JUNIOR HONORS SEMINAR

Seeking Self: Autobiography, Memoir, and Reflection

Fall 2009

TR 11-12:15

TL 116

Professor: Laura Gray, Ph.D. Phone: 918-343-7593

Office: Downs Hall 102 B Email: lgray@rsu.edu

Faculty Website: http://www.rsu.edu/academics/eng-hum/gray.asp

Office Hours: (appointments encouraged)

Monday and Wednesday

10-2

Tuesday and Thursday

1:30-2:30

Friday

By appointment

Course Description

Integration of junior honors and degree curriculum with independent reading and research. Students will present their progress in oral and written form, preparing for their capstone project.

Prerequisite: HONS 2113 and junior status.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, every student should be able to:

Articulate the importance of reflection on personal growth and academic success.

Display comprehension of chosen academic field.

Articulate the benefits of a University degree, using personal experience and anecdote as example.

Articulate a vision of what it means to be educated in the twenty-first century.

Write a 10-page Reflective Paper that will serve as the basis for the Senior Capstone Reflective essay.

Required Texts

Freedman. Autobiographical Writing Across the Disciplines: A Reader (Paperback).

Thompson. Blankets.

Hurston. Dust Tracks on the Road.

Krakauer. Into The Wild

Kundera. Unbearable Lightness Of Being

All texts available at the RSU Bookstore in Claremore.

Honors Program Mission

The Rogers State University Honors Program supports the larger vision and mission of Rogers State University. The Rogers State University Honors Program aspires to challenge talented students to develop intellectual curiosity, intellectual rigor, independent reasoning, creative thinking, superior communication skills, strong leadership abilities, a system for ethical decision making, and a desire for life-long learning. Students with strong academic records and motivation to excel personally and academically join with select faculty to form a university community that supports outstanding scholarship, personal growth, and service.

The specific mission of the Rogers State University Honors Program is to provide an education in a collaborative, experiential, learning-based environment of faculty and students and to produce graduates of the program who act as agents of change in their academic, professional, and personal lives, cultivate the community approach to life and learning, hold lasting commitments to academic and social responsibility, integrate creative and critical thinking in diverse approaches to problem solving, embrace the principles and practices of the life-long learner, value pluralism and informed civic discourse, and explore technology and information literacy as critical resources for life in the twenty-first century.

Teaching Methods and Assessment Techniques

This course will emphasize discussion and writing. I will regularly suggest questions pertaining to the material we will be discussing in the following class. Students should come to class prepared to address these questions. You will have to participate to pass this class. Always bring to class the book we are discussing.

There will be one three-page critical essay (approximately 1000 words), an accompanying oral presentation, an in-class midterm exam, a ten-page reflective essay, and a final exam. Students will also write a variety of smaller responses, both in and out of class, throughout the semester.

All essays must be typed and double-spaced, with margins of 1 inch. Unexcused late work will be penalized 10% per day. All work is due at the beginning of the class period. Further details on the nature of these assignments will be given in class. Failure to complete any exam or to make a presentation on your assigned date will be grounds for failure of the course as a whole.

 Standards of Achievement

Every student’s final grade will be earned via the following:

Critical Essay with Presentation 20%

Exams                                      30% (each exam=15%)

Reflective Essay                            15%

Other Writing Assignments 10%

Participation                           25%

GRADING SCALE             90-100 A              

80-89 B 

                                            70-79 C 

                                            60-69 D

Attendance

As discussion is a major portion of your grade (25%) as well as the heart of this class, your attendance is required. More than two absences will adversely affect your grade; five or more absences are grounds for failure of the course as a whole. Only serious illness, family crises, or official functions will count as excusable absences or extensions.

Student Conduct

I encourage free and open exchange of ideas and opinions in this class. To ensure that each student has this opportunity, each of us must respect every student’s right to meaningfully contribute to the current discussions at hand. No overtly hostile, sexist, racist, or other xenophobic language or behavior will be tolerated.

Learning is a collaborative process. Each student has an important and unique role in this class and should be prepared to contribute fully throughout the semester. Arriving late, leaving early, sleeping in class, talking out-of-turn, or other disruptive behavior interferes with the learning experience of every student and, therefore, will not be tolerated. It is disruptive and rude for cell phones (including text messaging!) and portable music devices to be used during class—turn them off and put them away during class time.

Students should see and adhere to the RSU Code of Conduct, printed in Student Code of Responsibility and Conduct and online. See Title 12.

