Self-Promotion Syllabus

HON-321V Self-Promotion is not a Dirty Word!

Course Syllabus

• University Honors

• Office and contact information

  • Kristin Terrill: 447 Ross Hall; kterrill@iastate.edu

  • Gene Newgaard: 322-D Curtiss Hall; newgaard@iastate.edu

• Class time and location

  • Wednesdays 8:50 - 9:40 a.m.

  • 1151/55 Jischke Honors Building

The information in this syllabus is subject to change in extenuating circumstances. Changes to the course syllabus will be provided in writing and announced via course-wide announcements. 

Course Format

• This is a blended course.

  • Lectures and activities will be conducted in-person during scheduled class times.

  • Readings will be posted on Canvas along with written discussions and peer review activities.

  • Assignments are to be submitted online through Canvas. Assignments should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesdays before class.

• Pedagogical strategies:
  
  

  • Project-based learning - in this course, you will complete the major elements of an application for a funding opportunity of your choosing.

  • Group work - provide thoughtful feedback on your peer review group members' drafts and discussion posts

Course Goals and Learning Objectives (CO)

Upon completing this course,

• Students will understand how to identify funding and professional development opportunities that are aligned with their academic and professional goals.

• Students will be able to break down a project into discrete elements.

• Students will achieve competency in writing proposals. They will be able to articulate a problem or need and explain how their proposed project solves the problem or meets the need.

• Students will achieve competency in writing personal essays. They will be able to write engaging narratives about their life experiences, motivations, challenges, and growth using professional/academic style.

Course Materials

Materials are provided on the Canvas page.

Learning Activities and Assessments

Learning Activities

To successfully complete this course, students will do the following:

• Read assigned articles.

• Participate in discussion topics.

• Participate in peer review.

• Draft and revise two major assignments:
  
  

  • Personal statement

  • Academic/research statement

Assessments 

Minor assignments and discussions (varies):

Students will participate in occasional minor assignments and online discussion activities. Discussions will be based on questions from the instructor relevant to the learning objectives, lectures and videos.  Students will answer instructor questions and then discuss the questions with classmates. Each minor assignment and online discussion is worth 10 points. For effective discussion participation, students must:

1. Make one posting on the questions.

2. Respond to at least two peers.

Major assignments (2):

Students are required to complete and submit 2 major assignments. These are intended to give you experience writing in funding application genres and require students to identify selection criteria for awards and articulate how they fulfill these criteria. Each assignment is worth 100 points. Please check the rubric to view the grading criteria. See the summary of the assignments below:

1. Personal Statement
   
   

   • First draft: 25 pts

   • Revised draft: 25 pts

   • Final draft: 50 pts

2. Academic/Research Statement (point value)

   • First draft: 25 pts

   • Revised draft: 25 pts

   • Final draft: 50 pts

Grading Policies

Grading Schema--exact point values have not been finalized; they are subject to change as the semester progresses.

Letter Grade

Points

Percentage

A

242-260

93-100

A-

234-241

90-92.9

B+

226-233

87-89.9

B

216-225

83-86.9

B-

208-215

80-82.9

C+

200-207

77-79.9

C

190-200

73-76.9

C-

182-189

70-72.9

D+

174-181

67-69.9

D

164-173

63-66.9

D-

156-163

60-62.9

F

<600

<60%

You can accumulate points by participating in the following way:

Participation area

Total Points

Minor assignments

60*

Personal statement

100

Academic/research statement

100

Total Points Possible

260

Grade Appeal Process

If you become concerned about your instructor's class management, please communicate your concerns with your instructor. Concerns sometimes relate to grading methods, paper turnaround time, and course policies, as examples. If you feel uncomfortable speaking with your instructor, contact Laurie Law (lfiegel@iastate.edu). Before you decide to appeal, check out ISU's academic appeal process. 

Appealing Your Final Grade

If you feel that your final grade does not reflect the quality of the work you produced throughout the semester, please first discuss the issue with your instructor. If, after talking with your instructor, you still feel that your grade does not reflect the quality of your work, you can file a grade appeal with Laurie Law (lfiegel@iastate.edu). For a grade appeal, you will need to submit the following materials:

1. A memo explaining why your final grade does not reflect the quality of work you produced

2. All the work you completed during the semester (including major assignments and weekly assignments like discussions and workshops)

3. The course policies with grade breakdown

A panel of instructors will review your materials blindly and assign a grade based on the quality of the work. If the grade the panel assigns is higher than the grade you received, your grade will be changed accordingly. If, however, the grade the panel assigns is lower than the grade you received, your grade will remain the same.

