During the semester I am prepared to meet individually [by appointment] with any and all students enrolled in this course. That is especially true, however, during the first week of class and especially for students with disabilities who are registered with the Coordinator of Disability Services (368-5230) and who may need individual arrangements.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
This University Seminar introduces students to the recent major green transformation in the world, focusing on the way the green changes took place in relation to globalization, environment and climate protection, technology innovation, income redistribution, domestic consumption, and education, to meet the challenges of financial crisis, climate change, energy insecurity, and international competition. The seminar will also assess the impacts of various aspects of green transformation and globalization on today's and future world and vice versa.
This seminar promotes broad knowledge and increased appreciation of the importance of diversity in every (developed or developing) country's history, social frameworks, economic conditions, and natural environment. In a close connection to primary readings, which include relevant works, the students will be exposed to a variety of related primary and secondary materials (such as texts, videos, photos, short films, music, songs, and websites). In addition to receiving supplementary, informative yet concise lectures, the student will also be involved in practice in critical reading and thinking, discussing, writing, and presenting readings and research projects. In these activities, the students will be introduced to basic methods and concepts critical to the understanding of important economic, social, and cultural developments and changes as products of movements rather than isolated incidents.
ACTIVITIES AND GRADING
- Seminar Attendance and Participation (24% in total, 1.5% for each class, which includes 0.5 for attendance and 1.0 for participation). Regular seminar attendance and participation is required. Excused absences, which can be requested and approved for health reasons such as sickness or other similar reasons, can be made up by completing extra credit assignments. Each unexcused absence will result in the loss of 2.0% of the semester grade, which includes 1.5% for attendance and participation and .5% for penulty.
- Writing Assignments (62% in total, including 3% for research planning form, 1% for 3 APA rewrite paragraphs; 21% for 3 mini papers, 13% for the final paper, 8% on 4 peer reviews, 16% on 2 weekly Canvas Discussion Board posts for each of the eight weeks).
Note: The above grade includes 1% for each of the timely submissions, and each of the papers is due by the end of Thursday.
Tasks, Content, and Format.
At the beginning of the semester, the student will select a research topic related to this University Seminar for his or her research project and write four papers as integral parts of this research project.
You need to retain in a cloud storage, such as Google Drive, a copy of every Canvas submission, including Canvas posts, draft and final versions of all papers to prepare for the highly unlikely event, in which files on the CWRU Canvas server disappear for emergency or security reasons
The research and paper writing process is divided into three stages: (a) recsearch planning stage, (b) draft writing stage, and (c) final paper stage.
The student's task in the Research Planning Stage is to conduct the preliminary research, identify the research topic by reading one or more wikipedia articles and selecting a minimum of 9 research papers from the academic databases such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, Academic Complete, etc. and 6 online documents, articles or videos, formulating research questions, and choosing a research topic from the research topics, describe the goal and focus of the semester-long research project, narrow down the involved issues, and structure the issues as the steps of investigation and analysis of the research project.
Your task in the Draft Writing Stage is to write three 4 page small papers (two versions, APA format), each consisting of a 3 page literature review section and 1 page reflection/discussion section (the 3:1 ratio can also be changed to 2:2 for skilled writers. If you consider yourself as such a person, please contact me by email along with a two-paragraph sample for permission of the 2:2 ratio).
The literature review section (3 pages) in each of the three related papers is to show the most relevant findings and views of the selected research papers, online documents, articles, and videos answering the student's three respective research questions for the research project. The student's task in these sections is to review and present, in format of a literature review, the views and findings of the existing studies/scholars using the "They Said" templates and APA format.
The reflection/discussion section (1 page) in each of the three related papers is to show the student's own critical evaluation and analysis of the authors' findings and views in the research papers, documents, articles, and videos the student reviewed in the "I Say" format.
Each of the three mini papers must contain a title of the paper, the student's name, and course informtion on the top of the first page. All papers must be presented in 12-point font (New Roman or similar), double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides. Each paper should include a one paragraph introduction, a main body with several paragraphs, a one paragraph conclusion, and a bibliography. Each paper should contain a title that captures the essence of one of the three research questions. To emphasize academic writing as a process, the APA exercise and its revision will be reviewed by the instructor, and the three small paper (Papers 1-3) and the final paper (Paper 4) will also be reviewed by a peer review partner. The student will revise these papers according to the instructor and/or the partner's revision suggestions.
