IST 190/390 Course Syllabus

IST 190/390: GLOBAL ISSUES AND AWARENESS
SYLLABUS: Fall 2012
GREG PARSONS - COURSE INSTRUCTOR

This course is a one credit hour requirement for students living in the Hart Global Living and Learning Center. IST 190 is for freshmen and sophomores and IST 390 for juniors and seniors. You will be expected to sign up for the appropriate course and section during the All Hall meeting.  There is no textbook required.
 
Course Description

This course is designed to involve students in experiences related to global awareness occurring outside the confines of the classroom. Students must attend and/or participate in a total of six (6) pre-approved lectures, panel discussions and other activities that enhance their classroom learning experiences. Three (3) of these activities must be Hart Hall (in-hall) events. Students are also required to complete ten (10) hours of approved community service per semester.  This course is available only to students living in the Hart Global Living and Learning Center.
 
Course Objectives

Following completion of this course, students will exhibit an enhanced awareness of their place in an increasingly global society. They will be able to express comprehensively and logically how the concepts they have learned relate to their present experiences. Through their community service project(s), students will learn about being a member of the community and the value of volunteering.  In addition, students will develop an understanding of how their extra-curricular activities are related to what they learn in the classroom.
 
Course Outline

To complete this course, students will need to attend six activities (three in Hart Hall) related to a global theme. These activities will be coordinated by the Faculty Director of Hart Hall in consultation with an advisory board made up of faculty, staff and students. Events may be lectures, panel presentations, films, concerts, art exhibits or other intellectual or cultural activities. Students can access a list of acceptable events each semester from which to choose. These events will change every semester.

Listing of Activities

A list of activities or events that can be used to fulfill the IST190/390 requirements will be posted in the building lobby and on the web site.  Please note that only extra-curricular activities can be used, no in-class activities or projects qualify. In the interest of fairness to everyone, only Greg Parsons can approve IST events. Only those events listed as IST on the online Hart Events Calendar are pre-approved. [NOTE: Visits to Tyler Art Gallery other than scheduled receptions and talks are NOT acceptable for IST credit.]  If you want approval of an event not listed, you must contact Greg by email one week IN ADVANCE to get the event approved. To request approval, send email to gregory.parsons@oswego.edu and include a description of the event, as well as its date and time. The criteria for IST approval are that the event have a significant global focus and that it have a significant academic/instructional component, so your description should indicate how the event meets these criteria. Greg's decision is final. Papers on events that are not pre-approved will not be accepted.

Course Requirements

The student will be required to attend a minimum of six (6) events and write experiential papers following each event attended.  In their papers, students should relate whenever possible what has been learned as a function of previous course work, particularly general education courses. Personal experiences related to the event are also a contributing factor to a good grade.  Students may earn presentation credit for one event during the semester.  Also, a few events are available for discussion credit in lieu of a paper.  Specific details on these options are provided below.    
 
Papers

A paper or discussion is required for each event. The paper for a specific event must be turned in no later than ten (10) days after the event. Papers turned in after the deadline will not be accepted and the student will have to attend another event.  A calendar will be posted near the main desk at Hart Hall.  It is the responsibility of the individual student to make sure that papers are turned in on time.

Papers will be handed in at the front desk and stamped with the date received. Make sure you get a receipt and that you save your receipts. The receipts are your only record of having submitted the paper on time.
 
Dates for handing in the papers or completing discussions will be as follows:

1. Three events by Sunday, October 14, at Midnight

2. Final three events by Sunday, December 2, at Midnight

If three papers have not been submitted by October 14, 2012, the student will fail the course and be required to relocate to another residence hall immediately. No papers will be accepted after midnight on December 2, 2012. Failure to submit all papers by the final deadline will result in a failing grade for the IST 190/390 course. Those who fail the course will not be eligible to return to Hart for another semester. A sample format for IST 190/390 papers is shown below:

SAMPLE FORMAT FOR IST PAPERS

All IST papers should be typed on at least one (1) page and no more than two (2) pages, double spaced with no greater than one (1) inch margins (left, right, top and bottom). Typeface should be twelve (12) point Times (or Times Roman). Please use correct spelling and grammar. Points will be taken off for spelling and grammatical errors in accordance with the grading rubric. 
 
Name_______________________________ Room #______________

Program Topic________________________ Presenter__________________________

Summary (One short paragraph - no more than one-third of a page), worth 3 points.

Papers should then address two (2) of the following five (5) questions each worth six (6) points. One of the questions you choose must be from Group A. The second question can be from either Group A or Group B.  A sample outline is available online.

Group A (must choose at least one from this group)

1. How does this event relate to any academic course you have taken or are currently taking? 
2. How does this program relate to any local, national, or otherwise current event? 
3. How does this program relate to global or international issues?

Group B

1. How did this event relate to any personal experiences you've previously had?
2. Did you gain any new information from this program? If so, what? If not, why not?

Presentation Credit

Students are encouraged to develop programs for the Hart IST course. To initiate a program, students must present their proposal to a GRM or FRM two weeks in advance and must prepare the program in cooperation with the GRM/FRM. Students who plan or present a program that is produced within Hart in conjunction with a GRM and/or FRM can receive graded presentation credit for that program on the recommendation of the GRM/FRM. This applies ONLY to programs that are presented in Hart Hall and produced specifically for the Hart IST program. Presentation credit will NOT be given to those who participate in other outside IST-approved events (e.g., concerts, plays, etc). A graded presentation credit can be used in lieu of a paper to satisfy one required IST event per semester.

Discussion Credit

For a few select programs, students may earn discussion credit in lieu of writing a paper.  These are typically limited to a small number of students who must sign up for the program in advance at the Hart Hall front desk.  Every student must actively participate in the discussion to earn credit.  Students may choose this option up to three times per semester.  Programs available for discussion credit will be identified on the calendar as IST (Discussion): Title.  Only programs so identified may be used for discussion credit. 

Rewrites

Students may rewrite TWO (2) papers in an attempt to improve their grade.  Each paper may be rewritten one time.  Rewrites must be completed by the same deadline as for the first copy of the paper. One week is allowed for grading and rewrites can only be done on already graded papers. Students should allow themselves sufficient time to complete and submit any rewrite before the relevant deadline. If the rewrite receives a lower score than the original paper, the higher of the two scores will be recorded as the grade for that paper.

Community Service

Community service is part of the IST grade. Community service is required of ALL residents of the building. The requirement is 10 hours of service and completion of a project survey. Those who have not completed 5 hours of community service (50% of total community service requirement) by October 14th will be required to relocate to another residence hall immediately. Those who do not complete the necessary 10 hours of community service by the December 2nd deadline will fail the IST course. Those who fail the course will not be eligible to return to Hart for another semester.
 
A listing of approved community service options and a copy of the community service survey form are available online from the Hart Center website. Community service forms are also available from the Front Desk and must be turned in at the Front Desk. Only Martha Fasteland, Hart Hall Director, can approve events/projects for community service. For questions as to whether a specific event/project is approved for community service, send email to martha.fasteland@oswego.edu.  Martha's decision is final. Events/projects that are not pre-approved will not be accepted.

Means of Evaluation

To obtain a passing grade a student must complete all required work and will receive a grade based on the quality of written material and satisfactory completion of an approved community service project. Each paper or discussion is worth a maximum of 15 points. A rubric used for the grading of student papers is available online. Community service activity for the semester is worth 10 points.

Grades for individual papers and discussions will be posted on residence floors so students can check their progress throughout the semester.

Each student will be assigned a final letter grade for the course on the basis of his/her total percentage, rounded up to the nearest percent. The following breakdown of plus/minus grades will be used: