FRS 100: Freshman Seminar

Fall 2002

General

Assignments Grades Instructor

Objectives P’s and Q’s Supplies

Schedule 

Personal Development

Lesson 1: Goals and Time (Aug. 19, 21)

Lesson 2: Careers and Courses (Aug. 26, 28)

Study Skills

Lesson 3: Computers (Sept. 6)

Lesson 4: Learning (Sept. 9)

Lesson 5: Notes (Sept. 16)

Lesson 6: Assignments (Sept. 23)

Lesson 7: Exams (Sept. 30)

Life Skills

Lesson 8: Relationships (Oct. 7)

Lesson 9: Workshop on Life Plan (Oct. 14)

Lesson 10: Health (Oct. 21)

Lesson 11: Scheduling (Oct. 28)

Lesson 12: Drugs and Alcohol (Nov. 4)

Interviews (Nov. 11-15)

Updated August 22, 2002
© Mark Canada, 2002
mark.canada@uncp.edu

Introduction

If someone gave you the greatest treasure in world, how would you spend it?

The question is worth pondering. After all, you already have the greatest treasure in the world: a life. You have a body that can lift and move things, a mind that can understand and solve problems, friends who can love and help you, and a certain amount of time—perhaps 70 or 80 years—to use all of those assets to do something worthwhile. How will you spend your treasure?

Don’t answer quite yet. First, you will want to know something about your choices. If you thoughtlessly snatch up the first things you find—the first major, the first job, the first relationship—you may get stuck with some lemons, and lemons can be turn rather unpleasant in 20 or 40 or 60 years. Instead of acting impulsively, shop around. See exactly what your choices are and what they are worth.

The purpose of this course is to help you become a smart shopper. You will learn about the vast number of resources available to you in college and beyond: classes, professors, fellow students, advisors, libraries, computers, workshops, and more. You also will encounter various strategies designed to help you get and do what you want. You will learn, for example, how to earn good grades in college courses, how to take care of your body and mind, and how to develop healthy relationships. No matter what your experience is, you probably will encounter some resources and strategies you never knew existed. They may turn out to be really valuable to you. Other things you will already know. That’s OK; perhaps you can teach your classmates. Then there are those things you thought you knew, but didn’t. In any case, you want to try to learn all you can before you spend. After all, this isn’t just an allowance or even a paycheck you are spending; this is your life.

Instructor

At Work  Professor Mark Canada 118 Dial Building ETL Department UNC-Pembroke mark.canada@uncp.edu (910) 521-6431 Office hours: 7-8 a.m. M-F, 9-10 a.m. F At Home Mark Canada The Canadas

On first glance, you probably wouldn’t suspect that I was in possession of a treasure. I don’t live in a palace or indulge in fabulous feasts. I don’t wear satin robes or move about in a coach pulled by white stallions. I don’t even have cable TV! For me, however, my life is an amazing treasure worth far more than red carpets, leg of lamb, or reruns of The Brady Bunch. For nearly 13 years, I have been married to a person who is an endless source of love, support, and joy. Together, Lisa and I have two children, 4-year-old Esprit and 1-year-old Will, who provide even more love and joy—as well as meaning—to our lives. All four of us enjoy good health, enough money to cover our modest needs, and, most important, a lot of time to spend together learning, playing, and traveling. I have even found the perfect job for me, one that allows me to earn a paycheck for doing three things I love to do: read, write, and learn. In making choices about how to spend my life, I have not always been a smart shopper. That used 1982 Pontiac J2000 I bought right after college is certainly not going to put me on the cover of Consumer Reports. On the whole, however, I think I have used my time, my money, and my energies wisely to achieve my goals in life. I hope that I can help you do the same.

P’s and Q’s

Objectives Personal Development: The primary objective of this course is to help you develop a plan and a strategy for your life. You will learn some highly effective ideas for setting and meeting goals. Study Skills: Many students fail to achieve their goals in college not because they lack the necessary intelligence, but because they don’t know how to apply their intelligence. In this course, you will learn some strategies for learning material, completing assignments, and taking tests so that your performance matches your potential. Life Skills: As you probably have already discovered, classes are only part of the college experience. In addition to learning skills for studying, you will begin to explore skills for living, specifically skills for managing stress, taking care of your health, and developing healthy relationships. Resources: You achieve more in college and in life if you know where to find help. In this course, you will become familiar with numerous resources, including the Career Services Center, the campus library, and the Counseling and Testing Center. Supplies Making Your Mark Freshman Success Guide UNCP Catalog

