Concordia University Wisconsin
LA 105 Three Credits
Student Syllabus 2000

LA 105 HIGHER EDUCATION:
A NEW EXPERIENCE

Instructors:

J. A. Beck Associate Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament
Office:	LU 214
Phone:	243-4260 (Ex. 4260)
E-mail:	Jack.Beck@cuw.edu
Office Hours:	By Appointment
Heather Batt Peer Leader
Residence:	Wa 108
Phone:	243-4318
E-mail:	Heather.Batt@cuw.edu
Office Hours:	By Appointment

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

This course is all about success, your success and happiness on campus and in life. This first semester on campus will be an experience filled with exciting new challenges. Our goal will be to help you defuse the threats, meet the challenges and reach your God-given potential as a student. To achieve that goal we will share the following plan of action.

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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS:

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Texts:
Gardner, John N. and A. Jerome Jewler, Your College Experience, Strategies for Success. 4th ed. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publishing Co, 2000.
1999-2000       Student Handbook.
1999-2000       Academic Catalog.
Notebook.
An adventerous and open-minded spirit.

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WRITING EXPERIENCES

CLASS JOURNAL

You will be keeping a journal of your experiences related to the topics of this class. Generally, you will have a journal entry due once a week. Check your e-mail for the topic on which you will write. Your journal will be e-mailed to your peer each Friday by 3:00 PM. Both the consistency and the quality of your journal entries will be evaluated. Late submissions will be accepted but will receive a lower grade. We want to know how the course is benefiting you and want to redirect the class to the needs which are not being met. We assure you that the information you put in your journal will remain confidential. It is for our mutual benefit.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE

Part One:
In the first part of this assignment, you will write a paper identifying the signficant events, people and influences which have shaped you as a person. They may be drawn from your first memories until today. This paper should be double-spaced and be three pages in length. It may be written in a more popular style but will be evaluated on the quality of the presentation (organization, coherence and freedom from mechanical errors). This paper will be due on September 5.

Part Two:
In the second part of this assignment, you will write a paper describing the prospects for your life after college to age seventy. Share the picture of your ideal life with us. Where will you live? What career will you have? Will you have your own family? How will you have fun? How will you serve your church/community? This paper should be double-spaced and be three pages in length. It may be written in a more popular style but will be evaluated on the quality of the presentation (organization, coherence and freedom from mechanical errors). This paper will be due on November 21.

RESEARCH PAPER

You will write a research paper that addresses a topic covered in the text that most captures your interest. The paper should interact with the literature. Consult both the bibliography on reserve in our library and internet sources. Explain how you will use what you have read to make youself a more successful student. This paper will be written in a formal style using a standard format (MLA, APA, Turabian) and including the use of citation (minimum of five), title page and bibliography (a minimum of five sources). This paper should be double-spaced and seven pages in length (including the title page and bibliography). It will be evaluated on the quality of the presentation (content, organization, coherence and freedom from mechanical errors). Before you hand in this paper, you must see a writing consultant in the learning center for a writing consultation. Both the final and edited draft must be handed in and the edited draft must be signed and dated by the writing consultant. You will have the opportunity to rewrite this paper one time after the due date to improve your grade. This paper will be due on October 10.

LIBRARY RESEARCH PROJECT

This project will bring you into contact with a variety of research tools that you may use in preparing a paper. This project will not terminate in a paper but will produce a brief bibliography constructed from a variety of library resources. This project will be due on November 2.

TEXTBOOK EXPERIENCES

READING REPORT

During the course of the semester, we will assume that you have read the assigned portions in the textbook. At the time of the final exam, each student will report on her/his reading with the text reading report form. This report will be due at the time of the final exam.

CRITICAL REACTION PAPERS

The contents of the course has been divided into four blocks. In connection with each of the first three blocks, you will investigate an internet site that interacts with one of the topics under discussion in that unit. That site may be one you obtain from the chapters in the textbook, obtainted from the Wadsworth site (www.success.wadsworth.com) or it may be one you discover on your own. You will prepare a two-page reaction paper for each of the four blocks. These papers will be written in a formal style and should be double-spaced. Here you will demonstrate your critical thinking skills by addressing selected content from the site that you will adopt or avoid in order to make yourself a more successful student. Tell us what you valued, what you did not value and why. The papers will be evaluated on the quality of the presentation (content, organization, coherence and freedom from mechanical errors).

