Course & Instructor Information
IDS
1300-03 Freshman Seminar (3 units), Fall 2017
Instructors
Pia Walawalkar swalawalkar@ndnu.edu
& Patti Andrews pandrews@ndnu.edu
Class
Website: FSFall2017.blogspot.com
Office
Hours: by arrangement
Student
Mentor: Sara Ellingsworth sellingsworth@student.ndnu.edu
Philosophy of The Freshman Seminar
The instructors of the Freshman Seminar believe that great scholarship,
academic success and 21st century life and leadership skills require
a strong academic foundation that transcends disciplinary boundaries. NDNU’s
Freshman Seminar is taught with this premise in mind. This
collaboratively-taught interdisciplinary course is intended to establish a
rigorous foundation for academic excellence in a mission-driven university setting.
The course is designed to be an intensive, transitional experience developing
the intellectual vision, curiosity, interests and capabilities of the incoming
student; promoting personal identity development and discernment; and providing
an equitable introduction to NDNU’s high-impact pedagogical practices. We hope
and trust that this integrated learning experience will encourage students to
develop themselves as whole persons, agents in their own process of
professional and vocational discernment, members of collaborative campus
communities, and co-creators of a more just society. We are dedicated to
helping every student succeed in these goals.
Course Theme
How can steady practices of mindfulness and meditation positively
impact our human mind, brain, body, behavior and energy? Although mindfulness
and meditation are related, they are not interchangeable. Mindfulness practice
is one of many approaches to meditation, and mindfulness is applicable not just
to meditation techniques but to all aspects of daily life. Through course
activities, students will develop personal practices of mindfulness and
meditation. They will also receive formal guidance from local community teachers.
In exploring the applicability of these practices to everyday life, students
will meditate together and engage in conversation with residents of The
Catherine Center, our course community partner. The Catherine Center is a
transitional residential program for formerly incarcerated women.
As part of this course, students will explore the scientific research
on mindfulness, meditation and mind-training, and its positive impact
on the human experience; describe and practice an approach to mindfulness and meditation that students choose or
design for themselves out of the various methods introduced in the course; practice
these techniques individually and in community with others; and engage respectfully
with residents of The Catherine Center, learning about and from their
experiences with meditation practice.
Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes for the course revolve around NDNU’s
mission and its Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) for Mission, Values and
Engagement (MVE). Codes in parentheses below indicate how each course learning
outcome maps to these broader areas. Course learning outcomes are pursued
through a variety of activities including reading, writing, discussion, lecture
and experiential engagement. Course activities will help students learn to…
Mission
· critically engage with the mission of the university
and the Hallmarks of a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community; (Mission
Statement, MVE ILOs 1-7)
· demonstrate first-year academic skills in
critical thinking, oral communication and information literacy, including
introduction to and use of rubrics; (Mission Statement (academic excellence),
and MVE ILO 3)
· demonstrate first-year technology skills;
(Mission Statement (academic excellence))
Values
· reflect on discernment of personal
identities, values, vocation and curricular pathways, and identify areas of
personal intellectual curiosity; (Mission Statement, MVE ILOs 1 & 7)
· identify campus resources to assist in
personal and/or community leadership development; (Mission Statement, MVE ILOs
4 & 7)
Engagement
· distinguish between community engagement /
service learning practices as conducted at NDNU and traditional forms of
community service; (MVE ILOs 1-6) and
· demonstrate practical skills in working with
community partners. (MVE ILOs 2-7)
Course Format
The Freshman Seminar is a collaborative and participatory
course. Sectionsare clustered into Pods, and
the sections in a Pod are collaboratively planned and taught. Pods meet as a group
for some class meetings. Thefollowing
campus offices participate in the planning and teaching of the Seminar: Dorothy
Stang Center, Center for Spirituality, Library, Institutional Research. Course
assignments are developed in collaboration with these offices and provide the
basis for informed class discussions designed to stimulate and develop critical
thinking and communication skills. Students are expected to complete each
assignment in a timely manner.
Texts
Ajahn
Brahm, Who Ordered This Truckload of
Dung? Any edition.
Thich
Nhat Hanh, Fragrant Palm Leaves. Any
edition.
Articles
to be distributed in class in print or via links posted to class website
Sr.