As I have explained in the course objectives at the left, this course will give you the opportunity to develop as a person, to learn effective study and life skills, and to become familiar with useful resources. As your guide, I will work hard to help you achieve these objectives. I want to see every one of you succeed. Of course, your success will depend primarily on you. To help you make the most out of your abilities, I have put together the following list of “p’s and q’s”:  Preparation Before you can succeed, you need to prepare.  Indeed, preparation is the single most important key to success, not only in this class, but also in college and in life.  You already have taken the first step by reading this syllabus.  Take a few minutes every few weeks to review this syllabus, which describes not only the assignments, but also my criteria for grading them.  An equally important form of preparation is reading the lessons that I will post on the Web throughout the semester.  Each lesson contains objectives, assignments, names and terms you need to know, class activities, a list of resources, announcements, and discussion. In short, the lessons are your keys to success in this course. Like any keys, however, they need someone to operate them. Before each unit, you should visit this online syllabus, click on the link to the unit lesson, and read the lesson carefully, preparing yourself to meet the objectives and completing the appropriate assignments.  Come to class with notes and questions on the lesson and other assignments.  Finally, review the lesson at the end of the week to make sure you have met the objectives.  Participation Once you are prepared to learn, you also need to show up for class and to participate in class exercises and discussions.  According to university policy, if you miss more than two class meetings for any reason, you will fail this course and will have to repeat it. Furthermore, research shows that active participation dramatically increases the amount a person learns.  As you will see when you read the lessons, you will have plenty of opportunities to become engaged with the course material through writing, presentations, and discussion. Physical Health Your mind is part of your body.  It should come as no surprise, then, that good physical health can improve your learning and your grades.  Studies have suggested that eating breakfast can improve test performance, that protein can boost alertness, and that exercise can help a person think effectively.  I suggest drinking 8-10 glasses of water each day, avoiding junk food and caffeine, exercising at least a half-hour each day, and maintaining a consistent schedule of seven to nine hours of sleep every night.  You may be surprised by the difference these simple practices can make not only in your health, but also in your productivity and consequent academic success. Politeness Your grades depend entirely on your performance.  Nevertheless, being polite is good practice for life after college and can help you establish a good rapport with your professors.  When I write recommendations for students to earn scholarships, enter graduate school, or obtain jobs, I always include a paragraph on character and comment specifically on qualities such as punctuality and politeness. In addition to doing your best work in this course, put your best self on display. Show up for class and conferences on time and wait until class has ended before packing up your books.  Turn in assignments when they are due and avoid making excuses for absences or poor work.  Quality Nothing impresses a teacher or an employer more than work that shines not only in content, but also in form.  Invest the time and energy into submitting assignments of which you can be proud. For starters, read each assignment carefully and try to provide exactly what the professor requests.  In addition to researching, writing, revising, and proofreading your work carefully, follow instructions on format.  Questions When you need information or help, ask. For example, if you have problems coming to class, keeping up with assignments, or using the computer, see me immediately.  In addition, please note the following statement from Disability Support Services: "Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester (preferably within the first week) as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please contact Mary Helen Walker, Disability Support Services, DF Lowry building, 521-6695.”

Assignments

Life Plan Topics Personal development Study Skills Life Skills Resources Components Original motto Three inspirational quotations Schedule of 5 long-term goals Daily schedule Annotated list of 10 resources Profile (250 words) Mission (250 words) Strategy (500 words) Due: 9 a.m. Oct. 28, 2002 Value: 60 points Commercial Topics Tutors (Sept. 9): Allison, William, Wendy Library (Sept. 16): Jana, Richard, Brian Writing Center (Sept. 23): Kyle J., Jeff, Jarrin Disability Support Services (Sept. 30): Chris, Courtney, Jason Student Activities (Oct. 7): Dwayne, Heather, Johnnie SHS (Oct. 14): Amber, David, Nicholas Counseling and Testing (Oct. 21): Kyle W., Siporia, Jeremy Components Location Explanation of value Brochure or URL Due: See dates above Value: 20 points Interview Topics Personal development Study Skills Life Skills Resources Components Presentation (5 minutes) Questions and Answers (10 minutes) Due: Nov. 11-15, 2002 Value: 20 points