Course Policies

Feedback

All graded assessments will be returned with feedback within 7 days of the due date. Personalized feedback will be provided for each assignment and reflection. In addition, responses to common questions and unclear content will be posted at the conclusion of each module.  Comments will be posted at the conclusion of each discussion.

Missed and late coursework

It is important to keep up with the pace of this course, therefore missed course work will be accepted only with permission from the instructors.

Make sure to keep careful track of submission deadlines for all of your work in this class.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend class sessions when they are able. If you need to miss class due to illness, family or religious obligations, or other pressing reason, please contact the instructors as soon as possible.

Please do not come to class if you are experiencing covid symptoms or have been exposed (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more) to anyone who has been diagnosed with covid in the past 14 days. Alternative arrangements will be  made to accommodate absences.

Please review the following policy on class excuses due to illness:  ISU’s Thielen Student Health Center’s Class Excuse webpage 

Links to an external site.

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Expectations 

• Avoid using electronic devices in class, unless using them for class-related purposes, such as taking notes or conducting a class activity. If your use of an electronic device becomes disruptive, you will be asked to put it away.

• Students are responsible for living the tenets established in ISU’s Principles of Community: Respect, Purpose, Cooperation, Richness of Diversity, Freedom from discrimination, and the Honest and respectful expression of ideas. Visit ISU’s Principles of Community website (http://www.diversity.iastate.edu/principles-of-community)

• Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student’s legal name. We will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise us accordingly early in the semester so that we may make appropriate changes to our records.

• Iowa State University is committed to proactively facilitating all students’ well-being. We welcome and encourage students to contact the following on-campus services for their physical, intellectual, occupational, spiritual, environmental, financial, social, and/or emotional needs:

  • Student Wellness call 515-294-1099 or via website (http://studentwellness.iastate.edu);

  • Thielen Student Health Center call 515-294-5801 (24/7 Medical Advice) or via website (http://www.cyclonehealth.org

  • Links to an external site.

  • );

  • Student Counseling Services call 515-294-5056 or via website (https://counseling.iastate.edu);

  • Recreation Services call 515-294-4980 or via website (http://recservices.iastate.edu).

  • Students dealing with heightened feelings of sadness or hopelessness, thoughts of harm or suicide, or increased anxiety may contact the ISU Crisis Text Line (Text ISU to 741-741) or contact ISU Police Department 515-294-4428.

• Basic needs. To learn effectively, you must have basic security: a roof over your head along with a reliable place to sleep and enough food to eat (view the Food Security at ISU Student Wellness page). If you’re having trouble with any of those things, please talk with me or the Dean of Students Office (email studentassistance@iastate.edu, phone 515-294-1020). Together we can work to meet those needs.

• Responsible Employee: Iowa State University is committed to creating an educational, work, living, and campus environment that is free from all forms of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected class. As a responsible employee, I am responsible for reporting all incidents of prohibited sexual harassment, including sexual assault, stalking, and dating and domestic violence, to the university’s Title IX coordinator. Students can choose to discuss their experiences confidentially with the following resources: ACCESS (Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support) at 515-292-0500; ISU Student Counseling Services at 515-294-5056; and Thielen Student Health Center at 515-294-5801.

• Green Dot Project: A green dot is any choice, behavior, word or attitude that promotes everyone’s safety and communicates utter intolerance for power-based personal violence in our Iowa State University community. A green dot is anything you do to make our community safer. What is your Green Dot? Visit the Green Dot – Student Wellness website (http://www.studentwellness.iastate.edu/greendot/)

• All university publications and communication, whether oral or written, shall use inclusive language and illustrations. Inclusive language refers to language that makes every attempt to include comprehensively all groups in the community. Whenever possible, selection of academic materials will also reflect efforts to uphold this university policy.” Visit the Policy Library’s Inclusive Language website (http://www.policy.iastate.edu/policy/language).

