*Sample Syllabus*

First Year Seminar

FYS 001 • Section 001 • Fall 2007

Hunter College, City University of New York

Monday 10:10-11:00 • Room 1441 HW

Instructor / Robert Cowan
Office location / 817 HE
Office hours / By appointment
Office telephone / (212) 772-4979
E-mail address /
Student Services Representative / Case Willoughby
Office location / 1119A HE
E-mail address /
Library Liaison / Clay Williams
E-mail address /

Course Objectives and Content

The First Year Seminar is designed to welcome you into the Hunter College academic community and introduce you to its policies and requirements, to the various kinds of support available to you, and to the skills required of successful academic research, writing, and public speaking. We will explore the topic of each week’s class through focused reading assignments, class presentations and discussion, and on-line interaction. You will write about academic and personal goals, specific challenges you anticipate or have already encountered, and projected directions for study and growth.

The goals of the course are that you will

·  Understand the areas of study and opportunities for intellectual growth

·  Demonstrate active engagement in intellectual processes that promote a deeper appreciation of the personal habits that contribute to academic success

·  Gain an understanding of and appreciation for the cultures and communities with which you will interact at Hunter College

·  Demonstrate academic and personal integrity

·  Explore new ways of viewing your personal life, relationships, and academic goals

·  Take responsibility for your own educational development, while learning how to access academic, social, and personal support services available at Hunter and throughout the CUNY system

Required Readings

1. Hunter College 2004-2007 Undergraduate Catalog. CD-ROM. New York: Hunter

College, The City University of New York, 2005. Available at the Welcome

Center (Room 100 HN).

2. Light, Richard J. Making the Most of College. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2001. Available at the Hunter College Bookstore (1st floor, HW).

3. Supplemental articles, which you will print from the FYSH web site:

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/fysh/.

Method of Evaluation

1. Attendance and In-class Participation (20%)

You are required to attend class, with your work for the day completed, prepared to share your own opinions about it. You are allowed on two (2) unexcused absences.

2. Completion Certificates for Three On-line Training Programs (15%)

(1)  Virtual ORSEM Information Literacy Assessment (VOILA!)

(2) Preventing Sexual Harassment

(3) Getting in the Driver’s Seat: A Driver’s Manual to Your Education

(These each take 30-45 minutes to complete.)

3. Attendance at Two Student Service Workshops and One Lecture (25%)

A. Workshops:

(1)  Hunter College Policies and Procedures

(2)  Hunter College General Education Requirements

(These will be given during your regularly scheduled class.)

B. Lecture:

To be held at the end of October

4. Reading & Writing (40%)

You must complete reading assignments prior to class, respond to questions posted on Blackboard (Bb), and write two drafts of a four-page paper related to the topic of the required lecture, using one secondary source, the guidelines for which will be distributed.

Academic Integrity

Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures. We will be discussing what constitutes plagiarism in the digital age as part of this course.

Disabled Students

In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational parity and accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical, and/or Learning) consult the Office of AccessABILITY, located in Room E1124, to secure necessary academic accommodations. For further information and assistance, please call: (212) 772- 4857 or (212) 650-3230.


Schedule

Week / Topic / Reading Due / Assignment Due
1 / Introduction / --- / ---
9/5 / Convocation / --- / Attend Convocation
2 / Liberal Education / Light, Chapter 2; “The Net Generation Goes to College,” “Not by Geeks Alone”
3 / Academic Integrity & Professionalism / Light, Chapter 4; “For Some, Online Persona Undermines a Resumé;” “Who’s got time to show respect;” “MIT Resigns in Lying Scandal”
4 / Networking / “Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg”
5 / Information Literacy / “How Wikipedia changed the world,” “See Who’s Editing Wikipedia” / VOILA! completion certificate
6 / Hunter College Policies (1st Student Services Workshop) / --- / Getting in the Driver’s Seat completion certificate
7 / Academic Goals, Study Skills, & Time Management / Light, Chapter 3; “At Girl’s Schools, Teaching Finances as Sum of Equality” / Time Logue
8 / Conducting Research / “Anoop Acknowledgements,” “Harper’s Index”
9 / Lecture Topic / Lecture reading / Attend lecture
10 / The General Education Requirements (2nd Student Services Workshop) / Undergraduate Catalog On-line / ---
11 / Sexual Harassment & Gender Issues / “Sexual Harassment Routine;” “At Colleges, Women are Leaving Men in the Dust” / Preventing Sexual Harassment completion certificate
12 / Ethnic Diversity / Light, Chapter 7; “The Days and Nights of Maurice Cherry,” “Indians’ Wish List,” “For the Gambling Elderly...”
13 / Economic Diversity / Light, Chapter 8; “Serving in Florida”
14 / Globalism / Light, Chapter 9; “It’s a colossal anarchy...;” “The Politics of Coffee”
15 / No class (Finals Week)