Instructor: Dr. Paul Regier Time: Mon/Wed 10:10-11:10 am, Tues 6:30 pm
Email: Place: Trout Hall 314
Office hours: paulregier.com/office-hours

1 Course Description

First-Year Seminar (FYS) is a 3-credit-hour course designed to integrate new students into college life in general and Science and Arts (S&A) life in particular. FYS is part of the Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) common learning program and introduces ideas and skills that will appear in other IDS, as well as major, courses. All students entering S&A with fewer than 24 credit hours completed, or who are admitted under academic probation, are required to take FYS in their first Fall term at S&A. Curriculum covers a range of topics including campus services, information literacy, academic integrity, study skills, interdisciplinary thinking, the liberal arts, critical thinking, diversity/equity/inclusion, and setting educational goals.

1.1 Rationale

Research from The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and others consistently demonstrates that beginning college students are more likely to persist and succeed when they are integrated into a specific learning mindset in the first year. Mindset theory, based on research by Carol Dweck, suggests that the ideal learning situation fuses Growth Mindset, the belief that one can grow and learn and become smarter, with Belonging, the feeling of being a valued part of one’s learning environment, and Purpose, the sense that one’s educational efforts have relevance. Outcomes for FYS reflect the faculty’s desire to provide incoming students with these feelings of empowerment, acceptance, and meaning.

1.2 Learning Outcomes

Inherent in the outcomes listed below are soft skills reported to be critical for success in our 21st century work environment (Kurtney, 11 April 2022). Among the top ten listed for any profession that will be discussed and experienced through completion of this course include time management of personal, professional, and academic activities; communication with professors, peers, and agency personnel; adaptability to new and ongoing changes in personal, professional, and academic environments; creativity and attention to detail in projects and assignments; and strengthening of a person’s work ethic.

  • Growth
    • Understand differences between college-level education and secondary education
    • Develop skills that promote understanding and retention
    • Apply information literacy and critical thinking skills
    • Understand academic integrity
    • Create a personal academic plan
  • Belonging
    • Discover the college’s history, interdisciplinary ethic, and liberal arts mission
    • Locate campus facilities and resources
    • Engage in campus extracurricular activities
    • Understand the college’s commitment to equity and social justice
    • Collaborate with peers to identify and solve problems
  • Purpose
    • Identify personal, intellectual, and career goals
    • Identify experiential learning opportunities
    • Articulate a personal health plan

1.3 Required Materials

  1. College Success (free online)
  2. Every Body Looking
    • Citation: Iloh, Candice. Every Body Looking. Penguin, 2021.
  3. This I Believe II
    • Citation: Allison, Jay, and Dan Gediman, eds. This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. Macmillan, 2008.
  4. Gender: Your Guide: A Gender-Friendly Primer on What to Know, What to Say, and What to Do in the New Gender Culture
    • Citation: Airton, Lee. Gender: Your guide: A gender-friendly primer on what to know, what to say, and what to do in the new gender culture. Simon and Schuster, 2018.

1.4 Course Expectations

Students in this course are expected to:

  • listen to one another’s ideas
  • actively engage in class discussion
  • respect all members of the classroom

You do not have to (and will likely not) agree with every idea shared. But it is our hope that everyone feels comfortable and develops a sense of mutual trust so that everyone can participate freely and share opinions, perspectives, and experiences.

All campus community members are expected to treat each other with respect for their diverse identities and backgrounds, including ability, economic class, race and ethnicity, religion or faith tradition, gender identity and expression, nationality, sexual orientation, and their intersections. In this class and on the S&A campus, we value the characteristics of “brave spaces” as defined by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators:

  • “Controversy with civility,” where varying opinions are accepted
  • “Owning intentions and impacts,” in which students acknowledge and discuss instances where a dialogue has affected the emotional well-being of another person
  • “Challenge by choice,” where students have an option to step in and out of challenging conversations
  • “Respect,” where students show respect for one another’s basic person-hood
  • “No attacks,” where students agree not to intentionally inflict harm on one another

1.5 Course Requirements

  1. Read all assigned readings.
  2. Attend class sessions in person and engaging in class discussions and activities. (28 sessions)
  3. Submit all assignments in Canvas. (~25) These include:
    • beginning of semester syllabus quiz
    • writing assignments, due weekly by class Wednesday
    • weekly reflections, due weekly by Fridays at noon
  4. Choose one writing assignment to present in class (5-10 minutes).

