BALS 4500 Liberal Studies Capstone Course Syllabus Fall 2016 Course description Outcomes Term Instructor information Class meetings Text Evaluation Grading Mid-term progress report Course schedule Course policies Important dates Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 255, (678) 466-5445, disabilityservices@mail.clayton.edu. Course Description: Number and Title: BALS 4500 Liberal Studies Capstone Credit Hours: 3.0 semester credit hours (3-0-3) Catalog Description: This course is a capstone experience normally taken in the senior year. The focus is on the design and execution of integrative research. Students will work on case problems appropriate to their career plans and prepare written and/or oral reports on their proposed solutions. This seminar will provide the opportunity for individual student and program assessment. Course Prerequisites and Co-requisites: Liberal Studies Major Completion of CRIT 1101 Critical Thinking with a grade of C or better Completion of 90 semester credit hours or more
Computer Requirement: Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student's academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access. For further information on CSU's Official Notebook Computer Policy, please go to http://itpchoice.clayton.edu/policy.htm. Computer Skill Prerequisites: Able to use the Windows TM operating system Able to use Microsoft Word TM word processing Able to send and receive e-mail using Outlook TM or Outlook Express TM Able to attach and retrieve attached files via email Able to use a Web browser and access to Desire2Learn. Major Student Activities: You will be required to submit a two to three page essay (double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins). The essay should include at least 2 pages of detailed responses to specified questions after completion of specified reading selections. In depth research will be completed in preparation for a 5-7 page research paper. All assignments are due by midnight on the dates specified. Findings of research will be shared in an annotated bibliography or literature review. Also, a topic must be submitted prior to research in consultation of required faculty mentoring. Program Learning Outcomes: The capstone combines traditional academic content, with an emphasis on communication and critical thinking, and a research learning component. Instructor Information: Instructor: Vangela Humphries, M.Ed. Phone: (678) 466-4707 Fax: (678) 466-4797 E-mail: VangelaHumphries@clayton.edu
Office: Faculty Hall, Room #131-E Office hours: Tuesday Thursday 9:00 am 12:30 pm Appointment needed for other times. Class Meetings: There are no class meeting times; you will submit your essay, topic for research, literature review or annotated bibliography and research paper in the dropbox of Desire2Learn (D2L). You can gain access to Desire2Learn, by signing on to the SWAN portal and selecting D2L on the top right side. If you experience any difficulties with Desire2Learn, email or call The HUB at TheHub@mail.clayton.edu or (678) 466-HELP. You will need to provide the date and time of the problem, your SWAN username, the name of the course that you are attempting to access, and your instructor's name. Textbook Information: Allen F. Repko, Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory 2 nd Edition. Evaluation: Essay with Mission and Goals Research Topic Faculty Mentoring 10 points 10 points 5 points
Annotated Bibliography or Literature Review Research Paper Discussion Question #1 Discussion Question #2 Total 20 points 30 points 10 points 15 points 100 points Course Requirements: o Students must identify two different specialty areas, such as your elected minors. The minors chosen must be in the College of Arts and Sciences. o Students must attend one session with a faculty member to complete faculty mentoring. The meeting should take place prior to the research topic deadline. The contact information of your faculty mentor will be emailed to you. If you are completing the degree program 100% online, a webcam meeting and/or phone session will suffice. o Students must activate their CSU account, and should check it at least twice each week. The course instructor will post important messages in Desire2Learn. Please note that you should submit all assignments via Desire2Learn. o Success in BALS 4500 demands a basic level of computer skill. BALS 4500 requires that you are able to send and receive e-mail; that you have a basic understanding of word processing; that you are able to access and use Internet resources; and that you have a basic understanding of file management. If you do not possess these skills prior to entry into the course, then you should enroll in an appropriate workshop offered by the Hub. Information concerning these workshops can be found on the Hub homepage. o Essay of Mission and Goals: Reading selections of Chapters 1-3. At minimum, the essay should include two pages of a narrative description of the following: 1. Explain how the chapter reading has helped you articulate your interdisciplinary academic area of study.
