INTE 4500 Integrative Studies Capstone Course Syllabus Fall 2017 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: INTE 4500 Integrative 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: Integrative 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.liberalhtm. 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. This INTE 4500 course is required for the B.S. degree program of Integrative Studies. Course Outcomes: 1. Communicate ideas and the results of your work with clarity, concision, and precision. 2. Engage in questions of ethics and recognize the responsibilities of interdisciplinary studies
3. Use creative and critical thinking skills and knowledge of interdisciplinary studies to effectively contribute to a problem-solving team. 4. Accommodate individual differences (cultural, socioeconomic, global, etc.) in your decisions and actions. 5. Engage in self-assessment, reflection, and analysis. 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, Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 am 12:30 pm Appointment needed for other times. Class Meetings: There are no class meeting times; you will submit all assignments: essay, topic for research, literature review or annotated bibliography and research paper in the dropbox of Desire2Learn (D2L). The discussion posts must be submitted on the discussion board before the designated deadline. 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 and Rick Szostak, Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory 3 rd Edition. Text Coverage: Chapters 1-8, 10-12 Evaluation: Mission and Goals Case Analysis Faculty Mentoring Research Topic Annotated Bibliography or Literature Review Research Paper Discussion Question #1 Quiz Discussion Question #2 Total 5 points 5 points 5 points 5 points 20 points 30 points 5 points 15 points 10 points 100 points Course Requirements: o Students must identify two different specialty areas, such as your elected concentration or minor. o Students must attend one session with a faculty member to complete faculty mentoring. The meeting should take place prior to
Course Outline 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, email 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 INTE 4500 demands a basic level of computer skill. INTE 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. Week 1 Welcome and Syllabus Review Week 2 Readings: Chapter 1 and 2 Introducing Interdisciplinary Studies Introducing the Disciplines and Their Perspectives Week 3 Mission & Goals Due on August 31 Week 4 Readings: Chapter 3, 4 and 5 Drawing on Disciplinary Insights Identifying Relevant Disciplines Week 5 Conducting the Literature Search Case Analysis Due on September 14 Week 6 Readings: Chapter 6 and 7 Developing Adequacy in Relevant Disciplines Analyzing the problem and Evaluating Insights Week 7 Discussion #1 Due on September 28 Week 8 Faculty Mentoring Due - October 5 Week 9 Topic of Research Due October 12 Week 10 Readings: Chapters 8 and 10
Understanding Integration Creating Common Ground Between Insights: Concepts and/or Assumptions Week 11 Quiz on Chapters 1-7 Due on October 26 Week 12 Readings: Chapter 11 Creating Common Ground Between Insights: Theories Week 13 Discussion #2 Due on November 9 Week 14 Literature Review or Annotated Bibliography Due on November 16 Week 15 Thanksgiving Holiday Week 16 Readings: Chapter 12 Constructing a Comprehensive Understanding Week 17 Research Paper Due on December 7 o Mission and Goals: Reading selections of Chapters 1-2. At minimum, the essay should include one page 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 professional and academic plans after graduation. 3. Share why Integrative 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 assignment box 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 5 points. o Case Analysis: At minimum, the response should include one page of a thorough explanation to the requirements listed in D2L. The case analysis is an opportunity to engage in a real-life event. After completion of the analysis, the student should see the relevance of the material in question. Your response must be a doubled -spaced Word document (12point font, 1-inch margins) posted in the assignment box
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 5 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 in D2L 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 to me by your assigned mentor, and then your grade for the assignment will follow. If you do not select a mentor by the designated date and complete one mentoring session by the deadline posted in the calendar and the announcement section of D2L, a zero will follow. o Research Topic: Reading selection of Chapters 3, 4 and 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(s). Consider a complex problem or question that require insight from one or more disciplines. Examples are listed in the content section of D2L. 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 5 points. o Literature Review or Annotated Bibliography: Reading selection of Chapters 8 and 10. 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. Ensure there is sufficient research completed to identify a connection between the aspects of your topic studied by several academic areas. 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. Make a connection between the variables or concepts. Your research paper should be based on an opinion that you hold with research supporting 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 5 points. 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 10 points.
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 INTE 4500 course will follow. The last day to withdraw without academic accountability is Friday, October 6, 2017. 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 post for missed assignments. With a valid excuse and supporting documentation, late assignments will be accepted with a
deduction of points. Assignments submitted 7 days after the specified due date won t be accepted. Discussion posts can t be made up. Without a discussion post, zero points will follow. 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 Arts and Sciences Building, Room 224. The goal of the Writers Studio is to give rise to better writers, not just to better writing. People who love to write, people who struggle mightily with it, and people who fall anywhere else on the spectrum can find a place at The Writers Studio a place for students to come for writing guidance and feedback. Each student may receive up to 90 minutes of assistance per day and 3 hours per week. Furthermore, both appointments and walk-ins are welcome. Here s The Writers Studio s contact information: Location: Arts & Sciences Building, Room G-224 Phone: 678.466.4728 Email: ws224@clayton.edu Website: http://clayton.edu/writersstudio 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. Visit The Writers Studio at http://clayton.edu/writersstudio or schedule your appointment online at http://clayton.mywconline.com (Note: first-time users need to complete a one-time registration prior to using the online appointment website). 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. More detailed descriptions of examples of disruptive behavior are provided in the Clayton State University Academic Catalog and Student Handbook starting on page 8. Important dates: Schedule for Assignments: All assignments are due by midnight on the dates specified. Assignments Mission & Goals Due Date Thursday, August 31, 2017 Case Analysis Thursday, September 14, 2017 Discussion #1 Thursday, September 28 2017 Faculty mentoring Thursday, October 5, 2017
Topic of Research Thursday, October 12, 2017 Quiz Thursday, October 26, 2017 Discussion #2 Thursday, November 9, 2017 Lit. Review or Annotated Bib. Thursday, November 16, 2017 Research Paper Thursday, December 7, 2017 Last day to withdraw without academic penalty: Friday, October 6, 2017. Last update: July 2017