Course Description:
First-year Seminars are designed to familiarize the student with the opportunities and the responsibilities for learning at the College. The First-year Seminar develops reading and thinking skills.
Activities include research projects, collaborative learning and individual reflection. The seminar introduces the student to civic engagement through service learning projects. Topic choices for different sections of the seminar include civic or community engagement, leadership, environmental issues, globalization, or similar subjects. This course is designed to help students make a successful intellectual transition to college.
The topic for this section is travel, especially the experience of travel as an aspect of individual growth and development. We will examine the "road" as a metaphor and the role of this metaphor in the development of American identity. Our readings and research will focus on the American experience of travel on the rivers and on the roads of the North American continent.
Common Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to
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Demonstrate their responsibility for learning.
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Identify and use resources for learning.
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Demonstrate collaboration and teamwork
 Define civic engagement and social responsibility.
Outcomes for this section:
Students will
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Required texts:
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Henry David Thoreau. A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Princeton University Press;
New edition (May 24, 2004). 0691118787
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Jack Kerouac. On the Road: The Original Scroll. Penguin, 2007. 9780143105466.

Course work:
Tuesdays will be run as a round-table responding to topics, readings, or projects.
Thursdays will always feature a sharing of reflective writing, including peer commentary.
On occasion course work will require blocks of off-campus time devoted to field trips and service learning. Some of these blocks will occur on Sundays or Saturdays.
Grades:
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40% Portfolio of reflective writings in response to class reading, discussion, experiential learning
(including service learning).
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20% Collaborative project. In this section the project takes the form of a 2 page brochure with photos and commentary, historical and contemporary information about the chosen site.
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20% Autobiographical narrative.
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20% Reflective essay related to the section them: travel and the American psyche or experience.
Course policies:
You will not miss more than one field trip or service learning appointment without arranging alternatives.
You will not miss more than two classes without experiencing consequences.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Students with any type of disability that may require accommodation should contact the Office of Academic Affairs at https://hal.dwc.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=35d4862d79424842adead5580b0d787c&URL=mailto%3aacade micaffairs%40dwc.edu
or 577-6615 to arrange a meeting within the first two weeks of the fall 2009 semester. This meeting is extremely important, as it allows us to prepare your accommodations for the upcoming semester. In order for a student to be accommodated for a disability under the ADA, the individual seeking disability accommodations must disclose to the appointed disability coordinator.
Disclosure to a staff, faculty or other campus affiliate does not determine eligibility or grant a student reasonable accommodations. Should you not wish to receive accommodations, or fail to arrange a meeting, you will be subject to all academic standards in your courses.
Academic Integrity Policy: “Daniel Webster College believes that all students have the right to learn in an academic community that insures fair competition and respects truth and honesty.” (Student
Handbook-Ethical Standards) Students are expected to demonstrate scrupulous honesty in all academic work. Any violations of such honesty, including cheating on exams and plagiarism on papers, will result in two levels of penalties applied: Academic penalties and Disciplinary penalties. Academic penalties

include, but are not limited to, a failing grade for the assignment and possible dismissal from the class;
Disciplinary penalties include, but are not limited to, a written warning from the Vice President for
Academic Affairs and temporary or permanent dismissal from the institution..
PEER-TUTORING RESOURCES: Daniel Webster College offers various tutoring resources for all students to utilize. If you feel you need tutoring in a course that you are currently enrolled, please contact the Dean of your School of study to make an appointment to review your needs. Your
Dean will work closely with you and our Peer-Tutoring Coordinator to arrange appropriate tutoring as well as if deemed necessary to develop an academic plan with you that will assist with keeping you on track to achieve your educational goals. Should you need Writing or
Math/Science Support, you will be referred appropriately to the Writing Center and the
Math/Science Support Center for further assistance.

Tues Sept. 1 Introduction: Independence, community, seminar
Thurs. Sept 3 Teams, team projects, research, notebooks (200 words a week, minimum)
Sat. Sept. 5 First community walk: suggestions Mine Falls Park, Greeley Park. Main Street.
Tues. Sept. 8 Impressions of first community walk
Pre-test knowledge of Henry David Thoreau.
Thurs. Sept. 10 Reading on the web, Henry David Thoreau, from Walden,
“ Where I lived and What I Lived For ” (Print and bring to class).
Response writing on topic of individual independence
Tues. Sept. 15 Orientation to ‘map / brochure’ project. Read first pages of A Week on the Concord and
Merrimack Rivers, 5-25.
Thurs Sept. 17 Introduction to General Education at DWC.
Read and discuss selections from A Week, especially material related to the immediate
Nashua area in Sunday and Monday, 83 ff.
Note page 103, write reflective response to Thoreau’s discussion of “a perfectly healthy sentence.” Focus: 107-137
Tues Sept. 22 Complete reading of Monday in A Week and in-class discussions of responses to selections identified above.
Focus the independent nature of reflective writing in contrast to summary or a paraphrase. Read selections related to Antigone (135 ff) and the description from the
Williams College Observatory (182 ff).
Thurs. Sept. 24 A selection of drafts of Thoreau reflection exercises, submit to drop box. Graded

submission. 10 % overall value.
Suggested passages for reflection:
236 – keyword “bricks”
246 – Amoskeag Falls
313-317, Pemigawasset and Thornton passages.
320 – Story of Hannah Dustin
374 – 393, Discussion of poetry and final passages.
Tues. Sept. 29 First draft of brochure due, mapping the way to a site visited by Thoreau.
The road as metaphor in American thought.
Thurs. Oct. 1 Introduction to service learning.
Minimum: 4 visits, 8-10 hours. There maybe an additional orientation at site.
Final draft of ‘map / brochure” project.
Tues. Oct. 6 Discussion of and peer-critique of brochures. Begin autobiographical project.
Thurs. Oct 8: Brainstorming. Introduction to method of obsessive detail.
Tues. Oct. 13: No class, follow Monday schedule.
Thurs.. Oct. 15: On the Road, 107-138
Portfolio review. This is an interim check, not the final review.
Items in journals should include:
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Tues. Oct. 20: Continue reading Jack Kerouac , 138-160.
Last date to begin service learning as tutor or project leader.

Ginsberg, “Howl” http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=179381
Thurs. Oct. 22: On the Road, 160-205
Introduce assignment on autobiographical writing. This essay will be 8 pages in length and rich in detail and focused on meaningful episodes or experiences.
Tues. Oct. 27 Road, 206-240
Thurs Oct. 29 Peer-editing, sample reflections on Jack.
Tues. Nov. 3 Road, reading the American landscape, 241-280
Thurs. Nov. 5 Individual reports on the American landscape. Introduce final essay, based on the class
theme: Travel and the American Experience.
Tues. Nov. 10. Road, Book Three, 280-350
Thurs. Nov. 12 Due date for individual autobiographical essays.
Tues. Nov. 17 Road, Book Four 351-408
Thurs. Nov. 19 Assigned response writing: Jack and the theme of travel in the American experience.
Tues Nov. 24 Thanksgiving holiday begins
Thurs. Nov. 26 Thanksgiving
Tues. Dec. 1 Reports and presentations based on service learning.
Thurs. Dec. 3 Workshopping and peer-editing final projects.

Tues. Dec. 8
Thurs. Dec. 10
Fri. Dec. 11 Last Day of classes; Portfolio of response writing and final paper on travel and the
American Experience due.