Syllabus for General Studies 100C, Sections 13 and 28, schedule 26415 and 26430
Freshman (and Beyond!) Success for Residential Ed – Pre-Law Scholars
Steven Barbone
Fall 2014/Wednesdays/11h-11h50/Olmeca 111
Contact and office hours 25 August- 10 December 2014:
Steve Barbone, barbone@rohan.sdsu.edu
434 Arts and Letters, (619-594-0249).
Wednesdays 14h-16h; Thursdays 11h-12h other times by appointment at a mutually convenient
time. Department phone: 594-5263.
Course description from SDSU Catalogue: GEN S 100. University Seminar (1) Cr/NC.
Provides opportunities to interact with faculty and staff in a small group setting. Students acquire
study and interpersonal skills for academic and personal success. Special sessions are offered
featuring campus.
Description and objectives: This 1 unit credit/no credit course is designed to help first-year
students become engaged members of the San Diego State University academic community by
connecting them to faculty, peers, and their discipline early in their college career. The course
encourages students to claim their education through a focus on the process of learning, to cultivate
the habits of mind of lifelong achievement and success, and to develop skills that are applicable
across subjects and across time. Through the reflection and discussion that is required of them in
this course, students are asked to understand their role as active members of the academic
community and the responsibility and privileges associated with their membership therein.
The course blends face-to-face meetings with faculty and/or peer mentors and student experience
outside the classroom. This model provides flexibility but requires commitment and self-direction
from you, the student. This self-direction, paired with course content, will encourage you to claim
your education and to become part of the SDSU intellectual and social community.
Outcomes and assessment: There are several outcomes for this course. (“Outcome” is the term
used by the university to designate what skills or knowledge students should get from taking the
course; “assessment” is the term used to describe how we can know whether a student has achieved
a desired outcome. Outcome measurement is usually tied to your successful completion of specific
tasks.)
Student Success: Students will show knowledge/awareness of how college is different from high
school; success strategies for college including study skills, planning, and making connections;
research skills needed for college success (includes familiarity with library and academic research
resources and how to use them).
Health: Students will show knowledge/awareness of mental health/medical services available on
campus (including peer counseling); dangers and regulations concerning alcohol/other substance
abuse; safety issues concerning travel to Mexico; sexual harassment (including rape) prevention;
general campus safety rules and regulations.
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Academic advising: Students will show knowledge/awareness of functions/services of academic
advising office; functions/importance of major advisers; understanding of MAP.
Career Planning: Students will show knowledge/awareness of functions/services of Office of
Career Services; importance of major/minor selection; importance of extra-curricular activities
including but not limited to internships, study abroad, Greek life, service clubs, athletic activities,
etc.; how/when to seek information on internships, volunteer activities, and job placement.
Study Abroad: Students will show knowledge/awareness of how to get information about study
abroad opportunities; importance of study abroad; reasons why study abroad could be a good
option.
Community Involvement: Students will show knowledge/awareness of importance for extracurricular activities; opportunities for community involvement including but not limited to work
with AS, ambassadors, Greek like, athletics, church/religious groups, service organizations,
professional societies, etc.; how to look for volunteer/internship opportunities.
Other: students show awareness/knowledge of campus including location of important offices as
noted above as well as location of box offices for movies, sporting events, on campus theater
productions, etc.; on campus art galleries; various gardens and planting (including the famous
sausage tree – there really is one on campus!); recreational centers.
Required materials:
 Red I.D. and password for Blackboard log-in
 Mortar Board Student Planner (available in the SDSU Bookstore) or personal planner of
your choice.
 Computer and Internet access.
NOTE: The Library’s Student Computing Center is open Sunday-Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
and Friday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. See its website at
http://library.sdsu.edu/computing.
Earning credit: To earn credit for this course, a student must earn credit in each of following
areas: (1) in-class participation, (2) on-campus/community involvement, (3) written responses (online or printed), (4) summing up exercise (assignment 16).
In-class participation: Attendance is expected, and absence does not excuse a student from
learning the material covered in the missed class(es). The instructor may not do a formal roll call,
but attendance will nevertheless be noted. Part of earning credit for this course is active
participation, and students must be present to participate. It is in a student’s better interest to attend
each class meeting. The instructor may also assign credit for in-class involvement such as engaging
in discussion or presentations.
On campus/community involvement: Over the course of the semester, students will have the
opportunity to attend/participate in many on- or off-campus events, programs, lectures, etc. The
Announcement and Engagement sections of Blackboard will highlight only some of the many
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upcoming opportunities and/or examples these events, though a student may earn credit by
attending or participating in other programs or events not posted on Blackboard. To earn credit in
this area, a student need complete and receive credit for three (or more) Community Engagement
forms (signed by a present University faculty or staff member) for each event, program, lecture,
etc. This form is available under “course documents.” Note: participation in the “Journey of Shared
Humanity,” sponsored by the Residential Life, 10-13 November will count as 2 engagements.
Written responses: Students will have 16 opportunities of preparing written responses to either a
class time presentation, learning module assigned through Blackboard, or an outside of class
assignment. To help students know how to earn credit for these assignments, a rubric is attached
and provided under “Course Documents,” and this rubric will be used for most written assignments.
Written assignments should be turned in; electronic versions are not accepted. To earn credit in this
area, a student must earn credit in at least 13 of the total 16 possible assignments.
Final paper: Students can earn credit for this area by completing 1 task: earning credit on the
written assignment given in the last class. This written assignment must be completed by and
turned in by the scheduled final exam time, Monday, 15 December, at 10h30 to earn credit. This
assignment may be turned in electronically.
