Washington State University
College of Liberal Arts
General Studies and Advising Center
COURSE SYLLABUS
GenSt 400
Summer 2008
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: General Studies Portfolio 1 credit; prereq senior standing. Evaluating one's educational experience and presenting that evaluation in written and symbolic form. S, F grading.
Credit: Academic Regulation 27 - One semester credit is assigned for a minimum of 45 hours of time commitment. For independent work such as GenSt 400, three hours per week average for a 15-week semester is expected.
COURSES REQUIREMENTS:
Written Assignments
These assignments are designed for you to examine and reflect critically on your own experiences as a General Studies major and they function as an occasion for you to assess our program. This is an opportunity to integrate your college education, in terms of achievements, struggles, and powerful learning experiences. This effort needs to be part reflective and part research, utilizing all available resources relevant to the discussion, rather than write papers limited to personal narratives.
The Integrated and Critical Thinking Guide will be used to grade your first assignment. Critical thinking is one of the most important and valuable qualities that college students can possess. It not only applies to the college setting but also in the professional arenas and everyday life. Employers are constantly seeking to hire people who can not only think, but critically assess each problem and situation from multiple perspectives and come up with relevant solutions. Applying the Integrated and Critical Thinking Guide to this course will help us to improve and refine instructional methods which will enhance higher intellectual skills over students’ college careers and beyond.
Please type your answers (double-spaced, 12 point font, and 1” margins) and pay attention to grammatical form.
- Assignment 1:
- Write a reflective paper evaluating your experience in completing a General Studies degree.
A) Analyze your selection of General Education Requirements (GERs—intercultural studies, sciences, diversity, Tier III, etc), concentrations or areas (primary vs. secondary, or areas 1, 2, and 3), and your use of free electives or prior course work for another major.
B) Demonstrate the relation of each of these three components of the degree to your personal and professional goals.
C) Discuss your plans for integrating your educational experience to your employment. Be sure to include discussions of the multi-disciplinary aspects of the program, your areas of expertise, and any additional input (from career services, community college preparations, study abroad, internship, athletic programs, clubs and extracurricular activities, etc.) that are relevant to the discussion.
(Parts A, B, and C should be 5 pages minimum in length)
D) Create a visual representation of your college experience and how it will affect your future. This can be a chart, diagram, graph, etc. that shows significant experiences or events that have caused a changed in your college career i.e. moving away from home, change of major, study abroad, internship, death in the family, marriage, first job, etc. Be creative! Include a paragraph or two about the significance of your model and why you chose these particular events.
http://libarts.wsu.edu/genstudies/academics/pullman/genst400/pdf/visual_rep.pdf
E) Complete a self-assessment of the 1st assignment. This assessment will ask you to rate your completion of the 1st assignment according to the Integrated and Critical Thinking Guide. It will also ask that you give some feedback about the assignment and the guide. Your response will be anonymous and confidential and will not affect your grade for the course.
http://libarts.wsu.edu/genstudies/academics/pullman/genst400/pdf/self_assess_assign_1.pdf
(5 pages minimum) Due: May 16, 2008
- Assignment 2:
- Select one of the following projects:
A) Utilize university and internet resources to create and assemble a resume and a letter of application for a specific position application (attach a copy of the position notice).
OR
B) Describe and assess how the General Studies degree will affect your experience in a current or past employment. This should not be purely a summarizing of courses taken for the degree, but encompass a critical examination of how these courses apply to your employment.
(3 pages minimum) Due: May 30, 2008
- Assignment 3:
- Complete the General Studies Senior Exit Survey. This survey is designed to assess the quality of the services offered by the General Studies Program. Since identifying your honest, constructive opinion is the purpose of this survey, the grade will be based on the thoroughness of your answers, not the content or nature of the opinions you express. Individual responses will be kept confidential. This survey will be available on online at: http://libarts.wsu.edu/genstudies/survey/genst400su2008.html
Due: June 13, 2008.
Resources for writing assignments:
Because this course is for students with senior standing, effective writing style and correct grammar and syntax are expected. You might wish to consult texts you used in writing courses (Engl 101, [M] classes, technical writing courses) or standard style manuals (APA, Chicago Manual or Style) for assistance. Footnotes are not required unless you quote something. If you have written application letters or resumes for other courses, you may use them for this course; however, please note that your submission must be for a specific position for which your letter and resume might be altered.
Resources for Position Notices:
You may use any standard job listing service, internet or otherwise, and should select a position for which you might actually apply. If your materials submitted for grading are examples you have actually used in applying for a position, please let us know if you were successful. If you are willing, please indicate if you are willing to allow use of your examples for other students with your name and other identifying information removed.
Students with Disabilities:
Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC). All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Admin Annex Bldg, Room 205). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with a disability specialist.
Academic Integrity
You are expected to uphold the WSU standard of conduct relating to academic integrity (Academic Integrity Standards and Procedures). You assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work you sumbit. The guiding principle of academic integrity shall be that your submitted work, examiniations, reports, and projects must be your own work.
GRADING:
The course is S, F. The papers will also be S, F graded. An S on each assignment is required for an S in the course.
ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES:
The first assignment is due May 16, 2008.
The second assignment is due May 30, 2008.
The third assignment is due June 13, 2008.