1.6 Canvas Help

If you ever need help with Canvas, check out the help features provided by Canvas, shown below:

2 Course Format

This course will meet in the following formats

2.1 Cohort Discussions (Two-Hour Section)

Monday/Wednesday, 10:10-11:10 am, Trout Hall 314

Two hours per week will take place in small-group recitation cohorts taught by faculty from across all five schools. The weekly course schedule is provided in the home page of Canvas. It is subject to change. Students are responsible to check Canvas frequently for updates. Readings should be completed prior to class sessions in which topics are discussed. Assignments include academic and reflective writing. At least one assignment will require an oral presentation.

2.2 Plenary Meeting (1 hour co-requisite)

Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 pm, Te Ata Auditorium

Weekly meeting of the entire cohort with Dr. Brown to provide overview of the liberal arts, interdisciplinarity, campus services, and USAO opportunities such as mentored research and study away. Includes guest appearances including but not limited to:

  • Nash Library
  • Student services
  • Student government
  • Clubs and activities
  • Study away faculty
  • Student Success Center
  • Division advisers
  • Department coordinators
  • Financial and career services
  • Academic Integrity

<!– Here is the tentative schedule for the plenary meetings this semester.

3 Assessment

3.1 Attendence

Attendance will be taken at each session. For each session students will receive:

  • 1 point = for attending class sessions in person and engaging in class discussions and activities.
  • 0 point = for attending in late, leaving early, not engaging, engaging in a disrespectful manner, or not attending

Students are expected to attend every class session and remain in class for the duration of the session. Failure to attend class, late arrival, or early departure may impact your ability to achieve course objectives and pass the course. An absence, excused or unexcused, does not relieve a student of any course requirement. Regular class attendance is a student’s obligation, as is a responsibility for all the work of class meetings. Students are encouraged to work directly with the instructor regarding their absences.

3.2 Assignments

All assignments (syllabus quiz, weekly reflections, and writing assignments, and presentation) will be graded as follows:

  • 1 points = the assignment was submitted and reviewed by the instructor, or
  • 0 points = meaning the assignment was not submitted

Anyone seeing a 0 but sure that the assignment was submitted should immediately contact the instructor. Late assignments will be accepted up to one week late, in which case the 0 will turn to a 1/2 point. Otherwise, the assignment remains a 0.

Students will be allowed to opt out of one assignment with no penalty to the overall grade in the course. Reasons for opting out of assignments will remain student knowledge only unless the student chooses to share with the instructor. Reasons for opting out of an assignment are numerous and reflect:

  • life in general (sometimes things happen). For example, we may feel overwhelmed during a particular week (think midterms), and we decide to skip an assignment because we can’t manage it without sacrificing another assignment.
  • unexpected illness (like waking with the flu and 100+ temperature) or an emergency family obligation.
  • level of comfort a student has with a topic to be discussed

If a student chooses to opt out of an assignment, an email stating such must be sent to the instructor so prior to assignment due date so that adjustment in the grade book can be made.

3.3 Final Grade

This course is graded as a pass/no pass course.

To pass the course, students must receive 80% of all points assigned form Assignments and Attendance.

3.4 Extra Credit

There is one extra credit assignment in this course, listed in Campus. Interested students look under “Assignments” in Canvas.

4 Course Communication

Be aware and anticipate the following response times for the following types of correspondence:

  • Student –> Instructor: For emails to the instructor sent after 8 am on Monday but before noon on Friday, please allow 24 hrs response time. Messages left after midday Friday may take up to 72 hrs. Holidays excluded. Messages sent via email generally will receive quicker responses than messages sent in Canvas.
  • Instructor –> Student: Students are expected to check and be aware of information sent via email and Canvas announcement posts regularly and respond if needed following the same guidelines described in the above item.
  • Student –> Student: When working with other students (e.g. homework or group projects) students are advised to exchange contact information of some sort, as well as check and read email/group messages regularly.