The student's task in the Final Paper Stage is to finalize the research paper by recompiling the three 4-page papers into as final paper consisting of a 9 page literature review section and a 3 page reflection/discussion section (the 9:3 ratio can also be changed to 6:6 for skilled writers), plus a new cover page with the student's information and another new page with an Abstract and up to six Keywords, which is followed by a separate page with the main text body of the paper starting with an introduction section and ending with Conclusions and References.
The student will also submit, along with the 12-page Final Paper, a 1-page reflection, in which he or she discusses his or her improvements as a writer during the semester, and how he or she benefited from the 3-stage writing process of the research project as well as and the multi-version revisions in response to the recommendations of the peer reviewer and the instructor (as well as the Writing Center).
Research / Writing Project Schedule (APA Sample Paper)
| Assignment |
No. of pages of each paper |
Points (author) |
Due date |
Points (reviewer) |
Due date |
| Research Planning Form |
N/A |
3% |
Week 1, Sunday (June 10) |
Instructor review only |
Week 2, Friday (June 15) |
| APA exercise |
3 sets (each of which consists of 1 review paragraph and 1 discussion paragraph) |
0.7% |
Week 2, Sunday (June 17) |
Instructor review only |
Week 3, Monday (June 18) |
| Revised APA exercise |
the above 3 sets |
0.3% |
Week 3, Friday (June 22) |
Instructor review only |
Week 4, Monday (June 25) |
| Small Paper 1 |
4 (3p review+1p discussion) |
7% (5% +2% ) |
Week 4, Friday (June 29) |
2% |
Week 5, Monday (July 2) |
| Small Paper 2 + Revised Small Paper 1 |
4 (3p review+1p discussion) |
7% (5% +2% ) |
Week 5, Friday (July 6) |
2% |
Week 6, Monday (July 9) |
| Small Paper 3 + Revised Small Review Paper 2 |
4 (3p review+1p discussion) |
7% (5% +2% ) |
Week 6, Friday (July 13) |
2% |
Week 7, Monday (July 16) |
| Final Paper (Paper 4) + Revised Small Review Paper 3 |
13 (1 cover + 12) |
10% (8% +2% ) |
Week 7, Friday (July 20) |
2% |
Week 8, Monday (July 22) |
| Revised Paper 4 |
13 (1 cover + 12) |
3% |
Week 8, Friday (July 27) |
Instructor review only |
Week 9, Thursday (August 2) |
Weekly Canvas Discussion Posts (16% in total, or 1% for each of the 16 weekly posts (2 weekly posts for each of the eight weeks), which includes .2% for timely posting of each of the 16 weekly posts).
The purpose of the weekly readings and related Canvas discussion posts is to prepare students for class discussion. You should (1) read two articles, one for Tuesday's class and one for Thursday's class; (2) Write and post one reflection for each of the two readings, containing the following two components:
a. a brief (one short paragraph/list) "They said" summary of the most important views, concepts, developments, policies presented in the article.
b. a detailed "I say" reflection on the reading in which you analyze, assess, critically review the most important views, concepts, developments, policies presented in the article, explaining their relationship, importance, implications, etc. for the future development of the world, a specific country, or sector, or your own career.
- Two Oral Presentations (14% in total, or 7% each).
Each students will deliver two oral presentations. The first presentation relates to the reading assignments of the week and the second one reports to the class the results of the student's research project. The student should avoid presenting on the same topic in these two presentations. The presentations must be analytical and interpretive, not just descriptive narrative. Each of the two presentations should be less than 5 minutes long.
Both presentation should include two parts: "They said" key findings of the readings (3 minutes) and "I say" critical discussion (2 minutes). In addition, the presenter will lead a brief class discussion of the reading about the reading (1 minute).
Both presentations will be evaluated by all students of the class. The use of presentational tools and skills is part of considerations for grading. The grading of each presentation will be decided by the average score from a subsequent anonymous voting process of the peers in class.
- Extra Credit (10% in total) The main purpose of the extra credit activities is to expand the students' learning experience through communication with part of the international community as it is related to the greening theme of the University Seminar. Excused absences and other missing assignments can be made up by earning extra credit. Extra credit activities can be conducted throughout of the semester, but at the end of the semester, the student claiming extra credit should write reports along with email messages exchanged, skype screen shots, interview protocols, or video or movie viewing reports to the Canvas.
- Viewing and writing a reflection paper on one video clip in length of at least 30 minutes or a group of clips of the same or similar topics combined at last around 30 minutes related to green transformation and globalization listed on the course website.
- Extra Credit Folder with a one paragraph explanation of each activity's implication for the student's understan
ding of the green theme. Each email message, Skype session, interview, video or movie on a green theme is eligible for 1% extra credit.
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and DVD in class