Course Description

This course fulfills your senior year requirement of the Liberal Studies Core. It is taught by the College of Communication for its majors, but you will receive Liberal Studies credit rather than Communication credit. The purpose of this course is to provide a transition between undergraduate education and either the world of work or movement into a professional or graduate program and to link communication skills, knowledge, and competencies with liberal arts and sciences as you contemplate major issues facing our society. Students will be asked to reflect upon these issues, drawing from not only the readings but also an undergraduate education at DePaul, both in liberal arts and the major. Students will select the topics/themes for the second half of the quarter.

Course Objectives

This course is designed to allow students to reflect on the learning derived from their undergraduate education (liberal studies, major, and minor) in order to reach theory-based conclusions about self-identity, social relationships, liberal education, and future directions. Thinking abilities (analysis, synthesis, critical thinking, and evaluation), discussion abilities, written competencies, interdisciplinary connections, disciplinary learning, ethical issues, and theoretical applications also serve as underpinnings to both course content and pedagogy.

The objectives are as follows:

1. Students will identify sources that were meaningful in their educational formation, and dialogue with others about the impact and significance of these sources, including multicultural perspectives.

2. Students will utilize skills in close reading, analysis, critical thinking, writing, and small group communication in a senior experience that nurtures cross-disciplinary appreciation, and independent synthesis.

3. Students will structure and complete a learning activity deemed personally significant, and thereby, clarify the connection between course studies, critical and creative thinking, and life applications.

4. Students will demonstrate presentational competencies through this capstone project.

Course Organization

This course is a seminar in which we all read selected materials and discuss them and their relevance to our lives. For discussion to be rich and fruitful, it is imperative that we read the assignments carefully and contemplate questions and comments about them. You also should come to class prepared not only to engage the readings fully but also to make connections among readings from week to week and to move beyond the readings to your previous coursework, your lives, experiences, hopes, and dreams.

Required Readings

All course readings are available on-line. Download and print the files.

http://condor.depaul.edu/~dmakagon/student/

Readings for group presentations will not be available until we begin group sessions. These readings will include all of the materials from the three student groups for sessions 8, 9 and 10.

You are required to complete the reading assignments before you attend class. This will lead to more fruitful discussion.

Course Assignments

There are four graded aspects to this course, which are weighted as follows:

Participation 10%

Quizzes 15%

Course Leadership Group Teaching Session 35%

Senior Paper (6-8 pages) 40%

Quizzes

We will take multiple-choice quizzes for each reading. When group presentations occur, each group will create a quiz on their readings. Groups will provide a range of multiple-choice questions. I will select the questions from each group’s suggested list.

Course Leadership Teaching Session

Each student will join one of three groups who will be responsible for a class session in the second half of the quarter. Students will select the three topics to be covered and join one group during the first class session. Groups may not divide up a huge topic and have six or seven different presenters (i.e., have everyone do their own thing). Rather, the class sessions should be thematic and smooth.

The responsibilities of the group will be to plan the class sessions:

1. Your group will select the readings (use the page counts for my assigned readings as a guide) and any other materials or activities to be used that evening. All materials that need to be scanned for the class must be delivered to me by the following dates: June 27^th for Group #1, June 29^th for Group #2 (if the group scans and June 27^th if I need to scan), and July 6^th for Group #3 (or June 29^th if I need to scan). Originals need to be single-sided, legible, and clean (not underlined and marked up). (If you are scanning your own materials, make sure the scans are of clean copies and you scan in black and white—not grayscale or in color unless it is impossible to read B/W—at 200 to 300 DPI. Email me the scans so I can put them in the folder.)

2. Confirm that students did the readings by developing a quiz for the class to take (and provide me with a key for the quiz with which to grade it). Your quiz should contain multiple-choice questions, and you should provide me with more questions than will be used. I will select which questions will be on the quiz the students take and will Xerox the quiz for the class.

3. Create and lead the discussions and/or exercises appropriate to the topic. Here the team has two primary objectives: (1) to stimulate class discussion in such a way that many students participate, and (2) to direct the discussion in such a way that students learn how the readings are tied together and linked to the topic at hand. (NOTE: Do not simply lecture about the material to the class; you are teaching us rather than presenting a topic.)

4. Evaluate yourself and people within your group. My own and your classmates’ evaluations of the group presentation will be added to the grades you generate.