Life Plan In this assignment, you will use what you have learned in this course to develop a plan for your college career, as well as the rest of your life. The purpose of this “life plan” is not to make you schedule every day or even every year of the rest of your life—no one can do that—but rather to help you discover your interests and values, to set some goals, and to develop a strategy for achieving those goals. As indicated in the sidebar to the left, this plan should contain eight components: 1) an original motto in which you succinctly capture the essence of your life philosophy; 2) three inspirational quotations that can help you stay focused on that philosophy; 3) a schedule of five long-term goals you have for your life in areas such as school, career, and family; 4) a daily schedule that shows how you will use your time this fall to begin pursuing your long-term goals; 5) an annotated list of 10 campus resources that can help you achieve your goals; 6) a profile in which you describe your background, personality, and interests; 7) a summary of your mission in life—that is, a brief explanation of what you want to do with your life; 8) a detailed description of the strategy you will use to achieve your long-term goals. In this last component, you must draw on Making Your Mark, The Freshman Success Guide, the UNCP Catalog, and at least one other book about the college experience; conversations with your peer academic leader and at least one professor other than me; and your experience in attending at least three campus events, such as the UNCP Fall Convocation, lectures in the Distinguished Speaker Series, lectures by Marlon Clark and Jane Elliott, a recital in the Moore Hall Recital Series, an art exhibit, or a campus workshop. You can find weekly schedules of these events in “This Week at UNCP.” A successful life plan will demonstrate that you have thought creatively and productively about your future and have devised a thorough and realistic plan for making the most of that future. Like any other writing assignment, furthermore, it should be accurate, clear, and engaging. Commercial Working with one or two other students, you will give a 15-minute presentation in which you “sell” a campus office or organization to the other members of the class. In promoting your “product,” you should describe its location, explain its value to college students, and provide brochures or Internet URLs where your classmates can find more information. I encourage you to be creative, using any appropriate resources to make your pitch. A successful commercial will leave your audience with a strong sense of what your product can offer, as well as the desire and the ability to use it if they have the need. Interview At the end of the course, each of you will meet with me for 15 minutes to discuss your life plan. First, you will spend about five minutes giving an oral presentation about how you will apply what you have learned in this course to succeed in college and beyond. I then will spend about 10 minutes asking you questions about your life plan and subjects we covered in the course. Those students who are successful in their interviews will demonstrate a sound knowledge of the opportunities and potential pitfalls in the areas of personal development, study, and life, as well as a basic ability to communicate effectively orally.

Grades

A (90-100 percent) A student who earns an A has excelled in both skills and knowledge.  In content, clarity, style, and integrity, the student's work fully or almost fully meets course criteria.  In short, the student has mastered the material and is likely to succeed in future challenges. B (80-89 percent) A student who earns a B has demonstrated many of the same qualities shown by the student who earns an A, but is deficient a few minor areas.  The student has generally mastered the material and is likely to succeed in future challenges. C (70-79 percent) A student who earns a C has demonstrated some of the same qualities shown by the student who earns an A or a B.  Although the work is adequate, it suffers from several minor deficiencies.  Nevertheless, the work suggests that the student is competent and is ready to take on future challenges, though he or she may need to shore up some of these deficiencies to succeed. D (60-69 percent) A student who earns a D is deficient in at least one major area or many minor areas. Students who receive a D in the course must take it again. F (below 60 percent) A student will earn an F for one of the following reasons: The student's work contains a glaring example of plagiarism. The student's work does not meet the requirements of the assignment, such as number of sources or deadline. The student's work contains glaring deficiencies, indicating that the student is unprepared to meet future challenges. The student has missed more than two class meetings for any reason. Students who receive an F in the course must take it again.

When evaluating your work, I will use the criteria below:  Content Each written and oral assignment should contain all of the components described on the syllabus. Furthermore, it should thoroughly and insightfully address its subject with accurate, credible, timely, and relevant information.  Clarity Each written and oral assignment should present information in a clear, logical fashion. In general, each paragraph in the written projects generally should begin with a precise topic sentence, followed by clear, well-organized sentences that support the topic sentence. Transitional words and phrases should effectively guide the audience through the information.  Style All work should engage the audience with lively, concise writing or oral presentation and should generally lack lapses in tone, register, punctuation, mechanics, spelling, word choice, and grammar.  Each assignment should effectively incorporate source material with proper use of attribution, paraphrases, and quotations.  Longer assignments should begin with engaging introductions and include satisfying conclusions.  Both written and oral projects should be functional and attractive, conforming to all appropriate professional standards.  In particular, all parenthetical citations and lists of works cited in the written projects should conform to MLA style.  Integrity Each assignment must be your own work.  That is, except for properly cited quotations, every sentence and phrase must be in your own words.  All interpretations, except for those properly cited, also must be your own.  If you turn in someone else's work, use a source's exact words without placing these words in quotation marks, or use an interpretation you found in a source without giving credit to the source, you are guilty of plagiarism and may fail this course.  You must be prepared to prove that you have done all your own work by showing me your sources and discussing the details of your project with me in conference.

“This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact Mary Helen Walker, Disability Support Services, DF Lowry building, 521-6695.”