Academic Preparation Program: UK 100: Reading Workshop. Sample Syllabus

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1 Academic Preparation Program: UK 100: Reading Workshop Instructor: Office Hours: By Appointment. Meeting Location: Sample Syllabus Office: 306 B Complex Commons Course Description This course is designed to develop the critical reading strategies necessary to demonstrate college readiness. Our goal is to cultivate the skills needed to enhance reading comprehension by examining various genres of literature and writing styles. This course is designed as an opportunity to learn and practice what it means to be an active and engaged reader. Toward that end, this class will utilize a variety of individual and group exercises utilizing and reflecting on reading strategies for successful college students. Course Objectives The student will develop college level reading strategies necessary to demonstrate college readiness. The student will enhance skills in active readership including, but not limited to: o Identifying main ideas o Locating major and minor details o Inferencing, summarizing, evaluating, and synthesizing o Critically analyzing o Questioning and criticizing o Differentiating between types of readings The student will apply tactics such as concept mapping, brainstorming, note taking, etc. to facilitate critical, reflective, logical and creative skills while reading texts. The student will develop the ability to reflectively discuss the assumptions and foundations of an author s argument by developing one s own perspective within a variety of college level readings. Upon completion of this course, students will have the ability to critically read and think. The skills attained in this course will be utilized in subsequent reading intensive college courses. Required Readings/Texts There are no textbooks assigned for this course. Generally, readings will be assigned on a weekto-week basis and you must have a printed copy of the reading on hand for the assigned day (unless a printout has already been given). Students have the option to print copies from their own printers or the numerous printing facilities found throughout campus (for locations, see Readings will only be allowed on electronic devices when specified. If the assigned reading material is not brought to class, points will be deducted from the participation grade (see below). 1

2 Course Access To access our course visit and login to Blackboard with your LINK BLUE username and password. Assignments/Evaluations 1- Participation and Attendance (25%) (125 Points): a. Not only is your presence necessary, but you are also expected to be mentally engaged and to participate in class discussions. This grade also involves: professional conduct and bringing your readings to class. b. With regard to your final grade, attendance will be monitored daily. If you happen to be late and attendance was already taken, it is your responsibility to make sure your attendance was noted at the end of class. Punctuality is also important. Being 10 minutes late or more will be counted as an absence for that day. In addition, these following penalties will apply to your final grade: i. 3 unexcused absences: -10%; ii. 4 unexcused absences: -15%; iii. 5 unexcused absences: E grade for the entire course c. Concerning absences, only legitimate documentation will justify an absence (for justified absences, see below). 2- Hot Topics (5%) (25 Points): Each student will be responsible to read a short article outside of class and then lead a brief discussion based upon the content. The article should be based on current events and can come from any source of media (including Facebook, Twitter, Etc.). (Specific guidelines will be distributed in class). 3- Content Checkpoints:(10%) (50 Points): There will be 10 checkpoints and they will be based on the assigned readings/strategies covered. These checkpoints can be short quizzes or other assignments. 4- Group Presentation (30%) (150 Points): Students will work in groups and choose a piece of literature, approved by the instructor, in which they will critically analyze and present using 4-6 reading strategies discussed in class. (Specific guidelines will be distributed in class). 5- Critical Response Paper (total 20%) (100 Points): you must write one (1) short paper (2-3 pages). The focus will be on the application of critical reading skills to a set of readings. The student is expected to compare and contrast the readings and to provide his/her individual opinion on the topic. The topics will be provided in an essay prompt, which will also include specific instructions. 6- Final Paper (total 10%) (50 Points): Students will complete a final essay (3 pages) in which they will pick from a list of approved readings and critically analyze and summarize the literature using the skills developed throughout the course (Specific guidelines will be distributed in class). Any evaluated work, which is submitted late without a university-sanctioned excuse, will incur a penalty of -10% per day. 2