2. Share your selected minor area, along with your professional and academic plans after graduation. 3. Share why Liberal Studies is a better fit for you than a traditional discipline. Your essay must be a doubled -spaced Word document (12point font, 1-inch margins) posted in the dropbox of Desire2Learn. Failure to submit the essay in a timely manner will result in a lowering of the final course grade. This assignment has a maximum of 10 points. o Research Topic: Reading selection of Chapters 4-5. At a minimum, your topic of research should be one to two sentences. The topic should explore the 2-3 specialty areas and begin a scope of your concerns and/or issues. The topic can highlight the affects in the career or education world as it relates to your specialty area. Examples are listed in the news section of D2L. Faculty mentoring should take place at this time, so feel free to discuss your topic with your mentor. Dates and times will be forwarded to you via email within 6-8 weeks of this course. Failure to submit the topic in a timely manner will result in a lowering of the final course grade. This assignment has a maximum of 10 points. o Faculty Mentoring: Review the faculty bios in the content and news section in D2L, and then rank your desired mentor on a scale of 1 to 3 with 1 being the highest. Email me with your preferred selection. It s highly suggested that you meet with your assigned mentor prior to submission of your second assignment. You can discuss career goals, graduate school and/or research opportunities. This assignment has a maximum of 5 points. Confirmation of attendance will be provided by your assigned mentor, and then your grade will follow for the assignment. If you do not select a mentor by the designated date in the calendar and news section of D2L, a zero will follow. o Literature Review or Annotated Bibliography: Reading selection of Chapters 6-9. The literature review should be at least two pages with a focus on your specific topic of interest and a critical analysis of the relationship among different works, relating
the research to your topic. Include a critical and inclusive review related to the relevant topic. "Critical" means that the literature review reveals problems, contradictions, controversies, strengths, next steps, and potentials in the theories. "Inclusive" means that there is an active evaluation relevant to the topic. There should be a review of at least 3 different journals, websites, books and/or articles. The annotated bibliography is a brief summary of 3 to 5 sentences detailing the assessment of the research source with some criticism of it. Does it seem like a reliable and current source? Why? Is the research biased or objective? Are the facts well documented? Who is the author? Is she/he qualified in this subject? Is the source too general or specific? There should be a review of at least 6 different journals, websites, books and/or articles. If you need additional information about annotated bibliographies and literature reviews, review these websites. http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill28.htm Annotated Bibliography http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/ Annotated Bibliography http://www.d.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/researching/litreview.html Literature Review Failure to submit the literature review or annotated bibliography in a timely manner will result in a lowering of the final course grade. This assignment has a maximum of 20 points. o Research Paper: At a minimum of 5-7 pages with details of your research findings in MLA format. The descriptive research requires you to explore and identify social issues within your specialty areas. Provide ample explanations of your research. Include research findings from at least 3 different sources taken from your literature review or annotated bibliography. The research paper should include 3 of the following parts. A title page with your approved topic listed, body of research with a minimum of 3 pages and a bibliography or works cited page. The paper should be in MLA format with 1 inch margins, 12 font and double spaced. Number all pages at the top right hand corner
including the title page. You can review your latest grammar book or MLAformat.org for more details. The bibliography or works cited page must include the authors that have been referred, for their research pertaining to specific topics of inquiry, and whose numbered references are provided in the main body. Every reference must be provided with the name of the authors, name of the journal or book in which it was published, along with its volume and issue number, the year of publishing, and the page number. Your research allows you to explore, interpret, and evaluate sources related to a specific topic. Spend time investigating and evaluating sources with the intent to offer interpretations of the texts reviewed. Provide details based off what you learned through research. Share your in-depth discussion, explanation and elaboration on your chosen topic. If there are two different perspectives you want to share as it relates to your specialty areas, share the strategies and your unique perspective. Your research paper should be based on an opinion that you hold with research supporting one side of an argument or provide elaborative details on your topic based on your research findings. You should think about a problem that needs a solution, an issue in today s society, or even a question you would like to answer. Then use your research to offer a solution to the problem, or provide an opinion of the issue with sources to support, or an answer to your question. Listed below are a few examples of research interests with two different specialty areas included in each. 1. Health and fitness is omitted in today s medicine, and the inclusion will help solve many ailments without heavy dosage of medicine. 2. In America, there is a lack of women in government and politics. Both examples include two different specialty areas that can be researched and evaluated. The first example is more of an argumentative research to follow of which health and fitness will be reviewed to assess ailments in comparison to medicine. The second example is a descriptive research of which in-depth
discussion and elaboration will take place as it relates to women and their omission in government roles. The research for both should address the issues, resolutions and your unique perspective with supporting documentation from your earlier research sources. As you introduce your topic of research, include its background and previous developments in the associated field. Present your investigation, observation and analysis in the body of research. You should summarize your logical interpretation of your research to prove or disprove a line of thought. Failure to submit the research paper in a timely manner will result in a lowering of the final course grade. This assignment has a maximum of 30 points. o Discussion Questions: The post should include a detail explanation with suitable relevance to the question. Respond to 2 classmates including your interpretation or inquires. Discussion #1: Identify at least two insights from two relevant disciplines for the preselected topic. Share the similarity and/or differences between the disciplines as it pertains to the topic. Draw your perspective of the various critical approaches to develop a more comprehensive understanding. The preselected topic is listed in D2L. Failure to post in a timely manner will result in a lowering of the final course grade. This assignment has a maximum of 10 points each. Discussion #2: There should be strategies gained from the chapter readings with browsing, probing, skimming, assessing and consulting experts to decide if your topic is researchable in an interdisciplinary sense. You should now have a method of demonstrating an effective way to review what authors have written about your topic. Share which approach you will take to gather information relevant to your topic from multiple disciplines and why. Failure to post in a timely manner will result in a lowering of the final course grade. This assignment has a maximum of 15 points each.