Absence policy: There are no make-up classes but for one exception. If a student foresees being
absent, this class may be made up before but not after the foreseen absence at a time mutually
convenient to both instructor and student. A make-up class is a privilege and not a right with the
exception that students who know that they will have to miss a class because of participation in an
official SDSU activity such an athletic event as a member of the team, band performance, etc.,
and/or because of religious holidays are reminded that university policy requires that they notify
their instructors within the first two weeks of classes in order to have their schedules
accommodated. 8 September is the last day to arrange for make-up sessions for such foreseeable
absences. There are no other exceptions to the attendance policy.
Other: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class [e.g., additional time for an exam, sign language interpreter, oral texts rather than printed
ones], it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid
any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as
soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and that accommodations
based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an
accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Students who have concerns that might
prevent them from otherwise doing well in this course should discuss this with the instructor so that
arrangements may be made to accommodate their conditions.
The use of laptop computers is allowed, but students should be mindful that flickering screens are
generally very distracting to those around them; please refrain from using a computer for activities
other than note taking or on some rare occasion when it is required in class that someone use the
internet. Misuse (this means any use other than for taking notes or following instructions given in
the classroom) of any sort negates any credit a student might have otherwise earned for
participation for that day. No one is required to be attentive or interested in classroom activities, but
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all students are expected to behave as if they were interested in order not to disturb or to distract
students who are making the effort to be attentive.
Recognition of Religious Pluralism: Per the university’s policy on absences for religious
observances, students who will be tardy to or absent from class, or need to turn in assignments late
to observe religious holidays must notify an instructor by 8 September. Appropriate and mutuallyagreeable accommodations will be made.
Upholding Academic Integrity: Each student agrees to submit and take credit for only his or her
own work, individually or in a group. Any incident of academic dishonesty (i.e., cheating or
plagiarism) will be grounds for disciplinary action. NOTE: A full description of academic
dishonesty and resulting disciplinary procedures can be found on page 479 of the 2014-2015 SDSU
General Catalogue.
End of syllabus
Course Calendar
Because many class sessions will involve our going to another office or having a visitor come to us,
and because many of these could not be scheduled before the semester, the calendar is not yet filled
in. It will be filled in as the term goes on, and students are expected to view it weekly for updates.
Assignments to be completed are listed in italics. Except as noted, assignments are due in/by the
next scheduled class meeting. For example, the first assignment listed is due by class time of week
2.
Week 1: 27 August
Introductions, syllabus, course expectations.
Assignment 1 due 03 September
Week 2: 03 September
High school studying versus college studying
Assignment 2 due 10 September
Week 3: 10 September
Wellness Session: meet in Cuicacalli Seminar Room
Assignment 3 due 17 September
Week 4: 17 September
Getting Involved – Student Life and Leadership: meet in Cuicacalli
Seminar Room
Assignment 4 due 24 September
Week 5: 24 September
Financial aid and SDSU scholarships
Assignment 5 due 01 October
Week 6: 01 October
Library tour; how to use library
Assignment 6 due 08 October
Week 7: 08 October
Study abroad: meet in Cuicacalli Seminar Room
Assignment 7 due 15 October
Week 8: 15 October
Wellness Session #2 – Live Well Aztecs: meet in Cuicacalli Seminar
Room
Assignment 8 due 22 October
Week 9: 22 October
Good nutrition on (and off campus)
Assignment 9 due 29 October
Week 10: 29 October
Career Services Overview: meet in Cuicacalli Seminar Room
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Assignment 10 due 05 November
Week 11: 05 November
Academic Integrity – Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities:
meet in Cuicacalli Seminar Room
Assignment 11 due 12 November
Week 12: 12 November
Rules of the game (calculating gpa, I grades, course forgiveness, etc.)
Assignment 12 due 19 November
Journey of Shared Humanity open 10-13 November
Week 13: 19 November
You can’t go home again
Assignment 13 due 03 December
Week 14: 26 November
No classes on Wednesday, 26 November
Thanksgiving break 27-28 November
Week 15: 03 December
National/international scholarships: meet in Cuicacalli Seminar
Room
Assignment 14 due 10 December
Week 16: 10 December
Final concerns: coping with finals
Assignment 15 due Monday, 15 December
Weeks 16- 17: Final exams
Final assignment 16 due by time of scheduled final, Monday, 10h30, 15 December
Note: this is a required Assignment for course credit!
End of calendar
End of checklist
Rubric for written assignments
Minimum requirements: The following checklist is used to award credit for each written
assignment; if any of the following has not been completed, no credit will be assigned.
Student’s name or red id number is on each page.
Student has responded to each prompt with complete sentences.
The writing is relatively free from spelling and grammatical errors.
The assignment is turned in when it is due or otherwise as soon as circumstances allow.
Responses appropriately address their prompts.
End of rubric
Name:______________________________________
Checklist for credit
To earn credit for this course, a student must earn credit in each of following areas: in-class
participation, on-campus/community involvement, and written responses.
In-class participation: 15 possible opportunities; only 13 needed to earn credit.
___ 27 Aug
___ 01 Oct
___ 05 Nov
___ 03 Sep
___ 08 Oct
___ 12 Nov
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___ 10 Sep
___ 17 Sep
___ 24 Sep
___ 15 Oct
___ 22 Oct
___ 29 Oct
Fall 2014
___ 19 Nov
___ 03 Dec
___ 10 Dec
On-campus/community involvement: at least three community engagement forms that have
earned credit (note: participation in “Journey of Shared Humanity” counts as two engagements).
___ 1
___ 2
___3
Written responses: besides required work listed below, at least 13 of the 16 written assignments
must be successfully completed needed to earn credit.
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Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Assignment 3
Assignment 4
Assignment 5
Assignment 6
Assignment 7
Assignment 8
Assignment 9
Assignment 10
Assignment 11
Assignment 12
Assignment 13
Assignment 14
Assignment 15
Assignment 16 (required)