UNC 101-03 – Freshman Seminar (Foundations of Critical Thinking) University of Montana, Fall 2009
Contact Information: Julie Biando Edwards, Assistant Professor Mansfield Library 314 406-243-4505 julie.edwards@umontana.edu
Meeting Times and Class Location: MWF 11:10-12:00 Gallagher Business Building Room 202
Office Hours: Mondays 1pm – 3pm. I’m also always happy to meet with you by appointment
Other Important Dates: October 21 (Wednesday) – Lecture by Andrew Sean Greer for 1st Year Reading Experience
October 29 (Thursday) – Fourth Annual Day of Dialogue
Required Text: Bob Coleman, Rebecca Brittenham, Scott Campbell, and Stephanie Girard (2006). Making Sense: Essays on Art, Science, and Culture. Second Edition. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin. ISBN: 0618441352
Class Blog: I’ll be keeping you posted on upcoming assignments and discussion topics using the blog, so make sure you bookmark it and check it regularly! http://fsjulie.wordpress.com/
Course Overview: This class is intended to build the first-year college student’s critical-reading, analytical, and discussion skills. The class is meant to help you in the following ways: - Readings chosen to challenge and interest you, and if you’re not already an interactive reader, you’ll learn how to become involved with written texts in order to get the most from them; - Discussion meant to be enjoyable and non-threatening while still wringing the most meticulous detail from what you’ve read; - Writing assignments meant to allow you to develop both your reflective and analytical skills, as well as to have the opportunity to write both formally and informally about issues you are interested in; - Instruction meant to make you as literate in your information searches and as well-prepared for all your research needs as possible; - Research meant to both engage your intellectual curiosity and guide you step-by-step through the process of seeking quality information and writing about your findings. Course Theme: This course is a course in critical thinking. It’s aim is to increase your ability to look at the world of information – in texts, photographs, and media – with a critical and analytical eye so that you begin to understand the complex and sometimes contradictory world of information. Further, it also aims to focus and refine your writing so that you can begin to synthesize all of the information you encounter into a concise and well-argued paper. This is a multi-disciplinary course that will cover a wide-range topics and ideas – from the nuts and bolts of critical reading and writing, to more topical issues like the current politics, the problems of reality and perception, and the myriad ways in which human beings express themselves and their ideas. With luck, everyone will find a topic that he or she can really enjoy reading and about and studying.
Course Requirements:
- Attendance: I take roll every day, and your attendance contributes toward your grade. Please contact me ahead of time if you are ill or cannot make it to class for another reason – email is always the best way to contact me.
- Be on time: We only have 50 minutes to work with in every session, and that time goes very quickly. Class starts promptly at 11:10 and I expect you to be in the classroom and ready to discuss at that time.
- Participation: The best part about college classes is the discussion. Deconstructing and analyzing the texts we read will occupy the bulk of our time this semester and it is imperative that you come to class both having read carefully the texts you are assigned, and having completed any assignments that are due on that day. There are only 15-16 students in the class, so it will quickly become apparent who has read and who hasn’t. You will also be asked to think carefully and comment thoughtfully on your classmates’ written work and in-class comments.
- Assignments: See the class schedule below for the details of the various kinds of written and research work you will be doing for the semester. WORK MUST BE TURNED IN ON TIME! Late work is not accepted in any circumstances. If you are having scheduling or time-management problems, please let me know and I can give you some guidance.
- Digital Devices: All digital gadgets, including, but not limited to, iPods and other mp3 players, cell phones, Blackberries, lap-tops, calculators, etc. must either be absent or completely turned off.
Assignments:
- Advertising Assignment (3-4 pages) (20% of final grade)
- Pulitzer Assignment (3-4 pages) (20% of final grade)
- 2 Position Papers (4-5 pages) (40% of your final grade)
- Source Assignment (4-5 pages) (20% of final grade)
Grading:
- Late work will not be accepted.
- One third of your grade will come from participation and attendance, two thirds of your grade will come from writing, as shown above.
- All assignments will be graded with a letter grade, and I will always offer explanations and comments on why you receive the grades you do. My comments are far more important than the grade itself, as they will give you the opportunity to improve and refine your writing.
- It is very possible to do badly on the first assignment, improve over the course of the semester, and end up with an A for the course. I seriously take into account improvement, participation and effort.
- As explained above, great improvement over the course of the semester in any of these areas will contribute positively to your overall grade. The opposite is also true – if you start to slip, so will your grade.
Class Schedule: You must have readings done BEFORE the class in which we will discussing them.
Week 1
Monday, August 31: Welcome and Overview
Wednesday, September 2: Introductions
Friday, September 4: Read and Discuss Chapters 1 & 2
Week 2
Monday, September 7: NO CLASS – LABOR DAY
Wednesday, September 9: In class writing & discussion
Friday, September 11: Fun with YouTube (Meet in Student Learning Center (SLC) – Mansfield Library, Second Floor)
Week 3
Monday, September 14: Read & Discuss Susan Bordo, “Hunger as Ideology”
Receive Advertising Analysis assignment
Wednesday, September 16: Continue discussing Bordo find and bring in print ads
Friday, September 18: Fun with YouTube redux (Meet in Student Learning Center – Mansfield Library, Second Floor)
Week 4
Monday, September 21: Turn in advertising analysis
Discussion about writing
Wednesday, September 23: Thesis and Writing Workshop.
Friday, September 25: NO CLASS
Week 5
Monday, September 28: Meet in front of PARTV building to view Pulitzer exhibit
Wednesday, September 30: Read and Discuss Susan Sontag, “In Plato’s Cave”
Receive Photography Analysis Assignment
In class writing
Friday, October 2: Continue discussion of Sontag and Pulitzer exhibit
Week 6
Monday, October 5: Meet in Student Learning Center to view film
Wednesday, October 7: Meet in Student Learning Center to view film
Friday, October 9: Discuss film, exhibit, and Sontag
Week 7
Monday, October 12: Turn in Pulitzer Assignment
In class writing
Begin issues discussion
Receive Position Paper assignment
Wednesday, October 14: Current Events Discussion
In class writing
Friday, October 16: Meet in the Mansfield Library SLC for source workshop
Week 8
Monday, October 19: Turn in Position Paper 1
In class writing
Get Position Paper 2 Assignment
Wednesday, October 21: Read and Discuss Christopher Lasch, “Lost Art of Argument”
Friday, October 23: Meet in the Mansfield Library SLC for source workshop
Week 9
Monday, October 26: Turn in Position Paper 2
Discussion of Position Papers
Assign Source Paper
Wednesday, October 28: Meet in the Mansfield Library SLC for source sleuthing
Friday, October 30: Meet in the Mansfield Library SLC for source sleuthing
Week 10
Monday, November 2: Turn in Source Paper
Discuss Source paper and Position papers
Wednesday, November 4: Continue Discussion
Friday, November 6: Last day of class/Wrap up
