Storytelling and Identity

Storytelling and Identity: Fall 2022

This “First Year Seminar” welcomes you to college learning, and teaches you practical skills that you can use to build your life. We will listen to and tell stories, and think together about the questions they raise. What makes something a “story”? Who tells stories? Why do people love stories? What happens when we share personal stories? Why do stories matter to a culture? What role do stories play in our ideas about who we are?

Texts:

You can see and purchase our textbooks here: https://richmond.verbacompare.com/comparison?id=110241

Please let me know ASAP if you have any problems getting any of the books.

A. HOW THE CLASS RUNS:

1. to prepare: Every week we will have readings or other media for discussion; these are specified on the Schedule. If the readings are not drawn from the required full-length class texts, they will be posted on the readings page and linked on the schedule. You need to complete those readings by the day on which they are listed.

2. time management: I design the assignments so that the average student would spend about 10 hours/week on this class. It's a guestimate. I will take into account the time you spend traveling to and from the project site as well as the time at the site, so in weeks when the project is going on, I will be sure to assign about two hours less of out of class reading and writing.

3. During class-- note-taking: each class has an assigned notetaker, and also a second-take responder:

Class note-taker: Responsible for posting a brief summary of class discussion after class. The summary should capture critical insights and threads of conversation, plus any key actions/decisions/announcements made in class; one person is assigned per class. Summaries need to be posted by 12 noon the day following class.

Responders (2^nd Take): Responsible for reading and commenting on the class summary that’s been posted by the class note-taker. Comments should expand on what the note-taker highlighted, present any important insights or thoughts not captured in the notes, and/or comment personally on what the commenter took from the class discussion in relation to the ongoing class conversation and class themes. One person is assigned for each class. One paragraph is a sufficient length. Comments need to be posted by 10:00 am the day of the next class.

If you are absent on a day when you are assigned a class role, you can get a substitute or we will ask for a volunteer to fill that role. Fulfilling these class roles is part of your class citizenship grade.

4.Class Citizenship

If you are registered for this class, you are officially a citizen of this learning community. You have both rights and responsibilities as a citizen. We will discuss together what we value in a community and what behaviors and attitudes we can commit to in order to create the community we want. You will evaluate your own citizenship efforts in your midterm and your final portfolios.

In addition, attendance matters. The success of the class depends on the active involvement of each and every member. You all have a shared responsibility to contribute to the success of each class meeting. It goes without saying that, if you are not present, you cannot contribute. In this spirit, attendance is a mandatory component of this course and will contribute to your class grade. Missing more than TWO class sessions (whether regular class meetings or community-based sessions) will be reflected in your class citizenship grade. If you must miss more than two classes because of a university-sponsored event or commitment, please notify me immediately. In all cases, and no matter what the cause of the absence, you retain responsibility catching up by reading the class notes. Please note: If you miss more than 6 classes for any reason, you will not pass the course.

B. Learning Goals:

I have designed the course to provide opportunities to meet certain learning goals. All FYS courses try to introduce students to similar goals which we believe will prepare you to engage in a college education which will set you on a path to " lives of purpose, thoughtful inquiry, and responsible leadership in a diverse world." (UR Mission Statement)

Our learning goals are listed here. You will be using the learning goals as a framework for your final portfolio, demonstrating how you have met each goal.

C. Grade

A Few Words On Grades, Time, and Other Made-Up Things:

Our goals for the course are LEARNING goals. The weird reality is, at the end of a wonderful semester of learning together and working hard, we have to come up with one of 5 letters to describe all the nuances of your learning so that it can fit neatly in a transcript. The final grade does not provide nuance! BUT: your portfolios will, and you will have the opportunity there to define your grade.

I have to assign a final grade for each student in the class. I will determine the final grade in the following percentages:

activities: 15%

midterm portfolio: 35%

final portfolio: 50%