prepared and may be asked to leave class.  You may return to class when you complete the assignment.

Behavioral Guidelines:   Turn off cell phones and pagers! Respect the views and opinions of others!

2. DUE DATES:  Assigned work is due at the beginning of class on the dates specified on the course calendar.  Late work will be penalized one letter grade; ungraded work will receive a “U.”   I will NOT accept work that is more than 24 hours late unless you have documented extenuating circumstances.

3.  WRITTEN WORK: All work must be word-processed (this includes non-graded writing done outside of class).  Please use Times Roman font, 12-point.  

All written work must be turned in to pass the course.

Duplicate Submission of Papers: You may not submit a paper for a grade in this class that has already been (or will be) submitted for a grade in another course, unless you obtain my written permission and that of the other instructor involved in advance.  Please see The Student Code of Conduct and be sure to check with the College of Education for rules regarding written work submitted as part of your portfolio.

GRADED WRITING: 

·        Each paper you submit for a grade MUST also be submitted to Turnitin prior to submitting it to me. 

·        Each paper must be carefully documented using the MLA format you learned in WRIT 101.

·        Each paper you submit to me for comments or for a grade MUST include a self-critique in which you analyze the paper’s strengths and weaknesses, express any concerns you have, and ask for specific feedback.

PLAGIARISM:  Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation —whether you use the material in a quotation, paraphrase, or summary.  It is theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not. The penalty for plagiarism may vary from a failing grade on the paper to an “F” for the course.  It is also a violation of the Student Conduct Code.  Please see http://www.winthrop.edu/studentaffairs/Judicial/judcode.htm. The English Department has prepared The Correct Use of Borrowed Information for students; please see www.winthrop.edu/english/plagiarism.htm. 

NON-GRADED WRITING:  This writing will receive an S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory) grade.  If it is done outside of class, remember it MUST be word-processed. It includes such things as the following:

·        Introduction of a classmate

·        Learning Journal entries 1 – 2 pages weekly beginning on Tuesday January 29 and the final summary critique of your semester

·        In class exercises

4.  ORAL PRESENTATIONS:  Each of you will do two presentations:  the first one will be a group project and may be presented informally; the second is an individual formal presentation.  In each case you (or your group) will be expected to

·        Present the main ideas of the reading(s) and reflect on their relevance

·        Connect those ideas to other reading(s)

·        Encourage discussion about the ideas

·        Do any background research necessary to understand the reading(s)

·        You may supplement the presentations with multimedia

5.  GRADING:  Grades will be based on a standard ten-point scale:  A 94 – 100; A- 91 –93; B+ 88 – 90; B 84 –87; B- 81 – 83; C+ 77 – 80;  C 74 – 77; C- 71 – 73; D+ 68 – 70;  D 64 – 67; D- 61 – 63; F 0 – 60.   Note:  You must receive a C or better to pass this course. 

Participation and Engagement (10%):  This includes attendance, class contributions, and non-graded writing

Group presentations on a reading (5%):

Single presentation on a reading (20%)

Quizzes (10%):  Unannounced pop-quizzes on the readings

Papers (55%):  You will write three papers.  The first will count 15%, the second will count 15%, and the final paper will count 25%.  You are required to hand in a working draft of the first two papers for my comments but I will read and comment on as many drafts as you are willing to write.  I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity, start early, write multiple drafts and visit the Writing Center or me. 

6. PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT:  For the first several weeks of class I will evaluate your preparation for class and your contribution to our learning environment.  Some assessment may be formal (Presentation assignments), but the majority will occur on class days when I will assess your contributions to class discussion.

You will evaluate yourself on an index card that I provide.  At the end of class

• Write the date on the card
• And then – in a brief sentence or two – indicate the ways in which you participated
• And rate your engagement on a 0-5 scale (5 being a high level of appropriate engagement). 

These cards will be turned in each day and I will look at them and indicate my level of agreement or concern with your assessment.  This will enable you to keep track of your level of engagement and will ensure that we have a similar understanding of your contributions to each class.

Excellent

            Offers insight that illuminates the readings

            Clarifies confusion that has emerged in the discussion

            Connects current reading with previous readings

            Asks questions that stimulate discussion

Challenges – politely and respectfully -- peers with opposing views

Synthesizes the comments of others

            Listens and understands the ideas articulated by others

            Understands the reading or can precisely articulate misunderstandings

Above average

            Contributes accurate and relevant information from the reading to the discussion

            Engages in discussion, does not simply respond to discussion leader’s questions.