Roseanne Murphy, Martyr of the Amazon: The Life of Sr. Dorothy Stang
SND, The
Hallmarks of a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community
Requirements
1) Formal papers and writings not to exceed 20 pages. Unless
otherwise noted, all papers are due in hard copy at the beginning of the class
period for which they are assigned.
2) Critical reading and discussion of full-length and
other texts as assigned by the professor.
3) Attendance at and reflection on the following five co-curricular
activities which take place outside of normal class meeting times: Call to
Action Day (October 10), Library Speaker Series (November 8, 5pm), Freshman
Research Conference (November 16, 3:30-5pm), one Student Life activity, and one
student performance event. For NDNU athletes, the student performance event
must be a non-athletic event; for non-athletes, the student performance event
must be an athletic event.
4) Technology skills are developed through activities
such as research, e-readings, appropriate use of email communications, and
online portfolio projects.
5) Information literacy skills are developed through
rigorous research activities. All students will complete a research project relating
to their course content and present this to their peers.
6) Participation in a series of activities and guided
reflections on personal identity and values, and completion of a discernment
project.
7) Note-taking and careful reading are essential academic
skills. Students are expected to keep appropriate and effective records of
reading assignments and classroom activities, even when they must be absent
from class. Following an absence, students should obtain and study notes from a
peer, then follow up with the professor regarding any items that are unclear.
8) Oral communication opportunities develop confidence
and skill in public speaking. These may
include informal communication in discussions, impromptu speaking and formal
presentations.
9) First-year community engagement activities form a
foundation for success in subsequent courses, and provide an experiential platform
for student learning. All students will participate in community engagement
activities as part of their Freshman Seminar.
10) Attendance and participation are required.
Evaluation
Research
Project (RP) (includes AB & Pres) 200 20%
Discernment
Assignments (Journal, WP, ROM) 200 20%
Midterm
Project 100 10%
Final
Exam 100 10%
CTA
Day Visit & Reflection 100 10%
Article
Research / Close Reading 100 10%
Attendance
& Participation 100 10%
Summer
Reading 50 5%
Co-Curriculars 50 5%
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a violation of
NDNU’s code of student ethics and will not be tolerated. It is a form of
intellectual dishonesty that involves the theft of another person’s ideas,
language and/or written thought processes. Violations may result in a failing
grade for the assignment; repeated or flagrant plagiarism may result in failure
of the course or dismissal from the University. See Student Handbook.
Note to Students with Disabilities
NotreDame de Namur University
complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Students who have a
disability that might affect academic performance in this class are encouraged
to confer with the instructor at the beginning of the semester and to contact
the Program for Academic Support and Services (PASS) (650-508-3670; disability@ndnu.edu).
In order to receive accommodations, students must register with the PASS
office.
Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) and Mission
NDNU’s Institutional Learning
Outcomes relating to Mission, Values & Engagement are as follows:
Upon
graduating from NDNU, students will be able to…
1)
reflect
on the heritage of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in the context of
student’s own values and belief systems;
2)
develop
relationships that honor the dignity of each person;
3)
connect
ethical implications of professional and liberal arts course content to the
promotion of justice and peace through personal decisions and actions;
4)
apply
classroom learning to address community and social problems, using the
Reflection-Action-Reflection model;
5)
demonstrate
understanding of the value of diversity;
6)
assess
the role of community-building activities and collaborative decision making
processes; and
7)
demonstrate
spiritual or ethical leadership skills in working toward a more just society.
The university’s Mission Statement is:
Founded upon the values of the Sisters
of Notre Dame de Namur and rooted in the Catholic tradition, Notre Dame de
Namur University serves its students and the community by providing excellent
professional and liberal arts programs in which community engagement and the
values of social justice and global peace are integral to the learning
experience. NDNU is a diverse and inclusive learning community that challenges
each member to consciously apply values and ethics in his or her personal,
professional and public life.
Average Student Workload Expectations: Class time
consists of 45 hours and students are expected to attend. Students are expected
to engage in approximately 90 hours of out-of-class homework over the fifteen
weeks, or approximately six hours per week. Course assignments are made in
accordance with this expectation.
Average Workload Hours in Class 45 Writing, Projects, Reflection 35
Distribution: Reading & Research 35 Exam Preparation 5
Out of Class Co-Curricular &
CE 15
