Our Community
As a collection of practitioners ourselves, we’ll create our own community nestled inside the larger communities of CSU, Colorado, and the modern artistic and literary landscape. Each member of our community has intrinsic value that will enrich all of our experiences in this course and influence our journeys as scholars and thinkers.Your opinions and reactions are important—offer them. The greater the energies put in by each of us, the more meaningful the course will be.
Our community will be committed to fostering and encouraging each other's growth. This will take many forms, including willingness to be vulnerable and willingness to experiment. Our community will be respectful of each other’s time and vulnerability.
Etiquette
No one has the right to inhibit the learning and safety of others. If you are doing something distracting, harassing, or dangerous to any member of this community I may ask you to leave. If you feel another student is hindering your learning or making you feel disrespected or unsafe, please inform me immediately.
Devices (cell phones, tablets, or laptops) will not be allowed, unless prior permission is obtained. As much of our course is devoted to Presence, let us be fully present to one another during class. Our devices distract and detract us from this possibility.
**Important note: Be sure to bring the collection we’re reading with you to class each day, as well as a printed copy of any additional poems or stories assigned. It is virtually impossible to draw from readings that we do not have in front of us. Failure to bring the necessary reading to class (hardcopy) will result in loss of participation points for any given day.
Course Requirements (please refer to individual course syllabi for a list of Course requirments)
***Please note that we will aim to be responsive to class needs, capacities, and schedule. Course assignments, deadlines, and assignment weights may be adjusted at any time in an effort to be adaptive to the rhythms and needs of the semester.
Attendance Policy
• Expectations: Attendance and participation are required for this class.
In the event of an absence, it is best to contact a reliable classmate to find out what was missed and to confirm future assignments. It is the absent student’s responsibility to make-up work from missed classes—e.g., by meeting with classmates or borrowing notes from classmates. Students should also visit the Canvas course page for the latest class updates. Please contact the professor regarding absences due to illness or death in the family. If you accrue more than four absences, your grade will be adversely impacted.
• University Representation: Students may be exempted from the regular attendance policy when they participate in University-sanctioned activities, such as athletic competitions. Students must inform the instructor prior to anticipated absences and make-up missed work on a schedule set in consultation with the instructor.
• Religious Holidays & Observances: CSU has a legal obligation to accommodate students’ absences due to religious observances. For such an accommodation, it is the student’s responsibility to complete the Religious Accommodation Request Form at the beginning of each semester and submit the request via the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs website.
Accommodations:
If you are a student who will need accommodations in this class due to an injury, disability, chronic health condition, or mental health concern, please make an appointment with the Student Disability Center. A verifying accommodation letter from SDC is required before any official accommodation is provided. Please make an appointment with me early in the term, whether or not your SDC accommodation paperwork is ready, to discuss your individual needs so we can plan accordingly.
Student-Professor Communication:
Feel free to chat with us before or after class on any T/TH. You may always set up an appointment to meet outside of classroom hours. The best way to contact us outside of class is through e-mail. You will receive a timely response to messages sent during regular business hours. However, please note emails will not be checked in the evening or on weekends.
Course Learning Objectives
Critical Thinking
1) Utilize Context:
a) Evaluate the relevance of context when presenting a position.
b) Identify assumptions.
c) Analyze one’s own and others’ assumptions.
2) Understand Implications and Make Conclusions:
a) Establish a conclusion that is tied to the range of information presented.
b) Reflect on implications and consequences of stated conclusion.
Diversity & Global Learning
3) Build Self-Awareness:
a) Demonstrate how their own attitudes, behaviors, or beliefs compare or relate to those of other individuals, groups,
communities, or cultures.
4) Examine Perspectives:
a) Examine diverse perspectives when investigating social and behavioral topics within natural or human systems.
Written/Oral Communication
5) Develop Content and Message:
a) Create and develop ideas within the context of the situation and the assigned task(s).
6) Use Sources and Evidence:
a) Critically read, evaluate, apply, and synthesize evidence and/or sources in support of a claim.
7) Use language appropriate to the audience
Additional Student Learning Outcomes for the Green and Gold Initiative:
8) Develop a Sense of Continuity of Human Concerns
a) Establish connection across multiple texts, from multiple cultures and eras as pertinent to current concerns