Otacilia
Severa, wife
of Emperor
Philip I, "the Arab." Coin dated 247/248 AD image courtesy of Edgar
L. Owen,
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Westminster Seminar:
Transfer Section
Fall 2009
|
games
for Rome's
1000th birthday
and the new Saeculum,about 110 years in length image courtesy
of Edgar
L. Owen
|
| Instructor: Dr.
Victor
A. Leuci
|
Advisor:
Professor Michelle Williams
CSC
212
phone: 592-6119
e-mail:
michelle.williams@westminster-mo.edu
Office Hours: MW
11-12 and TR 10:45-11:45, and
by appointment.
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Mentor: Shelly
Rosenfelder
address: School Box 769
Phone: (573) 682-7188 cell
e-mail:
SRosenfelder.11@westminster-mo.edu
|
|
Texts: electronic & web--available
via ANGEL and web links
The Topic
of this Course: Global Health: Who Cares?
We will look at various
readings related to the theme of the Symposium on Democracy IV: Global
Health: Who Cares? Exploring the Prospects for a Healthy World. As the
brochure for the Symposium says: "Deep inequities exist in access to
health care both internationally and nationally. Disease, chronic
conditions, and local environments affect individual and communal
health differently. Yet medical advances, public policy initiatives,
and perosnal choices present real potential for improved health. This
Symposium will identify some of these inequities, both globally and as
they affect us indivually, and point towards possible solutions.
Course
Description:
The
Westminster Seminar is part of Tier I of New Foundations, the
General Education Program at Westminster College. That means that
this course focuses primarily on skill-building as a means of preparing
you for the rest of your courses at Westminster. All courses
offered as Westminster Seminars share the following set of objectives:
1.
engage in critical thinking within the framework
of an academic setting;
2. experience how a
variety of academic disciplines
relate to our chosen topic;
3. investigate a
range of strategies, skills, and
resources for effective performance as a student;
4. develop and
demonstrate reading, writing,
speaking, and listening skills;
5. participate in a
small, collaborative academic
community.
Your seminar is slightly different
because it is a one-hour course
instead of the usual three hours, and because it is designed
specifically for transfer students. It is our goal to use the
seminar to help you make the transition to Westminster as smooth as
possible, and we are excited that we have this opportunity to work with
you.
Because the seminar is designed to
help you make a “social” as well as
academic transition, the class consists of a blend of orientation and
skill-building sessions. By the end of the seminar (which will last
approximately five weeks), we want you to have found your place on
campus and feel confident that you have the academic skills to
succeed. And we want you to get to know each other well, so that
you can help each other make the transition. We have a diverse
group of transfer students coming in, and we’re certain that you’ll
enjoy getting to know each other as much as we have enjoyed getting to
know you.
Assignments
- 10% Paper 1
- 30% Paper 2
- 10% Class Participation
- 50% Activities and homework
- All assignments will receive a
grade, but the course grade will be
CR-D-F. In order to receive a CR, you must pass the class with a
70%; a D = 60%; F = 59% and below.
Honor Code: All
students and faculty must adhere to the Honor Code; please see the
Student
Life Handbook for the full description of the Honor Code--p. 21
in
the Student Life Handbook gives a short definition: "No Westminster
student
shall commit any act of academic dishonesty in order to advance her or
his own academic performance, or to impede or advance the academic
progress
of others," but the sections on plagiarism and cheating are especially
important (see Honor Commission Constitution, Article IX).
Emergency Procedures:
- In case of fire or
other situation that indicates emergency evacuation, students in this
room proceed to the appropriate Safe Zone. (Newnham Hall Safe
Zone:
Historic Gymnasium. Coulter Science Center Safe Zone: Hunter
Activity
Center. (For classes and labs meeting on the second and third
floor of
Coulter, the emergency evacuation space is HAC gymnasium. For classes
and labs meeting on the first floor of Coulter, the emergency
evacuation space is the JCI area in HAC.)) If the Safe Zone is
the
site of the problem or is unavailable, report to the area on the hill
inside the circle drive near the fountain. Be sure to report to
your
professor when you reach the Safe
Zone.
- In the case of a
lockdown situation: if your area is in imminent danger, call 911
and
then call Campus Security (573-592-5555). If you hear the campus
siren, check a cell phone or email for text information.
(Students are
encouraged to sign up for emergency text messaging at
www.westminster-mo.edu <http://www.westminster-mo.edu/> .
Select
IT Services; then select Emergency Alerts.) A voice page will be
sent
to all campus phones from Security. Lock or barricade yourself in
the
room unless you are in direct range of an act of violence, and stay put
until given clearance by police or an administrator. Security and
other designated persons will have the ability to use their phones as
intercom pagers. In the event of an emergency Security will use
this
system in addition to text and email messages to notify all campus
persons.
