Pacific Seminar 1

Pacific Seminar 1 is a General Education course required of all first-year students at Pacific. Students learn to think, read, and write critically and analytically in a multidisciplinary course organized around the question, "What Is a Good Society?" The seminars consist of 18-22 students in each section. I have taught Pacific Seminar 1 in Fall 2007 and Fall 2008.

For more information about the University's Pacific Seminar program, including the shared course-wide syllabus, visit http://web.pacific.edu/x9663.xml .

My individual section syllabus outlines my specific expectations and assignments for my sections of Pacific Seminar. The most recent section syllabus is at the end of this page.

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Page last updated January 3, 2009.

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Pacific Seminar 1
Fall 2008
Section Syllabus
Prof. Schroeder (or “Dr. S.”)

Welcome! In Pacific Seminar, you will learn skills that will make you an excellent Pacific student and an informed, engaged citizen of the world.

You can find Dr. S at…
cschroeder@pacific.edu
OH: Tuesday 10-12 and by appointment
151A WPC Annex (Humanities Hub)
946-3093
http://www.carrieschroeder.com
Facebook

Our Learning Community
Since we will all be members of a learning community this semester, enthusiastic and dedicated class participation is essential. We will discuss what makes a positive learning environment for you during the first week of class.

The expectations for seminar participation are:

Informed, thoughtful, and respectful engagement in discussions, group activities, on-line activities, and in-class writing activities on a regular basis
Preparation of assignments before class (including bringing issues and questions for discussion)
Listening and responding to the professor and the other students on a daily basis (not just talking to talk, or talking in isolation from the larger conversation)
One presentation on a newspaper article relevant to course themes
Leading class discussion one day during the semester
Film responses to the required Pacific Seminar films
Peer learning evaluations at midterm and the end of the semester, in which you comment on how you have learned from each member of the class
Attendance. More than three absences will severely affect your participation grade – see the main syllabus.

Students with an illness, required sports games/meets, or other situations that may lead to more than three excused absences should consult with me about the possibility of making up missed participation.

Disruptive or disrespectful behavior (including being late, surfing the net during class, text-messaging during class, being rude to fellow students, etc.) will lower participation and attendance grades.

Dr. S’s addendum to the Grading Guidelines for the Participation Grade on the main PACS 1 Syllabus:

Earning an A requrires listening and being in dialogue as well as contributing new topics/ideas/questions.
To earn a B, students must demonstrate critical thinking about the readings, in addition to basic competency. Even if you don’t understand the readings, you can demonstrate competency by asking questions, requesting clarification, and generally trying to analyze the material in class.
Doing the readings and showing up, participating occasionally will earn at the most a C. To earn at least a C for class participation, students must demonstrate some basic competency in the course readings assigned on a fairly regular basis. Even a student who is “unable to respond accurately” to questions about the readings is expected to be able to respond with awareness of the content of the readings.
Students who do not regularly demonstrate basic competency in course readings and/or regularly demonstrate disruptive behaviors will earn a D or lower.

Additional Writing Assignments
For the “Additional Writing” portion of the final course grade, students will write:

Complete worksheets for peer-editing of student papers (twice)
One written analysis of a news article related to a theme in the course, which will be presented in class
Notes and lesson-plan for a seminar discussion you will then facilitate
A written response to a REQUIRED lecture the evening of September 25 -- details TBA
Writing assignment related to group project during Chapter 4
Occasional short writing assignments about the readings, films, etc. in class which students will turn in in class or to Blackboard

Policy on Make-ups, Extensions, and Late Assignments
Papers submitted late will be penalized one letter grade per 24-hour period late. The clock starts ticking when the assignment is due. Late penalties are calculated based on the time the paper is submitted to Blackboard. (E.g., an “A” quality paper that was due Wednesday in class but was submitted on Thursday at 9 am will receive a B; if submitted at 5 pm Thursday, it will receive a C.) In addition to hard copies, papers and other written assigments must be submitted to Blackboard, as well.

Students who miss a graded in-class assignment (such as a presentation or discussion facilitation) will receive a zero for that assignment.

Extensions on assignments and rescheduling in-class presentations/discussion facilitations will be provided only in emergencies (e.g., death in the immediate family, severe illness, etc.) or unavoidable conflicts with another required university commitment (such as an athletic competition) with advance notice. Contact the professor to make alternative arrangements as soon as possible.

Academic Integrity
I take academic integrity very seriously. Students are expected to understand and follow the University’s Honor Code. Any alleged or suspected violations will be referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs. If a violation is confirmed by the professor or Judicial Affairs, the grade on that assignment will automatically be zero. For serious violations, students may earn an F in the course.

I encourage any student with questions about academic integrity, plagiarism, or the Honor Code to ask me for clarifications. For this course, academic dishonesty includes any violations covered by the Honor Code as well as submitting one’s own prior work for a new assignment—prior work from this course or another course, and prior work in whole or in part. (Specifically assigned revisions to paper drafts are exempt.) We will discuss plagiarism and citations in class.

Additionally, as your professor, I pledge to be honest with you, and I hope that you will do the same for me as well as your peers.

Disability Resources
Any student with a physical disability or with a learning disability needing accommodations should register with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, in Bannister Hall. The office will assist with any needed accommodations. Please see me at the beginning of the semester to discuss needs for this course. The OSSD website is http://www.pacific.edu/education/departments/educational_resource_center/support_for_students.html

Educational Resource Center
The Educational Resource Center has writing and study tutors available. Please do not be embarrassed or nervous about utilizing this resource! Even the best students can use feedback on their writing. I myself often ask colleagues to critique an article or paper I’m writing, and to be published, journals and presses require pieces to be independently reviewed by another writer/scholar! So peer review is an important part of the scholarly community.