NOTE: Each group has the right to kick out a non-participating member. Any member kicked out of their group automatically loses the points for this group project (35% of your total grade). The group should exercise EVERY means possible for getting the group member to do his/her part. In the event that the individual still does not participate, the group should speak with me before kicking out the member.

I am more than happy to work with your groups if you would like my input.

5. You will turn in a written agenda and analysis of the readings. Type a 3-5 page (double-spaced) report. Analysis: Do not simply summarize the reading materials, but indicate why you chose them (connections to liberal studies, communication, and the topic) and provide your own critical thinking and in-depth analysis of the readings. Agenda: Create an agenda for leading the class discussion. Be specific in describing what you will say to the class, the questions you will ask, and your procedures for conducting any activities. (NOTE: Do not just list what you plan to do; instead, provide a rationale for each step of your group’s session.)

Grades are based on the following percentages: My evaluation of your presentation (50%), My evaluation of your written agenda (30%), peer evaluations (10%), class evaluations (10%).

Senior Paper

This course provides the opportunity for you to critically examine your desired career choice through textual research and qualitative fieldwork (e.g., interviews with people in your chosen area and observation). You should submit a brief proposal (2-3 pages) during the third session of the quarter. Your proposal should clearly state what you intend to do, summarize your data sources, and present a general timeline for completion. This should be written in the form of an essay, not written as an outline. I will meet with students during sessions 4 and 5 to discuss proposals.

Your 6-8 page final paper should critically examine your career choice. You should build a case that argues for what it takes to succeed in your area. Additionally, you should address how a liberal arts-based communication education is connected to these goals. Your support material should come from published research, trade publications, and interviews (either in person, on the phone, or via email). Cite all sources. I expect at least 3 interview citations and at least 7 reputable published sources. You need to include a bibliography/works cited/end or footnotes depending on your citation manual. This should include citation of interviews per your style manual--usually available on-line for most simple types of citations, as would be used for this paper, or you can see a reference librarian at the library.

I should be clear that this is a critical examination of the career itself, not an autobiographical tale. The point is to understand the connection between a formal education and a way of life. Although the paper is clearly about your career choice, anyone should be able to read the paper and gain some sense of how a DePaul education prepares someone for this career and what it would take to be successful in the area discussed in the paper. You are ultimately trying to strike a balance between writing about success in the career itself and preparation for this career given a liberal arts-based communication education at DePaul and also writing about yourself, which is, understandably, a tricky balance. You can start things off in terms of that balance by writing an introduction that frames the career itself and a DePaul education: (1) start with something that grabs a reader's attention and frames the career more generally, (2) narrow to a statement about how DePaul prepares one for this career, (3) discuss some broader way in which success is measured in this field relative to some position within the field, and (4) state a thesis that rolls into a preview (e.g., given solid preparation at DePaul one could expect to succeed in this career if w, x, y, and z happen). Then into the body, where w, x, y, and z are explained, framed via an education at DePaul, and applied to your life/strengths/interests/experiences/goals/hopes.

In short, the paper should have some balance between explaining the career itself, discussing what it takes to succeed given your literature review and interviews, framed via preparation at DePaul, and applied to your life. Following this kind of structure will help you keep a balance between creating this road map for succeeding in the career and also writing through how you can do it (i.e., not writing a straight memoir). Of course, excellent papers can have a clear structure but also flow in creative ways that don't feel (or read) so stiff.

This paper will be graded in two parts: proposal = 5% and final paper = 35%.

Written Assignment Requirements

All papers should be typed, double-spaced throughout the entire essay, and use a consistent style (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.). Use one-inch margins and 12-point font. I do not accept electronic copies of student work. See the syllabus addendum (available in the folder that contains pdfs for this class) for a description of my grading policies and expectations as well as further details on written assignments.

For assistance with your writing, contact or visit the Writing Center: Lincoln Park at 802 W. Belden, 150 McGaw Hall, 773-325-4272 and The Loop at 25 E. Jackson, 1620 Lewis Center, 312-362-6726. wcenter@depaul.edu.

Course Policies

Promptness is expected as a general rule. If you are consistently late to class your grade will be negatively affected. Leaving before the class ends or arriving more than 10 minutes late is an absence.

