NCLC 391: INTRODUCTION TO INTEGRATIVE STUDIES
Spring 2008
MY CONTACT
INFORMATION:
John O’Connor
Director of Higher
Education Program
Professor of
Integrative Studies
Office: 412
Email: joconnor@gmu.edu
Phone: (703) 993-1455
Office Hrs: 5-6:30
p.m. Mondays, & by appointment
Welcome to
Introduction to Integrative Studies! This learning community is designed to
familiarize students who have recently transferred into
This learning community will explore how
Using active and collaborative learning strategies and reflective
practice, we shall explore the nine NCC competency areas, strengthen skills for
working collaboratively, and reflect on and integrate your learning experiences
in the past, the present, and the future. You will also become familiar with
experiential learning, portfolio writing, self-assessment, and your own
learning style.
NCC COMMITMENT TO
DIVERSITY
New
COURSE TEXTS
Drexler, K.M. & G.
Garcelon (2005). Strategies for Active Citizenship.
Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Choose one of the
following books:
hooks, belle (2003). Teaching Community. NY:
Routledge (collection of essays)
Jones,
Lloyd (2007). Mister Pip. NY: Dial Press (novel)
Urrea,
Luis (2004). The
NCLC 391 course packet
Electronic reserves: http://furbo.gmu.edu/cgi-bin/ers/OSCRgen.cgi
(Electronic reserves
are on-line reproductions of articles and book chapters. They are a way of
keeping the cost of texts lower, and they are an important part of your
developing information literacy skills. The password for our class is “mixed”)
LEARNING COMMUNITY
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of
this course, you should be able to:
This syllabus is
available on the web at http://mason.gmu.edu/~joconnor/nclc391.html
LEARNING COMMUNITY ASSIGNMENTS & ASSESSMENT
LEARNING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
25 PTS
You and your
colleagues benefit from your active participation in this learning community.
Through class discussions and group/individual assignments, you will have the
opportunity to discover new perspectives and examine ideas that were previously
unchallenged. Open discussion depends on the development of trust and safety
among participants, as well as risk-taking and effective facilitation. It is,
therefore, essential that class members attend all scheduled classes and
participate in class discussions and activities. I encourage you to bring to
class relevant materials for discussion from other classes, the media, or other
learning experiences. Discussions, in-class writing, research, formal and
informal collaboration with peers, class discussion questions, and hands-on
creative projects will all contribute to the assessment of your class participation.
Preparation outside of class significantly influences the quality of
in-class participation. If you attend class unfamiliar with the assigned texts,
indifferent to the work and/ or ideas of your colleagues, and inadequately
prepared with your writing, your participation grade will suffer. Please don't
hesitate to let me know if you need any assistance.
REFLECTIVE WRITING AND EXERCISES
25 PTS
A major element of the
NCC curriculum and pedagogy is reflective practice. This ability to deepen or
strengthen our learning through critical thinking, analysis, and reflection is
an important writing skill that requires practice. There are six reflective
writing assignments in this learning community, each worth 4 points. These
reflective writing assignments are also critical to our community as we come
together and learn from each other. All reflective writing assignments should
be a minimum of 2 full pages, double-spaced using 11 or 12 point font,
with I" margins. You will be able to drop your lowest grade.
MIDTERM AND FINAL SELF-ASSESSMENT
10 PTS
Self-assessment is a
hallmark of becoming an engaged and responsible learner who is “claiming” an
education. In NCC we want to cultivate your ability to evaluate your own
performance through an articulation of your knowledge and abilities, to
identify areas for growth and improvement, and to take ownership of how you
will shape your continued learning. The self-assessment is intended to assist
you as you examine your learning, intentionally work to integrate key concepts,
ask questions, and set and review goals for the semester. More information on
the self-assessments will be given in class.
GROUP PROJECT
20 PTS
Collaborative learning
and group interaction are both valued as integral aspects of the learning
experience in NCC. Given this, you will work on a group project as part of this
learning community this semester. This project will give you the opportunity to
work closely with a small group (approximately 5) of colleagues researching a
social issue of importance to you. Equally importantly, it provides our
learning community with an opportunity to gain knowledge through the sharing of
information about an important topic via your group presentations.
The project consists
of four parts:
FINAL PORTFOLIO
20 PTS
As we shall discuss
throughout the semester, portfolios are used as an assessment tool in many NCC
learning communities; moreover, a final portfolio is required for graduation.
You will create a final portfolio that gives you the opportunity to reflect on,
integrate, and demonstrate your understanding of the many issues that we have
covered during our time together. We will set aside some class time for a
workshop to aid in your preparation of your final portfolio. A detailed
description of the assignment will be handed out in class.
ACADEMIC POLICIES AND INFORMATION
LEARNING DIFFERENCES
If you have a learning
or physical difference that may affect your academic work, you will need to
furnish appropriate documentation to the
In addition to providing your professors with the appropriate form,
please take the initiative to discuss accommodation with them at the beginning
of the semester and as needed during the term. Because of the range of learning
differences, faculty members need to learn from you the most effective ways to
assist you. If you have contacted the
POLICY FOR LATE AND
MISSING ASSIGNMENTS
You are responsible
for completing individual and group assignments on time. All assignments are
due on the date listed in the syllabus and must be handed in on time. Late
assignments will be marked down a full letter grade for each day late. No
assignments will be accepted more than one week after the original due
date. .
