Office: UW1-137
If we regard truth as
something handed down from authorities on high, the classroom will look
like a dictatorship. If we regard truth as a fiction determined by
personal whim, the classroom will look like anarchy. If we regard truth as
emerging from a complex process of mutual inquiry, the classroom will look
like a resourceful and interdependent community.
--Parker
Palmer, The Courage to Teach
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 51)
In this course, students will hone their academic skills while considering the ways in which the production of knowledge can be pursued through interdisciplinary inquiry. Through intensive reading of challenging texts, spirited and thoughtful discussion of complex intellectual concepts, and careful, extensive writing, students will develop an interdisciplinary foundation of ideas and skills for success as Interdisciplinary Studies majors, and more importantly, as lifelong learners.
This course serves as a "program core" course, which means it is designed to provide you with fundamental skills you will need as you undertake upper-division undergraduate work here. Most students transferring from community colleges, and some who are transferring from four-year colleges and universities, find the expectations for their work--in terms of quantity and quality--to be much higher here. Like any worthwhile endeavor, a degree here is challenging, especially if you have other important commitments like work and family. This course, which is moderate in required reading and heavy in required writing, is typically one of the most challenging one students take in pursuit of their interdisciplinary studies degree, but you should view it as an investment that will pay off when you take other courses here. Be ready to work very hard and to commit an average of ten to fifteen hours per week (some weeks fewer, some weeks more) to this course.
You do not undertake this effort alone, however. The faculty and staff at the UWB campus are dedicated to work with you as you pursue this exciting challenge. This course is a first step, and, among other goals, will present the numerous resources at your disposal which will make your work more meaningful and interesting to you and will support your efforts. We will work as hard as you to make your career here a success. (Keep in mind that "success" is not always, and never most importantly, measured in terms of grade point average. You will need to define "success" for yourself. We will do whatever we can to assist as you pursue that success.)
We will work in a variety of modes, just as you will throughout your academic career and beyond. You will do some work independently, some in small groups, and some with all of your classmates. Together, we can make these assignments and exercises meaningful, rich, and enjoyable, so you will complete the course with a better understanding of your place as a student, a scholar, and a citizen, but also with an understanding of the complex topic of interdisciplinarity and how it relates to you, to our society, and to our world on a daily basis.
Course objectives:
Course
texts (available in the UWB Bookstore [save your receipts for
a patronage
refund] and in library
reserve/reference).
Note: Click here
<http://tinyurl.com/6pamk>
to order books online. Click on the link for the
appropriate quarter, then enter the line number (LN) shown at the top
of this page for "UW SLN Code" (leave other spaces blank) and hit
'enter.' All items have been ordered; contact the bookstore if some
materials are not listed.
Grading: Your grade will be based on these assignments, which are described on separate pages online (links will be activated in "Assignments" area ofBlackboard when ready):
Essay
(1000-1250 words; due in class at 8:45 a.m. sharp on
April 28; revised essay due in midquarter portfolio [online] at 8:30 a.m. on May
14; final version due in final portfolio [online] at 8:30 a.m. on June
2)
25%
Peer critiques (available in "Course
Documents" area of Blackboard when announced; due in class at 8:45 a.m. sharp on May
7)
5%
Article
abstract (200-300 words; due in "Discussion Board" area in Blackboard's Group Pages
at 8:30 a.m. on May 12)
5%
Research
proposal (1250-1500 words; due at 8:30 a.m. in Blackboard on
May 26; final version due in final portfolio [online] at 8:30 a.m. on June
2)
30%
Learning
portfolio
(including reflective paper of 600-1000 words, due [online] at 8:30 a.m.
sharp on June 2 [ungraded midquarter portfolio due at 8:30 a.m. on May
14])
5%
In-class and online
contribution
30%
TOTAL
100%
A note about grades: I know that students often need to juggle school, work, family, and other obligations. I never second-guess students' priorities, and I never think less of students who choose to devote more time and effort to one of these other obligations rather than to an assignment or the course as a whole. I respect the maturity of students who establish their priorities, make difficult choices, and accept the consequences of those decisions. Also, remember that your grade is based solely on my professional assessment of the quantity and quality of your work, not on your effort or on my opinion of you as an individual.