Unit One   Sept. 21
Unit Two   Oct. 19
Unit Three Nov. 9

SOCIAL LINKS

CO-CURRICULAR PARTICIPATION

Research clearly shows that succeesful students are students who are involved in co-curricular activities. In that light, you will be invited to participate in five co-curricular events this semester.
One of each of the following should be attended:

campus Bible study	athletic event
drama production	music event

ART SHOW

We will record your participation when you provide us with a 3X5 card on which you note the date of the event, type of event, and the signature of a reputable witness. If you are a member of a CUW team, club or organization, provide us with that information on a 3X5 card and you will need to attend only 2 of the events listed above. But be sure to attend events that are outside your current co-curricular interest(s). This assignment is due at the time of the final exam.

INTERVIEWS

Each student will conduct three interviews. These may be done in any order you wish. The first will be an interview with any instructor you presently have with whom you face the greatest challenge. Secondly, you will interview an individual outside the university who is currently working in a position you are planning to work one day. Find out about the joys and trials of that occupation. (If you are uncertain about your future career, please speak with us about an alternative assignment.) And finally, interview a faculty member who is teaching in the area of your major or highest interest. You will be looking for an advisor who will guide your course of study in the remaining semesters on our campus. We will record the completion of these interviews when you provide us with a 3X5 card with your name, type of interview, person interviewed and a brief summary of what you learned. The interviews are due on or before the time of the final exam. This assignment will be due at the time of the final exam.

CLASS OUTINGS

Three class outings will give us a chance to get to know one another better outside of the classroom. They are each worth five points. The first outing will be a cookout held on campus. The second outing will be a hike at Glacier Hills County Park. And the third outing willl be organized by the class.

September 13          Cookout
                      October 22             Fall Hike
                      ?????                     ????

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Punctual and regular class attendance is expected. You play an important role in making this class a success. This course will only be as good as your presence makes it. Be aware that either six consecutive absences or 10 intermittent absences may result in your being dropped from the class. If an absence becomes unavoidable, speak with us and we may have a suggestion on how to overcome the liability of missing that day's class.

The grading in this course will be done on a point system. The maximum number of points you may earn for any one component is identified below.

Component	Points
Class Journal	20
This Is Your Life I	10
This Is Your Life II	10
Research Paper	20
Library Project	15
Reading Report	15
Reaction Papers (@ 5)	15
Co-curricular Participation	25
Interviews (@ 5)	15
Class Outing	15
Midterm Exam	20
Final Exam	20
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	200
100-93%	A	200-186
92-90%	A-	185-180
89-87%	B+	179-174
86-83%	B	173-166
82-80%	B-	165-160
79-77%	C+	159-154
76-73%	C	153-146
72-70%	C-	145-140
69-67%	D+	139-134
66-63%	D	133-126
62-50%	D-	125-100

Your grade will be raised "+" or lowered "-" one step based on the judgment of the instructor. This adjustment is made after taking into consideration: positive attitude, cooperation and overall contribution to the success of the class.

Unit One:  Getting a Successful Start

Aug.    29	Instructor Introductions
Aug.    31	Course Introduction and Student Introductions	Table of Contents and Forward
Sept.   5	Student Introductions	---------             This is Your Life 1
Sept. 7	Risk Being Honest	---------
Sept. 12	Develop a Survival Strategy	Chapter 1
Sept. 14	Time Management	Chapter 4
Sept. 19	Student-Teacher Connections	Chapter 2
Sept. 21	You Create It All!	Chapter 17      Reaction Paper 1
		Unit Two: Life in Higher Education
Sept. 26	Higher Education	Chapter 13
Sept. 28	Program Planning	Catalog
Oct.  3	Worldview Foundations	All of the Above Chpt. 6
Oct.  5	Computing & Campus Technology	Chapter 10
Oct.  10	Towards Better Thinking	---------             Research Paper
Oct.  12	Towards Better Thinking	Chapter 3
Oct.  17	Learning Styles	Chapter 5
Oct.  19	Writing Exams	Chapter 8       Reaction Paper 2
Oct.  24	MIDTERM EXAMINATION
		Unit Three: Active Learning Strategies
Oct.  26	Library Research Skills	Chapter 9
Oct.  31	Library Research Skills	----------
Nov.  2	Writing and Speaking for Success	Chapters 11 Library Research P.
Nov.  7	Notetaking & Textbook Strategies	Chapters 6 & 7
Nov.  9	Vocational Reflection	Chapter 13      Reaction Paper 3
		Unit Four: Successful Personal Choices
Nov.  14	Values	Chapter 14
Nov.  16	Alcohol 101	Chapter 19
Nov.  21	Communication Skills	Chapter 15      This Is Your Life 2
Nov.  28	Cultural Diversity	Chapter 16
Nov.  30	Cultural Diversity	---------
Dec.    5	Health Issues	---------
Dec.    7	Relationships & Success	Chapter 18
	Final Exam