Attendance and Active Participation are expected and required. You are allowed one unexcused absence in this class, and two absences total if at least one of those is excused (e.g., you have documentation about a medical illness/emergency, legal issue/civic responsibility, or are missing because of an official DePaul function). If you miss more than two class sessions with at least one of those absences being excused, or have more than one unexcused absence, you will receive an “F’ in the class (even if the absences are excused). Missing this many class sessions (more than 20% of the term) undermines the integrity of the classroom experience. If you miss this much class because of illness or a family emergency, you should meet with the Dean of Students to discuss withdrawal options. Participation grades are factored based on quantity and quality of contributions to course discussions, asking questions about readings and class materials, and helping to foster lively and thoughtful discussion.

All assignments are due on assigned days and in class. There will be NO MAKE-UPS. Documented illness or documented emergencies are the only exception to this policy. Changes in work schedules, personal celebrations (e.g., birthdays), assignments due in other classes, car problems/EL congestion, etc. are NOT considered to be legitimate reasons for missing deadlines or class meetings. If you have an excused absence for a class session when you would turn in a paper or take a quiz then you can give me the paper on the next date you attend class and/or make up the quiz during the next class session. (Note: If you will be missing a class because of a religious holiday, let me know in writing at least two weeks before the holiday so we can make arrangements to make up missed work.)

Students with disabilities should provide me with documentation from the Office of Students with Disabilities.

Cellular Phones: If you have a cellular phone or pager, turn it off or set it to vibrate, and keep it in your backpack or purse. All cell phones must be put away during the class session. I will confiscate cellular phones for the remainder of the class session if you are sending or reading text messages or using your phone to check email/surf the Internet.

E-mail: I often send e-mail announcements to the class. You need to (1) make sure your preferred email address in Campus Connect is the address you check regularly so messages do not bounce back and (2) make sure my email address will pass through your spam filter.

Plagiarism

I have often found that plagiarism becomes tempting if students are feeling pressured. Remember, when in doubt quote. If you are quoting someone else in your presentation, you need to clearly identify the information as a quote and the source. Similarly, when paraphrasing, you should clearly identify your source. If you are quoting somebody directly in your paper then you need to list the information within quotation marks and cite a page number. If you are paraphrasing then you need to cite the person and a page number. Never copy and paste entire documents into your paper and do not quote others to the point where your ideas become indistinguishable from your source's ideas. There is no reason to plagiarize given the resources available to you (e.g., opportunities to meet with me; coaches in the writing center; my handout on writing for the class; and DePaul’s policy on academic integrity, which can be found at http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/). If you do plagiarize, you will automatically receive a grade of “F” in this class. Moreover, the Academic Affairs office will be contacted.

Grade Scale

93-100 A, 90-92 A-, 88-89 B+, 83-87 B, 80-82 B-, 78-79 C+, 73-77 C, 70-72 C-, 60-69 D, 0-59 F

(I do not assign incompletes)

Tentative Course Schedule

DATE READING ASSIGNMENTS

6/13 Course Introduction

Selection of course leadership groups

The Value of a Liberal Education

6/15 John Agresto, “The Public Value of the Liberal Arts”

Mark Edmundson, “On Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students”

Earl Shorris, “In the Hands of the Restless Poor”

Career Opportunities Part I

6/20 Guest Speaker: Michael Elias and/or Ed Childs

Proposals for Senior Projects Due

Read: “7 Things That Don’t Belong in an Email”

“Don’t Let Facebook Ruin Your Job Search

Sherry Roberts and Terry Roach, “Social Networking Web Sites…”

Randall Hansen and Katherine Hansen, “Your First Days Working at a New Job”

Katherine Hansen, “Ten Ways to Market Your Liberal Arts Degree”

6/22 Individual Project meetings with me (in my office)

All groups should be meeting and working in preparation for the group-led classes (and getting your reading packet finalized to be handed in next week)

6/27 Individual Project meetings with me (in my office)

All groups should be meeting and working in preparation for the group-led classes (and getting your reading packet finalized to be handed in next week)

Scans of Group #1 readings and quiz questions Due

Group Leadership Sessions

6/29 Group #1 Presentation

Group #2 readings and quiz questions Due

7/4 4^th of July holiday

7/6 Group #2 Presentation

Group #3 readings and quiz questions Due

7/11 Group #3 Presentation

Final Papers

7/13 Senior Papers due by email 1:30PM (Hard copies with SASE to 14 E Jackson)