- In the event of a
tornado or similar situation, you should proceed to lower level halls
and stairwells.
- In the event that a
natural disaster or medical emergency causes the temporary closing of
the College, we will continue our study through a series of online
assignments via email and ANGEL.
ADA
Accommodation:
Any
student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation based on the
impact of a disability should contact me to arrange an appointment as
soon
as possible. At that time, we can discuss the course format,
anticipate
your needs, and explore possible accommodations. Westminster's ADA policy can be
found at the College's website (click
here)
Guidelines for Papers:
- Content: The short paper(600-1000 words long)
will focus on a specific question based on your readings or possibly on
a web site. The question will be narrow in focus, and your
paper
should follow suite. The thesis you maintain in your paper should be
supported
with facts from the readings and from quotes where appropriate, both
the
facts and the quotes need citations. The paper, however, should not
be
one long quotation.
The longer paper will be a short research paper (1200+ words long);
more will be said about this in class.
- Formatting:
- Header:
start
with a simple
heading at the top of the page giving your name, course number, a word
count, etc. Also copy and
paste the topic you are writing on (if applicable).
- Citations: again, you must cite both direct
quotations and sources of information. There will be a pdf in ANGEL
with examples for your aid; the paper topic may also
contain specific directions for citing.
- Spacing &
Font: you
may use any font, point size, or line spacing that you want--within
reason,
that is (though single spaced is preferred as it saves paper).
- Submission: A
paper copy
is due at the beginning of the class period. An electronic copy of each
paper is also required and should be submitted within 24 hours of the
due
date for the paper copy; note that there is a two letter grade
deduction
for failure to submit an electronic copy.
Class
Participation: Regular participation is critically
important
for the success of the class. In essence, the Westminster Seminar is an
academic course which depends heavily for its success on student
discussion,
even student direction. I don't expect that you will necessarily "know
all the answers" before class, but that you will have read the
material,
have reflected on it, and be prepared to discuss it with your fellow
classmates.
Attendance: You can have up to two absences with no penalty,
but you should make every effort to attend all class sessions.
After two absences, your final grade will be lowered by three
percentage points for each additional absence Let me repeat, no make-up
work
will be accepted for unexcused absences. A hard copy and an electronic
copy of papers are due at the beginning of the class period.
Final Note:
Above all, do your best to use this class to your advantage—allow it to
prepare you for your future courses. It will be as productive or
non-productive as you make it, so please plan to make the most of our
time together. And best wishes for a great first semester at
Westminster!
Assignments:The assignments
given
below are not "set-in-stone," and may vary depending on how each class
period goes. The syllabus will be updated as needed. Also the dates
when
we will be meeting with two other seminars during the semester are
still
to be determined.
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Aug. 23
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Sun
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1-3pm
Introduction; disease "game"; case study on influenza. 3-4:30 team
building
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24
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M
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Check
the handout for specifics or check with your mentor Shelly Rosenfelder
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Tu
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morning:
check handout
12:30-1:30 pizza lunch and class: go to the CDC's web site and bring to
class
1. the answers to Part IV, questions
1 & 2
2. identify the "most interesting" subject that you read on the CDC's
web site for class discussion.
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26
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W
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Take
notes on CAM1.pdf (in ANGEL) and bring to class; go to the discussion
folder in ANGEL for our class and follow the directions there
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28
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F
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Campus
connect: Financial Survival (Wayne Lowen) |
| 31 |
M
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Read CAM2.pdf in ANGEL;
Write a review of CAM1 and CAM2 (600-1000 words)--i.e. short paper
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Sept. 1
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Tu
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Campus
connect: Club Fair
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2
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W
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Read
"New Yorker" materials in ANGEL (post in drop box for this)
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4
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F
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no class or campus
connect; post in drop box on Financial Survival--due by noon
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7
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M
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LABOR DAY: NO CLASS |
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9
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W
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Have
idea for research paper to bring to class
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| 11 |
F |
Campus Connect--Career Services; post
in drop box on Club Fair--due by noon
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14
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M
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Read
Singer&Teuber.pdf in ANGEL (post in drop box for this) |
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16
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W
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Poland
exercise
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18
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F
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Campus
Connect--Westminster History (John Comerford); post in drop box on
Career Services--due by noon
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21
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M
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Poland
exercise
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22
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Tu
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Symposium
on Democracy IV: Global Health
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23
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W
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Symposium
on Democracy IV: Global Health
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| 25 |
F |
Campus Connect (?); post in drop
box on Westminster History--due by noon |
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28
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M
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Final
class period: turn in research paper
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