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Syllabus
The Pursuit of Knowledge
(Part IV: Knowledge and Reasoning in the Social Sciences)
IDS 1110-H
(Classroom Course)
Semester TBA
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Note: This is an incomplete
version of the syllabus that my not be fully up-to-date in all
respects. It is intended to give prospective students a general sense
of the design, structure, and requirements of the course.
Students who are enrolled in the course can access the complete
version of the syllabus by logging on to the password protected
homepage on
Blackboard/WebCT, and they should rely upon that
as the authoritative guide to the course. |
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Course
Description
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This is a team-taught, interdisciplinary course
that serves as an orientation to the
Honors Program. The
course is divided into four quarters of approximately four weeks
each: the first quarter introduces the interdisciplinary perspective
by examining the common standards of reasoning and analysis that
underlie all academic disciplines, and the remaining three quarters
provide substantive illustrations of sound reasoning in the areas of
the Humanities, the Natural Sciences, and the Social Sciences.
Note: this online syllabus describes the policies and requirements
for Dr. Lett's segment of the course ONLY (i.e.,
Part
IV: Knowledge and Reasoning in the Social Sciences);
students seeking information about the other 75% of the course taught
by the other three instructors should contact the appropriate member
of the
Honors
Faculty. |
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Course
Objective
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The course explores the nature of knowledge
acquisition throughout the liberal arts curriculum. The fundamental
goal of the course is to help students appreciate the
interconnectedness of knowledge across the entire range of academic
disciplines. The course will be taught as a seminar, emphasizing the
importance of reasoned discussion in the pursuit of knowledge.
Students will be evaluated on their ability to develop and apply
critical thinking skills, as well as their ability to effectively
communicate their ideas in both verbal and written form. |
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Required
Textbook
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| The Blank Slate: The
Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker. 2002.
New York: Viking. |
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Writing
Assignments
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Students will be required to write four Reaction
Papers during the four weeks devoted to this segment of the course
(i.e., Part IV: Knowledge and Reasoning in the Social
Sciences). For detailed information about the Reaction Papers,
including thorough instructions about the topic and format of the
essays, see the
Complete Guidelines for Writing the Reaction Papers. |
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Attendance
Policy
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Class participation is an essential
element of the course, and for that reason attendance is mandatory.
As described below, student grades will be based in part on attendance
(see the criteria for Class Participation grades); thus students who
are forced to miss a substantial portion of the class sessions should
consider withdrawing from the course to avoid a severe grade penalty. |
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Grading
Method
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The student grade for this segment of the
course
(i.e., Part IV: Knowledge and Reasoning in the
Social Sciences) will be based on the cumulative average of the
four Reaction Papers and the Class Participation grade, weighted as
follows: |
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Grade Percentages |
| Reaction Paper # 1 |
20% |
| Reaction Paper # 2 |
20% |
| Reaction Paper # 3 |
20% |
| Reaction Paper # 4 |
20% |
| Class Participation |
20% |
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| Class Participation grades will be awarded based
on the following criteria: |
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Grade |
Numerical Value |
Criteria |
| A |
95 |
Student (1) is never absent [i.e., is present for every
minute of all four class sessions], (2) always participates,
(3) invariably
contributes significant and relevant ideas, and (4) demonstrates ability
to integrate and apply assigned readings [each of
these four elements must be present as a minimum to earn
this grade level--if any of these elements are missing, the
grade will be lowered]. |
| B |
85 |
Student is (1) rarely absent [i.e., is present for all
four classes, missing at most a few minutes of a single class
session], (2) almost always participates, (3) frequently
contributes significant and relevant ideas, and (4) demonstrates
detailed understanding of assigned readings [each
of these four elements must be present as a minimum to
earn this grade level--if any of these elements are missing, the
grade will be lowered]. |
| C |
75 |
Student (1) usually attends [i.e., is present for at
least three of the four class sessions], (2) usually participates,
(3)
sometimes
contributes significant and relevant ideas, and (4) demonstrates
substantial familiarity with readings [each of
these four elements must be present as a minimum to earn
this grade level--if any of these elements are missing, the
grade will be lowered]. |
| D |
65 |
Student (1) attends irregularly [i.e., is present for at
least two of the four class sessions], (2) participates infrequently,
(3)
rarely
contributes ideas that are either significant or relevant,
and (4) fails to demonstrate significant familiarity with
assigned readings [each of these four elements must be
present as a minimum to earn this grade level--if any of
these elements are missing, the grade will be lowered]. |
| F |
55 |
Student (1) attends irregularly [i.e., is present for at
least one of the four class sessions], (2) rarely if ever participates,
(3) never
contributes significant or relevant ideas, and (4) fails to demonstrate
any
familiarity with assigned readings [each of these
four elements must be present as a minimum to earn this
grade level--if any of these elements are missing, the grade
will be lowered]. |
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Schedule of
Assignments
(Click on the links in the "Writing
Assignment" column for complete details about the requirements for
the Reaction Papers.)
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