IS1111 Fall 2008 Syllabus

IS1111 -- First Year Seminar

Course Description
Course Objectives
Course Schedule
Evaluation Procedures
Course Philosophy
Academic Honesty
Accommodations

GENERAL INFORMATION

Instructor: Cathie LeBlanc
Office: Hyde 415
Phone: 535-2629
Office Hours: MTWR 11am-12noon, and by appointment
Electronic Mail:
Text Book: How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age, Fifth Edition, by Schick and Vaughn (ISBN: 978-0-07-338662-1) and PSU's 2008-09 Academic Catalog
Meeting Time: TR 9:30-10:45am
Meeting Place: Hyde 115

General Course Description -- Critical Thinking and the Nature of Inquiry:

This course will introduce students to the concepts of general education and the academic community and to the skills educated people use to generate and address important questions. Using critical thinking skills and basic tools of gathering and evaluating information, students and the instructor will together explore a specific question which challenges contemporary thinkers. The question will vary across sections of the course.

Section Description -- Why Do People Believe Weird Things?:

And how do we decide which beliefs are "weird"? Many of the beliefs we hold -- about ourselves, about others, and about the world -- are poorly tested hypotheses rather than established fact. In this seminar, we will examine how the human mind, even when presented with evidence to the contrary, can lead us to weird beliefs (such as, "Elvis is still alive"), superstitions (such as, "bad things happen on Friday the 13th"), and other confusions (such as, "evolution is just a theory"). We will examine the boundaries between science and pseudoscience (such as, whether there is a difference between those who search for intelligent life in the universe and those who believe in alien abductions) as well as the tools we can use to distinguish the two.

Course Objectives:

Understand what it means to be a college-educated person.
Understand why general education is an important part of a college education.
Understand what the academic community is and why it is important on a college campus.
Understand academic integrity.
Understand what critical thinking is.
Understand why critical thinking skills are important for a college-educated person.
Understand why arguments and ideas must be evaluated.
Be able to use critical thinking skills to evaluate arguments and ideas.
1. Be able to find the main issue in an argument.
2. Be able to find the conclusion in an argument.
3. Be able to find the reasons in an argument.
4. Be able to find fallacies in an argument.
5. Be able to evaluate the evidence used to bolster an argument.
6. Be able to determine whether there are rival causes for the conclusion in an argument.
7. Be able to determine whether any significant information is omitted in an argument.
Understand when the use of critical thinking skills is appropriate and when such use is inappropriate.
Be able to find information in a library.
Be able to use the web to find information.
Understand the variety of possible sources of evidence (such as personal experience, books, scientific journals, interviews, etc.).
Be able to draw conclusions from gathered evidence.
Be able to collaborate with others.
Practice reading and writing skills.
Practice speaking and listening skills.
Practice presentation skills.
Practice using information technology.

Tentative Schedule:

We will try to follow this schedule but some adjustments may have to be made. This schedule is provided simply to help you in planning your semester.

Evaluation:

