Phil 130 Introduction to Systems Thinking
Item Number: 2297 AS
Dates: April 1 – June 14, 2013
Days: Tuesday and Thursday
Time: 12:00 – 12:50 pm
Classroom: RAI 363
Final Exam: Thu, June 13 12:00-2:00
No Class: May 10, May 27
Last day to withdraw: Thursday, May 16
Instructor: Pete Kaslik
Office: Rainier 344
Phone: (253) 964-6635
Office Hours: Mon – Fri 10:00-10:50 am
Email: pkaslik@pierce.ctc.edu
Website: http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/staff/pkaslik/
Credits: This is a two-credit class. The credits can be used as GTE credits but not as
humanities credits.
Text: Thinking in Systems, A Primer by Donella H. Meadows
Course Objectives: Learn systems thinking terminology and benefits. Compare and contrast
long-term and short-term thinking. Learn why systems surprise us. View yourself as a
component of nested systems.
Student Expectations: Students are expected to attend all classes and are responsible for all
information presented. Students are responsible for their own learning. Appropriate behavior is
expected. This includes being respectful to all others. Please turn cell phones off.
Evaluation:
Exams (35%): A midterm and final exam will be given. Both exam scores will count
toward your grade. No make-ups without prior arrangements.
Activities (35%): This class contains a variety of in-class and out-of-class activities. Any
in-class activity involving groups cannot be made up. Out-of-class activities are to be
submitted on time.
Discussion Board (30%): An online discussion board will be used to give you
opportunities to apply systems thinking concepts to contemporary issues. With each
discussion there will be readings from the book and online sources. There will also be
some videos to watch. For each assignment, you will be expected to provide one
response to the question and then respond to two other student’s comments. Your
comments should be well written, thoughtful, and polite. Discussions must be completed
on time (before class on Thursday) as the discussion closes at that time. It is best to do
discussions early, so that you don’t have technical difficulties at the last moment.
Grades:
End of quarter grades will be given based on the grade function G(P).
G(P) = 4.0 if P ≥ 95
0.1P – 5.5 if 65 ≤ P < 95
0.0 if P < 65
Where P is the percentage of possible points.
Incompletes are not given.
A grade report will be provided to you as an Excel attachment in an email that is sent to your
Pierce College student gmail account. You can find a link on my website for having these emails
forwarded to any other account.
Pierce College Core Abilities: College is a time for personal and intellectual growth and
development. Pierce College has defined 5 core abilities that will prepare students for the
dynamic world in which we live. These core abilities are: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving,
Effective Communication, Information Competency, Multiculturalism, and Responsibility. One
focus in this class will be on information competency. Systems thinking, along with the software
we will use, will help you understand information that you find.
Academic Honesty. This course contains a mixture of individual and collaborative efforts.
Exams are individual efforts. A grade of 0 may be given to everyone involved in cheating on an
exam. Cell phones or other electronics may not be used during exams.
Administrative Withdrawal: Students who are not in attendance during the first 2 days of class
will be withdrawn from the class.
Special needs: Students with disabilities, who believe they may need academic adjustments,
auxiliary aids, or service to fully participate in course activities or meet course requirements are
encouraged to register with the Access and Disability Services (ADS) Office, Cascade 301 in the
Welcome Center on the third floor of the Cascade Building.
Extra Help: There are no tutors available for this class. If you need extra help understanding a
concept, stop by my office or talk with me after class.
School Closure:
School closures due to weather are listed at http://www.schoolreport.org.
Changes:
Changes to this syllabus will be announced in class.