Introduction to the Liberal Arts

Fall 2010

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   Syllabus

From Kurt Vonnegut's Hocus Pocus :". . . all subjects do not reside in neat little compartments, but are continuous and inseparable from the one big subject we have been put on Earth to study, which is life itself" (147).

 

Skip to September  October  November   December 

 

Sunday, August 22

10 am Dahl auditorium
"What's It All About?"


Monday, August 23

9 am - 12 pm Orientation to Introduction to the Liberal Arts

 

The Design and Objectives of Introduction to the Liberal Arts

 

Introduction to the Liberal Arts and Integrated Studies

 

Informal in-class writing on Coorain

 

 

Convocation:Professsor Mark Willhardt,"What is a Liberal Arts Education?"

                       1:30 pm in the Dahl Auditorium (see assigned seating)

 

Review "Convocations" link.

Tuesday, August 24

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 25

 

 

The Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts

 

Mindful Listening

 

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain

 

Thursday, August 26

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain, "The West" and "Coorain"

 

The Art of Asking Questions

 

Due: A paragraph responding to question four of the summer reading questions:

 

Make a choice about what you believe is the most important factor, and write a paragraph explaining your thesis. Like all work done outside of class, the paragraph must be typed and double-spaced. Format your out-of-class writing according to MLA format.

 

Friday August 27

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain, "Childhood" and "Drought"

 

Monday, August 30

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain, "Schooling"

Due: 2 - 3 page diagnostic essay

 

Tuesday, August 31

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain, "Finding the Southern Cross"

 

Wednesday, September 1

This I Believe

 

Listen to or read at least five This I Believe stories; bring printed copies of the stories to class and be prepared to discuss the stories that you heard.

 

NPR's This I Believe

 

The Original Invitation

 

This I Believe Essay-Writing Instructions

 

Thursday, September 2

Orientation for Success: Study Skills presentation

WALL 113

 

Friday, September 3

 

Draft of This I Believe essay (max of 500 words)

 

Monday, September 6

Writing Workshop with Writing Associates

 

Tuesday, September 7

 

Wednesday, September 8

 

 

Thursday, September 9

Robert D. Putnam's "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital"

 

Putnam's "Bowling Together"

 

Recommended:

On Robert Putnam's controversial 2007 Scandinavian Political Studies article "E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century The 2006 Johan Skytte Prize Lecture": Jonas, Michael. "The Downside of Diversity."  The Boston Globe 5 August 2007.  31 Aug 2007 <www.boston.com/news>.

 

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain

 

Friday, September 10

Michelle Kim

Wackerle Career Center

 

Before class, please complete the Work Interest Inventory on FOCUS, which takes about fifteen minutes. You will need to register first.  Print two copies of the Work Interest Profile Summary.

 

Monday, September 13

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain

 

Tuesday, September 14

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain

 

Wednesday, September 15

 

 

Thursday, September 16

Ker Conway, The Road From Coorain

 

Friday, September 17

The Road From Coorain essay exam

 

Revised diagnostic essay on Ker Conway due with commented-upon first draft

 

Monday, September 20

This I Believe: final draft due (500 words) with first draft

 

Discussion of the genre of autobiography

 

6 - 9 pm class meeting at the Peterson dorm viewing room

 

First Person video

 

Recommended: Linda Williams, "Mirrors Without Memories: Truth, History, and the New Documentary." 

 

Errol Morris Interview with The Believer

 

John Conomos, "Error Morris and the New Documentary"

 

Roy Grundmann and Cynthia Rockwell, "Truth is Not Subjective: An Interview with Errol Morris"

 

Tuesday, September 21

Discussion of First Person episodes

 

Wednesday, September 22

Bryson's Shakespeare, "In Search of William Shakespeare"

 

Summary exercises

 

Thursday, September 23

Bryson's Shakespeare, "The Early Years, 1564 - 1585"

 

Friday, September 24

Bryson's Shakespeare, "The Lost Years, 1585 - 1592"

 

Monday, September 27

Bryson's Shakespeare, "In London"

 

Tuesday, September 28

Bryson's Shakespeare, "The Plays"

 

Wednesday, September 29

Bryson's Shakespeare, "Years of Fame, 1596 - 1603"

 

Thursday, September 30

Bryson's Shakespeare, "The Reign of King James, 1603 - 1616"