            Ventures interpretations and analysis rather than simply reporting information

Comments demonstrate an understanding of the reading or topic

Conveys ideas adequately

Distinguishes between own opinion from that of the author’s

            Can connect own ideas with others’ ideas and the readings

Average

Listens attentively but participates reluctantly—“Other’s stole my lines”

Comments center on personal experiences and feelings

Answers information questions only

Understands the general ideas in the readings but uncertain about specifics

Focuses primary on own ideas about the readings

Interrupts others to assert own ideas

Below Average

            Silence                                    

Inattentive—distracted

            Engages in side conversations with peers

Understanding of reading is sketchy or significantly wrong

Pre-occupied with own ideas and frequently misunderstands others

Comments are often off topic or hinder the discussion

Unacceptable

            Doing work for another class                           

Sleeping

            Disrespectful to peer or professor

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

INTRODUCTION OF A CLASSMATE: In this ungraded writing you must use ALL the information your subject provided on his/her interview cards.  Remember to type the introduction!

LEARNING JOURNAL: Beginning on Tuesday, January 29, and on other Tuesdays as noted on the calendar, you will submit a 1 to 2 page WORD PROCESSED journal entry in which you reflect on the previous weeks’ work. 

• DATE each entry and SAVE all of them for a final review which is due near the end of the semester.  
• In each entry reflect on the following:
  • What am I learning?
  • Of what value is what I’ve learned?  How does it connect to my life, my self-identity, and potential and future?
  • How did I learn:  with difficulty, or comfortably, or did I resist the new ideas and views of others (for example)?  
  • What else do I need to learn?

At the end of the semester review/reread your entries and write a two-page summary critique of your learning this semester in this class.  Consider whether or not you learned all you might have.  If you did not, why didn’t you?  What more might you have done?  What ELSE do you need to learn?  As with any writing, this summary will be strengthened by specific details and references to specific readings and class exercises.

FIRST PAPER ASSIGNMENT:  SELF AND EDUCATION

By the time you write this paper we will have explored the concept of education as “seeking the good,” being open to new ideas, and why we fail to communicate effectively. With these ideas as a starting point, choose one of the topics suggested below and develop a unified (clear thesis) and coherent (clear connections among the parts) paper of 4 – 6 pages in which you clearly explain your position and how your personal experience has led you to that position.  Take a clear stand.  Be sure to support your position, and also to refute the main points of the opposing views.  This requires you to look logically and unemotionally at the issue before you begin.  Your argument should be mature and reasonable – no emotion or unsupported opinions – and your supporting evidence should be convincing – many specific examples and details.  Include ideas, either quoted or paraphrased, from at least TWO of our readings.  Consider for example, what our readings have told us about how we learn, why we sometimes fail to learn, what makes communication succeed or fail, and how we talk about abstractions.

Suggested Topics:

1. To be well-educated people should/should not seek exposure to facts and ideas that go against their existing beliefs.
2. Education does/does not help one become aware of his/her biases.
3. People in our culture who want to be educated should/should not spend more time reading (good books, articles, and newspapers) than watching TV.

Format:  Use MLA conventions:  12 point Times New Roman font; 1” margins; no cover sheet; submit all drafts with your final draft. 

BE SURE TO SUBMIT YOUR PAPER TO TURNITIN PRIOR TO CLASS.

BE SURE TO INCLUDE A SELF-CRITIQUE!

SECOND PAPER ASSIGNMENT:  SELF AND COMMUNITY     

Develop an essay of 6– 8pages in which you address one of the following topics: 

• Because I am independent from (or connected to) others I have more potential for self-development than someone who is not.
• Although the groups to which I belong have helped form my sense of identity and define me socially, they have also pressured me to adhere to norms that limit me in certain ways.
• The American ideal of rugged individualism does/does not result in a strong and realistic sense of community.  

Be sure to have a clear thesis that has tension and is arguable.   Carefully define what you mean by any terms you focus on such as “independent, connected, rugged individualism.”  Do NOT rely on dictionary definitions to capture what you mean.

To make the essay convincing and believable, include SPECIFIC, REALISTIC, and TYPICAL examples from your own experience and the experience of others, including people you know and people you have heard about in the media. 

Include supporting material from at least THREE of our readings.  Use additional sources as appropriate.  Use MLA format for typing, documentation, and works cited.

Final Paper:  Assignment #3

In this course we have encountered various perspectives of the self, each highlighting different relevant aspects.  For the final paper write an 8 – 10 page essay in which you

Identify the three most important perspectives or insights about the self you have learned, and note advantages, disadvantages, and/or implications of each.

• Include at least 5 different sources, drawing on readings from at least three of the following areas:  Self & Education, The Autonomous Self, Self & Community, Self & Nature, and Self & the Sacred.
• Demonstrate your mastery of the course material, and your ability to connect and contrast key ideas.  You can either agree or disagree with the authors you use.
• Be sure to develop three very specific points, well supported by evidence.  In essence, you will have three mini-theses.

This final paper counts 25% of your grade