In all course communication with your instructor and classmates, please follow these net etiquette (netiquette) guidelines: 1

  1. Remember the Human: When communicating electronically, whether through email, instant message, discussion post, text, or some other method, practice the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Remember, your written words are read by real people, all deserving of respectful communication. Consider the tone of your emails and discussion posts and before you press “send” or “submit” ask yourself, “Would I be okay with this if someone else had written it?”
  2. Make yourself look good: In all course communication with your instructor and classmates, be professional and polite. One of the great things about the virtual world is the lack of judgment associated with your physical appearance, the sound of your voice, or the clothes you wear. You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing, so keep the following tips in mind:
    • Always check for capitalization, spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
    • Think about what you want to communicate and state it clearly.
    • Avoid slang and acronyms like ROTFL for “rolling on the floor laughing.”
    • Don’t use ALL CAPS for entire sentences or posts, which denote yelling at someone. Any form of attack or inappropriate response within any form of communication with other students or faculty is unacceptable and if done in a discussion post will be removed immediately accompanied with a warning.
    • Be pleasant and polite.
  3. Respect other people’s time and bandwidth: Electronic communication takes time: time to read and time in which to respond. Most people today lead busy lives, just like you do, and don’t have time to read or respond to frivolous emails or discussion posts. As a virtual world communicator, it is your responsibility to make sure that the time spent reading your words isn’t wasted. Make your written communication meaningful and to the point, without extraneous text or large attachments that may take forever to download.

5 Other Information

5.1 Student Success Center (SSC)

The Student Success Center (SSC) offers FREE individual tutoring, hosted in the top floor of Nash Library! See the SSC website for hours and link for scheduling an appointment. It is very helpful to come to tutoring appointments with specific questions or topics you want help with.

This and other useful resources are also provided the “Student Resources” tab in Canvas.

5.2 Illness and COVID-19 Policies

Regular class attendance is necessary in achieving the course objectives. Thus, taking care of your health and avoiding unnecessary exposure to illness is an important part of your success.

However, if you do fall ill for any reason, I want you to be able to rest. Please do not come to class if you are sick (due to COVID or otherwise). If you are ill, simply email me to let me know. Then, when you are well, contact me ASAP to make plans for making up missed work.

For absences related to COVID-19, please adhere to the following:

  • If you test positive or are evaluated by a healthcare provider for symptoms of COVID-19, please alert the University at who will follow up with you as necessary, and your instructors will be notified.
  • If you have been exposed to COVID-19 positive individuals and/or have been notified to self-quarantine due to exposure, please notify the University at who will follow up with you as necessary, and your instructors will be notified.
  • To return to class after being absent due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or due to a period of self-quarantine, students should email who will follow up with you as necessary, and your instructors will be notified.
  • Supporting documentation can be attached directly to the request form and should be from a student’s health care provider or Student Affairs, clearly indicating the dates of absences and the date the student can return to class.
  • If you are absent from class as a result of a COVID-19 diagnosis or quarantine, you are still responsible to complete all course requirements. As the instructor, I will work with you to make up work. However, it is your responsibility to contact me to make plans for making up missed work as soon as you are well. Do not wait until the end of the semester to make up missed work.

5.3 Accessibility Policy

The University’s accessibility policy is page 15 of equity policy.

5.4 Disability Services

The University has a continuing commitment to providing accommodations for students with documented disabilities. The need for accommodations and the process for arranging them may be altered by safety protocols related to COVID-19. To fully participate in this class, those with disabilities who may need accommodation should contact the Disability Services, as soon as possible. For this semester, please do this by emailing the Disability Services Office at .

5.5 Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty in any form is a violation of the Academic Code of Conduct and will not be tolerated. There is a zero-tolerance policy in this course for any form of plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, forgery, or any other type of academic dishonesty. For more on the Academic Code of Conduct please see the USAO student handbook.

5.6 Important Dates

It is your responsibility to be aware of the following important dates:

  • Last day to drop – Wednesday, Jan 19
  • Last day to withdraw with an automatic “W” – Friday, March 4
  • Last day to withdraw – Friday, March 25

Please also mark your calendar with all exam dates, as posted in course schedule (see home Canvas page).

5.7 Course Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this course as deemed mutually beneficial or necessary to all involved, with appropriate notification.

I encourage any feedback you have at any point during the semester. If you find any structural or content errors in any current course materials, let me know politely and respectfully via the syllabus discussion in Canvas, via email, or in person. If you do so, I will give two points extra credit (per correction) toward Online Homework.

  1. Partially adapted from The Core Rules of Netiquette. Shea, V. (1994). Netiquette (Online ed., pp. 32-45). San Francisco: Albion Books.↩︎