For an explanation of the University of Washington grading system, see <http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html>. Your weighted grades on assignments will be converted to grade points according to the course grade scale in the "Course Documents" area of Blackboard.
Schedule:
DATE READING/ASSIGNMENTS DUE by beginning of
class IN-CLASS
WORK Learning
portfolio
due online at 8:30
a
.m. sharp
M 03/31
Introduction: Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences; read and discuss
Siepel
W 04/02
"Policy on Academic and Behavioral Conduct";
Reynolds "Introduction"
COMPUTER CLASSROOM (UW1-121 ): Essay pre-write;
introduction to Blackboard
M 04/07
Freire
Discuss Freire; essay assignment introduced
W 04/09
Reynolds ch. 1
COMPUTER CLASSROOM
(LB1-222): Workshop 1: Preliminary mapping of research
cluster topic
M 04/14
Reynolds ch. 2
NO CLASS MEETING; independent work time
W 04/16
Reynolds ch. 3
COMPUTER CLASSROOM
(LB1-220): Workshop 2: Finding sources on research cluster topics; article abstract
assignment introduced
M 04/21
Rosenberg
Discuss Rosenberg;
discuss quantitative reasoning with Nicole Hoover, Director of the Quantitative Skills
Center
W 04/23
Reynolds ch. 4-5
COMPUTER CLASSROOM
(LB1-222
):
Research cluster free time; learning portfolio assignment introduced
M 04/28
Essay due in class at 8:45 a.m. sharp
Peer critiques assignment introduced
W 04/30
Klein "Mapping"
Discuss Klein "Mapping"
M 05/05
Reynolds ch. 6-7
COMPUTER CLASSROOM
(UW1-121
): Research cluster free time
and conferences with instructor (participation required)
W 05/07
Reynolds ch. 8-10; peer critiques
due in class at 8:45 a.m. sharp
Revision workshop; small group
instructional diagnostic (midterm class interview)
M 05/12
Article abstract due (in Group Pages
Discussion Board of Blackboard) at 8:30 a.m. sharp
View and discuss John Dewey: His Life and
Work
W 05/14
Midquarter learning portfolio (including essay) due
online at 8:30 a.m. sharp
IAS Faculty Panel: Interdisciplinary Inquiry in
Research
M 05/19
Klein "Prospects"
Discuss Klein "Prospects"
W 05/21
Work on research proposal
Senior student panel:
Interdisciplinary Studies as Major
M 05/26
Research proposal due (in
Group Pages Discussion Board in Blackboard) at 8:30
a .m. sharp
NO CLASS MEETING (Memorial Day)
W 05/28
Work on learning portfolio
Job and graduate school panel: Interdisciplinary Studies as
Preparation
M 06/02
Research cluster sharing; course
evaluations
W 06/04
Rest and reflect
Optional team-building
exercise
Readings list (except as noted, in Course Documents area of Blackboard):
This schedule is subject to change. The most current schedule will always be posted here <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/BIS300ASyl.html> for your reference, and changes will be announced in class, by e-mail, or both. This course has no final examination.
About course policies:
Please carefully read the "Course Policies" at http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Policies.html , which I consider to be part of this syllabus.
About class communication:
Please carefully read the "Class Communication" document at http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Communication.html, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.
Please carefully read the "Class Contribution" document at http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Partic.html, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.
If you
need to drop: You and I both
invest a significant amount of time and effort having you in this
course, so it is unfortunate when students do not complete a course
that they began. Sometimes, however, students need to drop a course for
good reasons. If that should become the case, you must get a drop code
from one of the IAS counselors (IASAdvisers@uwb.edu).
I do not have drop
codes!
I also ask, as a favor, that
you send me an e-mail message notifying
me that you are dropping the course. Of course, I hope everyone who
starts the course can complete it, so your work and time and mine are
put to good use!
Continued enrollment in this
course indicates your acceptance of the terms of this syllabus.
If you have questions or concerns about any of the
assessment criteria, goals and learning outcomes, or materials, please let me
know immediately so we can address them.
Welcome to the course!
This page last updated April 15, 2008.