3 Grading Scale Scores will be assigned based on the following standards: A % D 60-69% B 80-89% E below 60% C 70-79% Policies Attendance: Attendance is a crucial aspect of this course. Three unexcused absences will result in a 10% decrease in a student s final grade; four unexcused absences will result in a 15% decrease in a student s final grade. Excused absences are defined by the Student Rights and Responsibilities, Part II Section ( Written documentation will be required for all excused absences. If a student has a university accepted reason for an absence (see Excused Absences.pdf), to be excused from class, the student must notify the course instructor in advance. Students need to notify the professor/instructor of absences prior to class when possible. S.R defines the following as acceptable reasons for excused absences: (a) serious illness, (b) illness or death of family member, (c) University-related trips, (d) major religious holidays, and (e) other circumstances found to fit reasonable cause for nonattendance by the professor. Students anticipating an absence for a major religious holiday are responsible for notifying the instructor in writing of anticipated absences due to their observance of such holidays no later than the last day in the semester to add a class. Information regarding dates of major religious holidays may be obtained through the religious liaison, Mr. Jake Karnes ( ). Students are expected to withdraw from the class if more than 20% of the classes scheduled for the semester are missed (excused or unexcused) per university policy. Extensions and Late Policy: In general, extensions for assignments will not be given other than for rare, unavoidable, unanticipated extenuating circumstances. However, for excused absences, work may be madeup, as long as a student notifies the instructor in advance of the absence and provides appropriate documentation. The extension will equal the duration of time the student was absent (ex: in absent one day, then the extension is one day). All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Assignments turned in after that time will be considered late. Late assignments will be penalized one full letter grade each day until the assignment has been appropriately submitted in its entirety to the instructor. For example, if you earned an 85 on an assignment and it was three days late, you will receive a 55. 3

4 Academic Integrity, Cheating, and Plagiarism: Plagiarism is attempting to pass off others work as your own, e.g. not citing information that is others words, thoughts, or ideas even if you paraphrase you need to note the source; not giving credit to sources in oral presentations; and/or handing in a paper you completed for another class for a grade in this course (self- plagiarizing). Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated in this course. You are expected to do your own work. For a more thorough definition and/or additional information regarding plagiarism, see the following website: Part II of Student Rights and Responsibilities (available online states that all academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors, is expected to be the result of their own thought, research, or self- expression. In cases where students feel unsure about the question of plagiarism involving their own work, they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission. When students submit work purporting to be their own, but which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording or anything else from another source without appropriate acknowledgement of the fact, the students are guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else s work, whether it be a published article, chapter of a book, a paper from a friend or some file, or something similar to this. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter or revise the work which a student submits as his/her own, whoever that other person may be. Students may discuss assignments among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, but when the actual work is done, it must be done by the student, and the student alone. When a student s assignment involves research in outside sources of information, the student must carefully acknowledge exactly what, where and how he/she employed them. If the words of someone else are used, the student must put quotation marks around the passage in question and add an appropriate indication of its origin. Making simple changes while leaving the organization, content and phraseology intact is plagiaristic. However, nothing in these Rules shall apply to those ideas which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain (Section 6.3.1). Academic Accommodations: Any student with a disability, who is taking this course and needs classroom or exam accommodations, should contact the Disability Resource Center, , room 2 Alumni Gym, jkarnes@uky.edu. All students must provide proof of the disability and the need for accommodations before services are rendered. This will usually be in the form of a psychological report or medical statement and the documentation must be signed by a qualified licensed psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, or relevantly trained medical physician. 4

5 Classroom Behavior and Etiquette: Please be respectful to others in the class and engage in civil discourse when we discuss topics that have a diversity of perspectives. Please minimize distractions by not reading newspapers or carrying on conversations. Turn mobile phones off during class. For this class to be as effective as possible, all students must actively participate. Class participation includes being attentive, doing the activities, asking questions, offering input and opinions, and participating in discussion with each other. This is a community of readers and learners and as such, students are accountable to themselves and to other students. If you have any questions or need further explanations or practice, do not hesitate to ask. Chances are if you have a question about something, someone else in the class will have the same or a similar question. 5