UNIV 222 Syllabus

Living in a Changing World: Culture, Values, and Perspectives
Spring 2013

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Instructors

Carlos Ayala, Barbara Butler, John Kornfeld, Elaine Leeder, Mark Merickel, Andrew Rogerson, William Silver, Lynn Stauffer, Thaine Stearns

Email

Universitystudies222@gmail.com

Class Days/Time

Monday and Wednesday, 8:00am - 9:50am

Classroom

Green Music Center, Weill Hall

GE/SSU Studies Category

C2 (Literature, Philosophies, and Values)

Course Description

This course examines extraordinary changes taking place in the United States and across the globe.  Students will explore significant transformations that have occurred throughout society over the past century, from technology, information, and business to literature, the arts, science and medicine, and education.  In addition to studying the effects of these changes on the ways that people think, work, and interact, students will consider both the significant challenges and amazing opportunities that these new developments create for everyone.  This course, taught by scholars from all SSU Schools, is intended to orient new transfer students, as well as continuing students, to the range of academic resources available at Sonoma State University.

Course Goals

Students will:

  • explore change across many facets of contemporary society
  • consider implications of change for living and working in the 21st century
  • analyze the effects of change on American beliefs, values, and perspectives
  • attend lectures delivered by scholars from every School, and from the community
  • survey areas of study offered across Sonoma State University
  • be initiated into the SSU community and become familiar with campus resources and opportunities

Required Readings

  • Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997.           
  • Smith, Patti  Just Kids.  New York: HarperCollins, 2010.
  • Various readings available on UNIV 222 Moodle website
  • A book of your choice about leadership

Course Requirements

Attendance and participation - 20%

Attendance and participation constitute a vital factor in your success in this course.  You cannot participate in this learning experience if you are not present.  Please plan to attend every class, to arrive on time, and to remain in class for the entire hour and fifty minutes. Attendance and participation in the ropes course and volunteer activity are also mandatory.  20%

Quizzes and tests – 50%

A quiz or test will be administered at the conclusion of many of the course modules.  Much of the material on the tests will reflect ideas and information presented in the lectures. Some tests will be administered through Moodle, while others must be taken in class. No make-up tests will be administered unless you can provide a doctor’s note that explains your absence from class.  Please note that you must purchase the pink scantron answer sheets, available at the Bookstore and Zinfandel Market, and be sure to bring them to class on the day of the test.

  • Change and the Family test (10%)
  • Just Kids Tropes quiz (10%)
  • Smart Machines quiz #1 (5%)
  • Smart Machines quiz #2 (5%)
  • Changes in Medicine test (10%)
  • Ethics test (10%)

Volunteer Project Assignment - 10%

As part of this course, you will participate in a one-day volunteer project.  We will be offering two possible projects related to education; or, with our approval, you may choose a different project.  We will provide more information about the volunteer project early in the semester. 

Ideal School Activity and School Change Timeline -  5%

Details will be discussed in class and on Moodle.

Ropes Course Challenge

As part of this course, you will participate in a Ropes Course Challenge on the campus on the SSU Low Ropes Course located behind the Rec Center on the SSU campus.  You will be able to choose from among many different dates and times. We will provide more information about the sign-up process early in the semester.

The SSU low ropes course offers an opportunity for individuals to work together in groups to accomplish common goals and objectives as a team.  Through active roles in challenging activities, participants will develop strengthened relationships with each other, explore personal characteristics, limits, and strengths while taking on situations that mirror real world problems and issues.  Ropes course activities focus on leadership, teamwork, problem solving, communication, trust, creativity, cooperation, confidence, decision making, effective feedback, conflict resolution and self-evaluation.   Ropes course programs are great for practicing new leadership skills and just having a ton of fun while you do it!

Leadership Assignment - 10%

This assignment has multiple parts:

  • Choose a book on leadership that interests you and read it before you participate in the Ropes Course Challenge (see Moodle site for some suggested books and parameters around choosing a leadership text).  Post a summary of your leadership book (on the Moodle leadership discussion board) emphasizing the key leadership lessons from the book that you think are most significant. 
  • Participate in the University 222 Ropes Course Challenge.  Apply lessons learned from your leadership book to the activities and team challenges you encounter while on the ropes course. 
  • Post a reflection of your ropes course experience (on the Moodle leadership discussion board).  Your reflection should focus on how the lessons learned from your leadership text, and from course sessions or readings on leadership, supported your leadership success while participating on the ropes course challenge.
  • Comment on at least 3 of the postings from members of your ropes course team. Your comments should include constructive feedback, perspective sharing based on your observations and experiences, and any points of similarity or distinction between the key leadership lessons you chose to discuss. 

Final Class Session Summary - 5%

After watching a panel of course presenters reviewing and discussing themes that have emerged over the course of the semester, you will write and turn in a brief summary of the key points of the discussion. 

