This course will heavily rely on your consistent presence and meaningful participation in each class. That said, our role as instructors is to foster a learning environment that you want to be in and look forward to. We will model the core principles we believe are crucial to a generative learning community: compassion and trust. We trust you will aim to attend every class but will also offer support if you cannot in the form of check-ins after several absences and excusing absences as long as there is an open line of communication and transparency.
You will receive a "Present" or "Absent" every week. To keep track of your own attendance we encourage you to use the provided assignment tracker.
Within the first four weeks of the semester, we will ask you to attend one of our office hours for a brief casual meeting to get to know who you are, understand your expectations for the course, share any learning needs, and address any concerns you may have. You can sign up for these meetings using our individual office hours links for the day and time that works best for you. The last day to complete this will be September 19th.
You will receive a "Complete" or "Incomplete" for this assignment.
You will find this survey on canvas and can also find it via this link or by clicking on the box above.
In preparation for your first office hour visit, we ask that you also complete the google form we will share in the first week of class. This survey will ask you to share as much or as little as you would like about your educational and personal background, familiarity with course content, and learning needs. This must be completed before you attend your office hour introduction. The last day to complete this will be September 19th.
To get full credit you must complete the survey and upload a screenshot of the email confirmation you receive after finishing the survey via canvas.
You will receive a "Complete" or "Incomplete" for this assignment.
You will be asked to upload a 250-500 word reading reflection on Wednesdays at 5pm via canvas. Of the 11 weekly reflections you are only required to submit 8 by the assigned due date to get full credit for this component of the participation branch.
Each week you will be answering three general but crucial questions:
What did I learn this week?
Why does it matter?
What questions remain for you?
In answering these questions, we ask that you incorporate the following components for each question in your response:
What did I learn this week?
Select one key concept from the week that you found particularly interesting, important, or confusing and briefly define it in 2-3 sentences.
Select two readings from the week that helped you understand this concept.
Incorporate one external source that reminded you of the concept you selected -- this could include a song, video, movie, show, or conversation with a friend.
Place these three texts in a conversation with one another to explain how they offered clarity or insight with concrete examples.
Why does it matter?
As you reflect, explain why this concept matters to you personally, to Central Americans as a group, to our society, or to the world. You pick the level you wish to explore for this question.
The goal of these reflections is not to summarize course readings but rather highlight connections across texts and articulate compelling insights you developed after reading the texts. This is a place for you to embrace your creativity and curiosity.
We will offer feedback on your reflections and an evaluation of (1) “revisions required, (2) “satisfactory,” or (3) “strong.” If you receive a (1) or a (2) you can revise and resubmit within two weeks after receiving the initial evaluation.