Academic Misconduct

Students are expected to follow university policies as put forth in the institution’s Student Code of Responsibilities and Conduct. In accordance with Title 12 of The Student Code, instances of alleged academic misconduct will follow the policies and procedures as described in Title 12. As a general rule, Faculty at Rogers State University have the responsibility of enforcing the academic code. Therefore, if academic misconduct is suspected I will submit a letter of alleged academic misconduct to the Office of Student Affairs.

Note especially RSU’s official plagiarism statement: Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one’s own, including: direct quotation without both attribution and indication that the material is being directly quoted, e.g. quotation marks; paraphrase without attribution; paraphrase with or without attribution where the wording of the original remains substantially intact and is represented as the author’s own; expression in one’s own words, but without attribution, of ideas, arguments, lines of reasoning, facts, processes, or other products of the intellect where such material is learned from the work of another and is not part of the general fund of common knowledge.

Deliberate plagiarism and/or other forms of cheating are grounds for failure in the course as a whole.

Contacting the Professor

My contact information is posted at the top of the syllabus. I strongly encourage students to take advantage of my office hours. To ensure that I am not in a meeting or meeting with another student, appointments are encouraged. Please make appointments throughout the semester to visit with me about your work; you need not have a “problem” to see me. When sending an email, please include your name, class, and question in the subject line. All emails should be signed with your full name. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that your email will receive appropriate attention. I will make every effort to respond to emails within 48 hours. Emails received after noon on Friday will be attended to the following week.

RSU Student Email Account

Each student is assigned an official University email account upon initial enrollment. The account will remain active while the student is enrolled at Rogers State University. A University assigned student email account is one of the University's official means of communication with Rogers State University students. Students are responsible for all information sent to them via their University assigned email account. All class electronic communications will be conducted through this system. When using this system, you have a right to expect that your communications will be received by me and read and acted upon in a timely fashion.  You are expected to check your RSU email account on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with class and university related communications. Certain of these communications may be time-critical. Email returned to me with “mailbox full” or untimely access of an email account are not acceptable excuses for missing class communications via email.

Rogers State University ADA Statement

Rogers State University is committed to providing students with disabilities equal access to educational programs and services.  Any student who has a disability that he or she believes will require some form of academic accommodation must inform the professor of such need during or immediately following the first class attended.  Before any educational accommodation can be provided, it is the responsibility of each student to prove eligibility for assistance by registering for services through Student Affairs.

 Students needing more information about Student Disability Services should contact the office of Student Development at 343-7707.

Computer Writing Labs

Computers for student use are available in the Stratton Taylor Library, Heath Sciences 246, and Student Support Services.

Writing tutors are available throughout the semester in HS 246.

Closure Statement

The schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

Course Schedule

Below is an overview of this term. In this, you can see the order we will take up our texts along with the dates of the midterm, final, and reflective essay. All other assignments will be announced in class throughout the semester. Each student will have a different due date for the three-page critical analysis and presentation, so these are not included in this schedule. You are responsible for all assignments and deadlines. Please note, that about once a month, we will join Dr. Ford’s Freshman Honors Seminar in the Auditorium.

Aug 13 R Introduction

Aug 18 T First reflection due

Aug 20 R Selections from Reader

Aug 25 T Selections from Reader

Aug 27 R Selections from Reader

Sep 1 T Selections from Reader

Sep 3 R Meet in Auditorium

Sep 8 T Dust Tracks on the Road

Sep 10 R Dust Tracks on the Road

Sep 15 T film

Sep 17 R film

Sep 22 T Selections from Reader

Sep 24 R Selections from Reader

Sep 29 T Selections from Reader

Oct 1 R Meet in Auditorium

Oct 6 T film

Oct 8 R film

Oct 13 T Midterm Exam

Fall Break

Oct 20 T Unbearable Lightness of Being

Oct 22 R Unbearable Lightness of Being

Oct 27 T Unbearable Lightness of Being

Oct 29 R Unbearable Lightness of Being

Nov 3 T Meet in Auditorium to discuss Into the Wild

Nov 5 R Into the Wild

Nov 10 T Blankets

Nov 12 R Blankets

Nov 17 T Work on Reflective Essay

Nov 19 R

Nov 24 T

Thanksgiving

Dec 1 T Reflective Essays Due

Dec 3 R

Finals Dec. 7-11

Our exam: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 11-1. All students must take the exam at this time.