FORMAT FOR ASSIGNMENTS
All major assignments
must be typed and doubled-spaced. Please use 11- or 12-point standard font,
one-inch margins, and staple multi-page assignments. All papers should include
a title. Accurate spelling, clarity, and correct use of grammar and punctuation
are expected and their absence can negatively affect your grade. When citing
sources, you must correctly and consistently use a recognized citation style,
either MLA or APA. You are responsible for keeping a copy (electronic AND
paper) of all major papers you hand in. Please save your work in multiple
places.
Some of the written assignments will be submitted first as a draft, and
then as a revised final version. Always attach any drafts (with comments) to
the final submission. You will be creating a portfolio for this class. It is a
good idea to keep a file with all written assignments and bring it to class
regularly. We will discuss assignments in class and you'll want to have yours
for reference.
PLEASE NOTE: As always, NCC students are strongly encouraged to save
copies of all of their work for possible inclusion in their graduation portfolios.
ATTENDANCE
You are expected to
attend all sessions of our learning community. Because we learn from and with
each other in a learning community, not only do absences negatively impact the
cycle of your learning, they negatively impact your group members and the
community as a whole. If you must miss class, inform me as soon as possible and
remember that you are still responsible for recovering what you missed and
making it up. Multiple absences will impact your grade.
If a family or medical emergency arises, please contact me as soon as
possible. To insure that you are not penalized for medical absences, please
submit supporting documentation when you return to class (doctor's note, etc.).
E-MAIL
As faculty, we are
allowed to communicate with you only via your GMU e-mail account. This
is a means of protecting your privacy and academic confidentiality. If you wish
to automatically forward mail from your GMU mail account to another account
(e.g., cox, aol, yahoo, gmail, etc.) see the Mason Online Student Technology
Guide http://itusupport.gmu.edu/STG/STGfrontpage.asp.
I will be creating a class e-list after the first week of class. Please
check your e-mail account regularly as I will be sending out learning community
updates, any schedule changes, and details about assignments frequently
throughout the semester.
ACADEMIC HONESTY AND
COLLABORATION
The integrity of the
University community is affected by the individual choices made by each of us.
This is especially true in
According to the
University catalog, plagiarism includes the following:
Be particularly careful to credit work through citations. In addition
to direct quotations, you must also provide an in-text citation and an entry in
your list of works cited for paraphrases and summaries of opinions or factual
information not formerly known to the writer. If you decide to use another
person's ideas you must either quote the idea verbatim or completely rephrase
the ideas in your own words and voice. Even when you paraphrase information,
you still must cite the original source of the information (in-text and in your
bibliography). Please give credit where credit is due, even in our class
discussions. For example, if you have had an interesting conversation about a
text or your learning with a friend, family, or group member, then acknowledge
their contribution to your learning.
In developing this syllabus, I am deeply indebted to the previous
teachers of this course, in particular Professor Kim Eby, Director of the
Center for Teaching Excellence, and Professor Lesley Smith,
In academic work, you should follow a standardized format for your
in-text citations and lists of works cited (for example, the formats created by
the Modern Language Association [MLA] or the American Psychological Association
[APA]). These standards apply to your graduation portfolio and its contents. As
you select samples of work to include in the portfolio, you may wish to present
collaborative work. If you do so, you must acknowledge the collaboration and
identify clearly your own role within it.
As in most learning communities and in many other classes, there will
be a study group project. With collaborative work, names of all the
participants should appear on the work. Collaborative projects may be divided
up so that individual group members complete portions of the whole, provided
that group members take sufficient steps to ensure that the pieces conceptually
fit together in the end product.
Other assignments are designed to be undertaken independently. In this
case, you may discuss your ideas with others and conference with peers on
drafts of the work; however, it is not appropriate to give your paper to
someone else to revise. You are responsible for making certain that there is no
question that the work you hand in is your own. If your name appears on an
assignment, I expect that you have done the work yourself, fully and
independently.
Remember: please carefully read the University's Honor Policy. It is
your responsibility to understand it, and abide by its provisions.
STUDENT LEARNING RESOURCES
WRITING RESOURCES
Writing is an
important component of this learning community and represents one facet of
effective communication. You may wish to use the
Another resource to help you with your writing is the NCC Online
Writing Guide, which can be found at http://classweb.gmu.edu/nccwg.
The staff members of
the DRC assist students with learning differences or any other conditions that
may impact academic performance. DRC is located in SUB I, Rm.222; 703-993-2474;
http://www.gmu.edu/student/drc.
CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP
AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The Center for
Leadership and Community Engagement is a terrific place to start if you are
interested in getting involved in campus and community activities. This center
sponsors numerous programs and activities that will help you develop leadership
skills and gain experience. This is also the place to research possible
service-learning placement sites for your learning communities. CLCE is
located in Enterprise Hall, Rm.442; 703-993-2900; http://www.gmu.edu/student/csl.
COUNSELING SERVICES
Professional
counselors provide individual and group sessions for personal development and
assistance with a range of emotional and relational issues. Counseling Services
are located in SUB I, Rm.364; 703-993-2380; http://www.gmu.edu/departments/csdc.
In addition, the Learning Services Program (703-993-2999) offers academic
skill-building workshops as well as a tutor referral service.
STUDENT TECHNOLOGY
ASSISTANCE AND
The
DIVISION OF
INSTRUCTIONAL AND TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT SERVICES (DOlT)
If you have any
difficulties with accessing the campus network or on-campus computers, please
contact the help desk. DoIT is located in Innovations Hall, Rm.416;
703-993-3178; http://www.doit.gmu.edu.