 

Friday, October  1

Bryson's Shakespeare, "Death"

 

Monday, October 4

Bryson's Shakespeare, "Claimants"

 

Professor Stacy Cordery on Alice

 

Tuesday, October 5


 

Wednesday, October 6

Discussion of biography

 

Thursday, October 7

Bryson, Shakespeare, "Claimants"

 

Friday, October 8

 

Fall Break

 
Monday, October 11
Tuesday, October 12 William Shakespeare: Life of Drama (A&E DVD)
Wednesday, October 13

Thirteen Days, 1 - 49

 

Kennedy's national address on the Cuban missile crisis (October 22, 1962)

 

Thursday, October 14

 

 

Friday, October 15

Thirteen Days, 50-98

 

Monday, October 18

Library Presentation

Thirteen Days, Afterword

 

Tuesday, October 19

Library research day: meet in Hewes Library Room 124 (open classroom by reference books)

 

Convocation on Civic Engagement

CitizenEffect with Dan Morrison

Dahl Auditorium

 

Wednesday, October 20

PowerPoint on MLA documentation

 

Conclude discussion on Thirteen Days

 

Mentoring Day: No Afternoon Classes

 

Thursday, October 21

No Class

 

Friday, October 22

 

Monday, October 25

Two annotations with citations due (submitted with copies of essays)

 

Thirteen Days film

 

Tuesday, October 26

Thirteen Days film

 

Dinner with President Ditzler @ Quinby House

 

Meet outside west entrance to Hewes Library (by the fountain) @ 6:15 pm

 

 

Wednesday, October 27

Thirteen Days film

 

Thursday, October 28

No class

 

Friday, October 29

Stearns, Peter N. "Why Study History"

 

***Please cut and paste the essay to a new Word document before printing otherwise text on the right side does not print.

 

 

Monday, November 1

Final draft of annotated bibliography due with draft and with copies of essays

 

Stancil, "The Goals of a Liberal Education" (250 - 4)

 

Tuesday, November 2

Browne and Kelley, Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking

 

Wednesday, November 3 Browne and Kelley, cont.

 

Thursday, November 4

No class

Friday, NovemberFriday, November 5

Disciplinary text TBA

 

First draft of paper three due

 

Monday, November 8

Disciplinary text TBA

 

Tuesday, November 9

Study Abroad presentation

 

Wednesday, November 10

Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking (1 - 24)

 

Analytical Reasoning from the LSAT and Verbal Reasoning from the the GRE

 

Friday, November 12

MCAT Verbal Reasoning

 

Monday, November 15

Critical Thinking Development: A Stage Theory

 

Richard A. Lynch, "Rethinking Critical Thinking: Values and Attitudes" (second essay on this page)

 

Tuesday, November 16

Disciplinary text TBA

 

Wednesday, November 17 Disciplinary text TBA

Critical Thinking: Pattern Recognition

Thursday, November 18

 

Friday, November 19

 

Final draft for paper three due

 

Monday, November 22

 Danganembga, Nervous Conditions 1-57

 

Tuesday, November 23

Danganembga, Nervous Conditions, 57 - 104 (brown edition: 58-102)

 

Wednesday, November 24

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Break

Friday, November 26
Monday, November 29

Danganembga, Nervous Conditions, 105 - 122 (brown edition: 103-119)

 

Reading quiz on Nervous Conditions

Tuesday, November 30

Danganembga, Nervous Conditions, 123 - 150 (brown edition: 120-148)

 

Wednesday, December 1

Danganembga, Nervous Conditions, 151-178 (brown edition: 149-175)

 

Discussion of the final exam

 

Friday, December 3

Danganembga, Nervous Conditions, 178 - 208 (brown edition: 175-204)

 

Monday, December 6

Course overview/ review

 

Tuesday, December 7

Nervous Conditions

 

Wednesday, December 8

Exam Review

 

Thursday, December 9

 

Reading Day

(no classes)

 

   
Saturday, December 11

   8 am - 11 am

 

Final Exam:

Hewes Library 124

(main floor/ open classroom)

 

Final essay due

 

 

  
 
Upcoming

 

Convocation

Monday, August 23rd

 

1:30 @ Dahl Auditorium

 

Professor Mark Willhardt will speak on the role of the liberal arts.

 

 

"The unexamined life is not worth living" (Socrates).

 
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