BIS 300F (LN 11143)

Interdisciplinary Inquiry:

The Aims of Education

David S. Goldstein, Ph.D.

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 grappling with the complex topic of "the aims of education." Approached interdisciplinarily, competing concepts of the aims of education go to the very core of who we are as Americans, even as human beings. Through intensive reading of challenging texts, spirited and thoughtful discussion of complex and exciting intellectual concepts, and careful, extensive writing, students will develop a foundation of ideas and skills for success as Interdisciplinary Studies and Environmental Science 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 interdisciplinary understanding of the complex topic of education and how it relates to you, to our society, and to our world on a daily basis.

Course objectives (thanks to Prof. Bruce Burgett for his articulation of these ideals):

• Understand and appreciate the interdisciplinary production of knowledge and the ways in which it underwrites different aspects of the IAS Program;
• Gain a critical understanding of the IAS Program's diverse and interrelated (inter)disciplinary fields and methods of inquiry;
• Become better critical thinkers and writers, capable of posing, answering, and reposing a variety of complex questions;
• Become better researchers, able to use the resources at UWB and elsewhere in order to identify existing and complementary scholarly work while producing original knowledge through data gathering and interpretation;
• Become better speakers, able to communicate clearly and engagingly about complicated topics, arguments, and issues;
• Become better collaborators as learners, researchers, and teachers.

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.

• REQUIRED: Reynolds, Nedra and Rich Rice. Portfolio Keeping: A Guide for Students, 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006. (ISBN 0312191510)
• OPTIONAL (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)*: Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing, 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004. (ISBN 0312419090)

  *I will not assign reading from the "optional" text, but students who are looking for a very good guide to writing might want to invest in this title.

Grading: Your grade will be based on these assignments, which are described on separate pages online (links will be activated when ready):

Essay (1000-1250 words; due in class at 5:45 p.m. sharp on Oct. 19; revised essay due in midquarter portfolio at 5:35 p.m. on Nov. 9; final version due in final portfolio at 5:35. pm. on Dec. 5)	20%
Peer critiques (available in "Course Documents" area of Blackboard when announced; due in class at 5:45 p.m. sharp on Nov. 2)	5%
Article abstract (200-300 words; due in "Discussion Board" area in Blackboard's Group Pages at 5:35 p.m. on Nov. 9)	5%
Research proposal (1250-1500 words; due at 5:35 p.m. in Blackboard on Nov. 16)	25%
Cluster research presentation (five minutes per person, in class on Nov. 30 or Dec. 2)	5%
Learning portfolio (including reflective paper of 600-1000 words, due in Catalyst at 5:35 p.m. sharp on Dec. 5 [ungraded midquarter portfolio due in Catalyst at 5:35 p.m. on Nov. 9])	10%
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:

Readings list (except as noted, in Course Documents area of Blackboard):

• Cronon, William. "'Only Connect': The Goals of a Liberal Education." Liberal Education 85.1 (Win. 1999): 6-13.
• Freire, Paolo. "The 'Banking' Concept of Education" (and introduction, but not the study questions at the end). In Bartholomae, David and Anthony Petrosky. Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers, 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002. 258-70.
• Lélé, Sarachchandra, and Richard B. Norgaard. "Practicing Interdisciplinarity." BioScience 55.11 (Nov. 2005): 967-75.
  
• "Policy on Academic and Behavioral Conduct." Online <http://www.uwb.edu/students/policies/integrity.html>. ONLINE ONLY.  NOT AVAILABLE IN BLACKBOARD.
• Rosenberg, Becky Reed. "How to Read an Academic Article." Online at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/ReadArticle.html>. ONLINE ONLY.  NOT AVAILABLE IN BLACKBOARD.
• UWB. "Mission Statement." Online at <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/aboutuwb/mission.html>. ONLINE ONLY.  NOT AVAILABLE IN BLACKBOARD.
• Watson, Warren, Larry K. Michaelsen, and Walt Sharp. "Member Competence, Group Interaction, and Group Decision Making: A Longitudinal Study."  Journal of Applied Psychology 76.6 (1991): 803-09.

This schedule is subject to change. The most current schedule will always be posted here <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/BIS300FSyl.html> for your reference, and changes will be announced in class, by e-mail, or both. This course has no final examination.

Keep a copy of all submitted work. No extra credit or paper re-writes will be permitted except as noted, but I will gladly assist you with your work. In-class exercises cannot be made up for any reason because the group interaction is irreproducible. (See below for information on contribution.) Keep all graded materials; Interdisciplinary Studies majors will need them for their senior seminar portfolio.

In accordance with University policy, I give Incompletes only if you are passing the course and attending class to within two weeks of the end of the quarter, and then only in extenuating circumstances that can be proven.

If you believe that you have a disability and would like academic accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services at (425) 352-5307 or at rlundborg@uwb.edu. After an initial intake appointment, you should be prepared to provide documentation of your disability in order to receive assistance. See <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/students/dss/index.html> for more information.

I am very strict about deadlines, for two reasons: (1) I have very limited grading time, and late papers make it hard for me to return graded papers in a timely manner; and (2) I want everyone to have exactly the same amount of work time for the sake of fairness. Please do not put me in the position of trying to decide arbitrarily how late is "late." Take responsibility for submitting work when it is due, not ten minutes, two hours, or a day later. (Note that many assignments are due electronically on days and at times when we are not meeting in class.) Rest assured that everyone is being treated equally. Late assignments will be accepted only in extenuating circumstances that could not have been anticipated, and only as specified; disincentives will apply as specified.

IMPORTANT: I insist on academic integrity. You are responsible for understanding all aspects of University regulations regarding academic integrity. Breaches of academic integrity, including but not limited to cheating (e.g., copying another person's work or obtaining examination answers in a dishonest manner) and plagiarism (i.e., using another person's words or ideas without proper acknowledgment), whether intentional or accidental, will result in a zero for the assignment or examination; additional sanctions may be imposed by the University administration. Note that American rules regarding plagiarism might differ markedly from those in other countries. You can find more information in the University Handbook and in the document, "Policy on Academic and Behavioral Conduct" <http://www.uwb.edu/students/policies/integrity.html>. I will help you any way I can so you can succeed while maintaining academic integrity. I truly want you to do well. Visit my office hours often!

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.

About contribution:

Please carefully read the "Class Contribution" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Partic.html>, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

Be considerate of your instructors and classmates. Please turn off cell phones, pagers, and watch alarms before entering a classroom. Also, be aware that entering a classroom after class has started distracts your instructor and your classmates. If you must do it, please try to enter through a back door, if possible. That probably will distract your instructor, but at least it will reduce the disruption you cause your classmates.  Laptop policy: You may use a laptop computer during class only for taking notes for this course.  Please do not use your laptop to work on other courses, check e-mail, or engage in other distracting activities.  I reserve the right to forbid laptop usage if it is abused or if it distracts me or other students.

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 November 13, 2006.

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