Moodle

Many of the course readings, PowerPoints, and other course materials will be available only on the UNIV 222 Moodle website, accessible through your MySSU account.  In addition, you will need to upload many of the course assignments and some of the tests onto the Moodle site.  For help with Moodle, you can view online video tutorials at http://www.lynda.com/Moodle-training-tutorials/257-0.html , or call the IT Helpdesk at 707-664-4357.

Grading Policy

Attendance and Participation (20%)
Quizzes and tests (50%)
Assignments

  • Volunteer Project (10%)
  • Ideal School Activity and School Change Timeline (5%)
  • Leadership/Ropes Course Assignment (10%)

Final Class Summary (5%)

Course Topics

Understanding Change: An Introduction to UNIV 222  (C2: 2, 4)
(School of Social Sciences)

  • Basic theoretical concepts of change, planned and unplanned, general and specific
  • Ways to understand and evaluate societal change
  • Examples of change to be explored throughout the course
  • Change in the family from the 1800s into the 21st century
  • Contemporary concepts of family

Evolution of the Arts (C2: 1, 2, 3, 4)
(School of Arts and Humanities)

  • Examination of Patti Smith’s Just Kids
  • Antecedents to this memoir
  • What this book shows us about the current state of the arts
  • Opportunities at SSU to connect to the arts

Changes in Education (C2: 1, 4, 5)
(School of Education)

  • History of schooling as a lens for exploring challenges and possibilities for 21st century education
  • Demographic changes and impacts on schooling
  • Opportunities for social change through an emphasis on social justice in teaching
  • Using education to improve the world

History and Evolution of Information (C2: 2)
(The Library)

  • Changes in information literacy and consequent changes in the way we think, connect with one another, seek knowledge, get at the "truth," etc.
  • Impact of these changes on the way a university functions
  • Information tools available to SSU students

From Smart Phones to Jeopardy Champions: Is this the Age of Smart Machines? (C2: 2)
(School of Extended Education)

  • What is a “smart” machine?
  • Evolution of smart machines from ancient times to the present day
  • Impact, both positive and negative, of smart machines on individuals and society
  • The future of smart devices in the 21st century

The Problems and Promise of Modern Medicine (C2: 1, 3, 5)
(School of Science and Technology)

  • Changes in medicine in the 20th Century
  • Trends in community and global health
  • Medical ethics and the ethics of end of life care
  • Medical challenges of today
  • Medicine into the future
  • Health and wellness resources at SSU

Advances in Science: New Ethical Dilemmas (C2: 1, 2)
(School of Science and Technology)

  • Coming of age of microbiology
  • Ethics in biotechnology
  • Broader view of ethical challenges in science. 

Transformational Leadership:  Making a difference as a leader (C2: 1, 5)
(School of Business and Economics)

  • High performance leadership
  • Game-changers:  Challenging the status-quo
  • Values-based leadership and corporate social responsibility

University Policies

Academic integrity

Students should know that the University’s Cheating and Plagarism policy is available at http://www.sonoma.edu/UAffairs/policies/cheating_plagiarism.htm. Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at Sonoma State University and the University’s policy, require you to be honest in all your academic course work..
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism (presenting the work of another as your own, or the use of another person’s ideas without giving proper credit) will result in a failing grade and sanctions by the University. For this class, all assignments are to be completed by the individual student unless otherwise specified.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, etc. Information on add/drops are available at http://www.sonoma.edu/ar/registration/addclasses.shtml. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for adding and dropping classes.

Campus Policy on Disability Access for Students (Optional/suggested statement)

"If you are a student with a disability and you think you may require accommodations, please register with the campus office of Disability Services for Students (DSS), located in Salazar Hall - Room 1049, Phone: (707) 664-2677, TTY/TDD: (707) 664-2958. DSS will provide you with written confirmation of your verified disability and authorize recommended accommodations. This authorization must be presented to the instructor before any accommodations can be made." The policy can be found at http://www.sonoma.edu/uaffairs/policies/disabilitypolicy.htm

Emergency Evacuation

If you are a student with a disability and you think you may require assistance evacuating Weill Hall in the event of a disaster, you should inform the Weill Hall ushers about the type of assistance you may require. You and the ushers should discuss your specific needs and the type of precautions that should be made in advance of such an event (i.e. assigning a buddy to guide you out the doors). We encourage you to take advantage of these preventative measures as soon as possible and contact the Disability Services for Students office if other classroom accommodations are needed.

SSU Writing Center

The SSU Writing Center is located in Schulz 1103. The Writing Center helps SSU students, faculty, and staff members (as well as members of the wider community) become better writers and produce better-written documents.  The Writing Center website is located at http://www.sonoma.edu/writingcenter/ .