Attendance Policy:
- Please read the following statement of departmental policy very carefully: Students are expected to attend each course meeting and to arrive at class on time. It is acknowledged, however, that a student may need to miss class occasionally. Accordingly, each student is limited to three unexcused absences during the semester (the equivalent of missing an entire week of course content). Absences beyond the third will result in the deduction of one-half letter grade (five points) per absence from the student's final grade in the course. In addition, arriving late to class is an unacceptable practice. As such, three late appearances to class count as one absence. Appropriate official documentation for excused absences must be submitted to the course professor within one week after the student returns to class; otherwise, no credit will be granted for such absences. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Evaluation Items: There are a total of 1000 possible points to be earned this semester. The points are divided as follows:
- 50 points - Daily Participation:
  - Each student is expected to actively participate in this class and to communicate that active participation both verbally and nonverbally. Active participation requires that the student has completed the daily assignment (including reading) before class. In addition, each student should be paying attention to and thinking about what is happening in the class. Active participation also requires students to engage in respectful discussions with the instructor and with each other.
- 150 points - Library Exam:
  - Will be given on Tuesday, October 21.
  - Will cover the library information and skills discussed and practiced in class.
- 150 points - Critical Thinking Exam:
  - Will be given on Thursday, November 13.
  - Will cover the critical thinking skills discussed and practiced in class.
- 350 points - Group Portfolio:
  - Much of the second half of the course will be devoted to creating a portfolio of evidence about some aspect of this course. The group portfolio is due Dec 11.
  - Students will work in groups to create the portfolio.
  - Each student will receive an individual grade based on his/her contribution to the portfolio.
  - The 350 points for this item will be broken up as follows:
    - 200 points - Individual reflective papers: Each student must write two individual papers for the group portfolio. These papers will each examine one piece of evidence (one source) related to the group's portfolio topic. The final drafts of these papers are due when the portfolio is due (Dec 11). In order to get credit for these papers, the student must hand the annotated bibliography and the first drafts in on the appropriate due date. The annotated bibliography is due Nov 4. The first draft of the first reflective paper is due Nov 20. The first draft of the second reflective paper is due Dec 4.
    - 50 points - Group paper: Each group working on a portfolio of evidence will be required to submit a group paper that summarizes the evidence found by the group members. In addition, the paper should indicate the conclusion the group has come to concerning the portfolio topic. This paper is due when the group portfolio is due which is Dec 11.
    - 100 points - Group presentation: Each group working on a portfolio of evidence will be required to do a presentation of that evidence at the end of the semester. These presentations will take place during the last week of class and during the final exam period on Tuesday, December 16, 8am-10:30am.
  - Additional details concerning the group portfolio will be provided later in the semester.
- 200 points - Short Papers:
  - Each student will write 4 short (2-3 pages) papers over the course of the semester and each paper will be worth 50 points.
  - The due dates and topics of the 4 papers are:
    1. Sep 11 -- What qualities does an educated person have?
    2. Sep 25 -- Are eyewitness reports good evidence for the existence of Bigfoot? Why or why not?
    3. Nov 6 -- Do you think Bigfoot exists? Why or why not?
    4. Nov 25 -- Is the alien autopsy film real or is it a hoax?
  - The papers will be graded using a rubric that will be handed out in class.
- 100 points - Assignments:
  - There will be 10 short assignments (each worth 10 points) collected throughout the semester. For example, we will visit the library twice during the semester and each of the visits will have an assignment associated with it. In addition, I will randomly collect the answers to the critical questions listed on the course schedule and these will count as assignments. Note that this means the student should prepare written answers for these questions BEFORE class.

Grade Scale:

Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
- 926-1000 points - A
- 896-925 points - A-
- 876-895 points - B+
- 826-875 points - B
- 796-825 points - B-
- 776-795 points - C+
- 726-775 points - C
- 696-725 points - C-
- 676-695 points - D+
- 626-675 points - D
- 596-625 points - D-
- below 596 points - F

Class Philosophy:

Think!: Do not blindly follow instructions. You must think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. If you do not understand something, be sure to ask questions.
The only stupid question is the one that is left unasked: If you don't understand something, ASK! If you don't feel comfortable asking in class, come by my office, see me after class, send me email. I will answer questions in whatever forum you feel comfortable.

Academic Honesty:

Please read the following statement of departmental policy very carefully: The work you submit in this course must be your own. Whenever possible, it is preferred that students paraphrase/explain key concepts in their own words and cite the original source material appropriately. However, if you include four or more consecutive words directly from any source, be certain to surround them with quotation marks, and to properly cite the source and page number. Plagiarism, however unintentionally it may occur, is a serious violation of academic integrity. A student who is found to have plagiarized on any assignment should expect to receive a failing grade for the entire course. There are no exceptions to this policy.
From the Plymouth State University Academic Catalog: "Violation of academic integrity includes any act which portrays a member of the academic community as having acquired knowledge through legitimate study or research which, in fact, has been stolen. Violation of academic integrity includes also any act which gains one member of the academic community an unfair advantage over another. This includes any act hindering the academic accomplishment of another." I will pursue violations of academic integrity to the fullest extent possible. Any student who has questions about what constitutes such violations is encouraged to consult the Academic Catalog and/or discuss the issue with me.

Accommodations:

If you require reasonable accomodations to enable you to participate in this course (such as note takers, readers, extended time on exams, etc.), please see me. I will make every effort to accommodate your documented needs.

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IS1111 -- First Year Seminar

CONTENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Updated August 10, 2008 by Cathie LeBlanc