Grading: A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F below 60 Mid-term Progress Report: A mid-term grade for the BALS 4500 course will not follow. The last day to withdraw without academic accountability is Friday, October 7, 2016. Course Policies: General Policy Students must abide by policies in the Clayton State University Student Handbook, and the Basic Undergraduate Student Responsibilities. University Attendance Policy Students are expected to attend and participate in every class meeting. Instructors establish specific policies relating to absences in their courses and communicate these policies to the students through the course syllabi. Individual instructors, based upon the nature of the course, determine what effect excused and unexcused absences have in determining grades, and the students ability to remain enrolled in their courses. The university reserves the right to determine that excessive absences, whether justified or not, are sufficient cause for institutional withdrawals or failing grades. Missed Work
Without a valid excuse, zero points will be posted for missed assignments. With a valid excuse, late assignments will result in a deduction of 5 points. Assignments submitted 7 days after the specified due date won t be accepted. Academic Dishonesty Any type of activity that is considered dishonest by reasonable standards may constitute academic misconduct. The most common forms of academic misconduct are cheating and plagiarism. All instances of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of zero for the work involved. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Life/Judicial Affairs. Judicial procedures are described at http://adminservices.clayton.edu/judicial/. Writing Assistance The Writers Studio 224 is located in the A&S building, room 224. There you can talk with trained writing tutors about your writing projects. They are available to work with you at any stage of your paper, from generating ideas to organizing your paper to understanding how to format it correctly. The service is free; you may drop in and wait for a tutor or sign up for a regular appointment. But remember: you, not your tutor, are ultimately responsible for the quality and content of the papers you submit. Aside from meeting with consultants one-with-one, you can also participate in consultant-led writing workshops. In these workshops, consultants will guide you in discussions and activities important to academic writing topics. Consultants and student-writers will collaborate on ways to apply writing concepts and strategies to specific writing situations. You will be identify, analyze, integrate, and synthesize writing principles through a series of writing exercises. Remember that we are here to collaborate with you as you develop your own experiences as a student-writer. http://www.clayton.edu/arts-sciences/english/writersstudio
Operation Study At Clayton State University, we expect and support high motivation and academic achievement. Look for Operation Study activities and programs this semester that are designed to enhance your academic success such as study sessions, study breaks, workshops, and opportunities to earn Study Bucks (for use in the University Bookstore) and other items. Disruption of the Learning Environment Behavior which disrupts the teaching learning process during class activities will not be tolerated. While a variety of behaviors can be disruptive in a classroom setting, more serious examples, includes belligerent, abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior. A student who fails to respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior and/or behavior while participating in classroom activities may be dismissed from class. A student who is dismissed is entitled to due process and will be afforded such rights as soon as possible following dismissal. If the student is found in violation, a student may be administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF. Important dates: Schedule for Assignments: All assignments are due by midnight on the dates specified. Assignments Essay of Mission & Goals Due Date Thursday, September 1, 2016 Discussion #1 Thursday, September 22, 2016 Topic of Research Thursday, October 6, 2016 Faculty Mentoring Thursday, October 6, 2016 Discussion #2 Thursday, October 20, 2016 Lit. Review or Annotated Bib. Thursday, November 3, 2016
Research Paper Thursday, December 8, 2016 Last day to withdraw without academic penalty: Friday, October 7, 2016. Last update: July 19, 2016