• You are expected to treat your instructor and all other participants in the course with courtesy and respect. Your comments to others should be factual, constructive, and free from harassing statements. You are encouraged to disagree with other students, but such disagreements need to be based upon facts and documentation (rather than prejudices and personalities). It is the instructor’s goal to promote an atmosphere of mutual respect in the classroom. Please contact the instructor if you have suggestions for improving the classroom environment. It is preferable if students discuss issues directly with the instructor, however, students may also leave a note in the instructor’s mailbox.

• I am committed to creating a course that is inclusive in its design. If you encounter barriers, please let me know immediately so that we can determine if there is a design adjustment that can be made or if an accommodation might be needed to overcome the limitations of the design. I am always happy to consider creative solutions as long as they do not compromise the intent of the assessment or learning activity. You are also welcome to contact the Student Accessibility Services (515-294-7220) to begin this conversation or to establish accommodations for this or other courses. I welcome feedback that will assist me in improving the usability and experience for all students.

Course Calendar

Link to course calendar

Links to an external site.

ISU Syllabus Statements

Free Expression

Iowa State University supports and upholds the First Amendment protection of freedom of speech and the principle of academic freedom 

Links to an external site.

in order to foster a learning environment where open inquiry and the vigorous debate of a diversity of ideas are encouraged. Students will not be penalized for the content or viewpoints of their speech as long as student expression in a class context is germane to the subject matter of the class and conveyed in an appropriate manner.

Academic Dishonesty

The class will follow Iowa State University’s policy on academic dishonesty. Anyone suspected of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students Office.

Accessibility Statement

Iowa State University is committed to assuring that all educational activities are free from discrimination and harassment based on disability status. Students requesting accommodations for a documented disability are required to work directly with staff in Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to establish eligibility and learn about related processes before accommodations will be identified. After eligibility is established, SAS staff will create and issue a Notification Letter for each course listing approved reasonable accommodations. This document will be made available to the student and instructor either electronically or in hard-copy every semester. Students and instructors are encouraged to review contents of the Notification Letters as early in the semester as possible to identify a specific, timely plan to deliver/receive the indicated accommodations. Reasonable accommodations are not retroactive in nature and are not intended to be an unfair advantage. Additional information or assistance is available online at www.sas.dso.iastate.edu, by contacting SAS staff by email at accessibility@iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-7220. Student Accessibility Services is a unit in the Dean of Students Office located at 1076 Student Services Building.

COVID-19 health and safety requirements

• Face Masks Encouraged: Because of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, all students are encouraged—but not required—to wear face masks, consistent with current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Further information on the proper use of face masks is available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/effective-masks.html

• Links to an external site.

  • For more information about this statement, view the memo from August 10, 2021.

• Vaccinations Encouraged: All students are encouraged to receive a vaccination against COVID-19. Multiple locations are available on campus for free, convenient vaccination. Further information is available at: https://web.iastate.edu/safety/updates/covid19/vaccinations Vaccinations may also be obtained from health care providers and pharmacies.

• Physical Distancing Encouraged for Unvaccinated Individuals: Classrooms and other campus spaces are operating at normal capacities, and physical distancing by faculty, staff, students, and visitors to campus is not required. However, unvaccinated individuals are encouraged to continue to physically distance themselves from others when possible.

Discrimination and Harassment

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu

Prep Week

This class follows the Iowa State University Prep Week policy as noted in section 10.6.4 of the Faculty Handbook.

Religious Accommodation

Iowa State University welcomes diversity of religious beliefs and practices, recognizing the contributions differing experiences and viewpoints can bring to the community. There may be times when an academic requirement conflicts with religious observances and practices. If that happens, students may request the reasonable accommodation for religious practices. In all cases, you must put your request in writing. The instructor will review the situation in an effort to provide a reasonable accommodation when possible to do so without fundamentally altering a course. For students, you should first discuss the conflict and your requested accommodation with your professor at the earliest possible time. You or your instructor may also seek assistance from the Dean of Students Office at 515-294-1020 or the Office of Equal Opportunity at 515-294-7612.

Contact Information for Academic Issues

If you are experiencing, or have experienced, a problem with any of the above statements, email academicissues@iastate.edu