The University Experience
Fall 2009

Instructor:  Dr. Claudia Bryant
Office:  Stillwell 350
Phone:  227-3860
Office Hours:  Mondays 11:00-12:00; Wednesdays 11:00-12:00 and 1:15-2:15; Thursdays by appointment; and Fridays 11:00-12:00
Email:  cbryant@wcu.edu  Any emails I initiate to you will be addressed to your official WCU Catamount address; you are responsible for any information sent to this address.  If you have technical difficulties with your Catamount account, please contact IT Services (227-7ITS/7487) for assistance in correcting the problem.
Web page: http://paws.wcu.edu/cbryant (Information relevant to the course, including the syllabus and links to appropriate university resources will be posted on the web page.)

Course Description: The University Experience provides an introduction to higher education and relevant issues in general, and to the University in particular.  Among the broad topics we will discuss during the semester are:  how to effectively make the transition from high school to college; how to engage in meaningful academic and career planning; and how to effectively engage in personal development.  We will hear from a number of guest speakers on these and other issues.  Over the course of the semester, students will keep a journal noting their challenges and successes in these and other areas; entries should be typed, and students should be prepared to share at least one of their experiences per week during class sessions.

Purpose and Objectives:
The goals of the University Experience course include the following:

1.  To help you orient yourself at WCU by making you familiar with academic policies, programs and support resources;

2.  To help you cope successfully with the stresses that often accompany major life transitions, such as coming to college;

3.  To create a context in which you can clarify values and continue to develop a sense of responsibility for your academic, personal, and career development; and

4.  To guide you to develop empathy, respect, and appreciation for others who are different from you in terms of the ways our society defines human and group differences, including race, ethnicity, religious backgrounds, linguistic differences, socioeconomic levels, age, geography, sexual orientation, and national origins.

 
The University Experience Course is meant to get you off to a good start in college, and to motivate you to successfully complete your college education.  It is the place to get your questions answered, explore and establish your goals, and discover resources that will help you be successful.  Your instructor is also a mentor, a “go-to” person, when you have questions, insecurities, indecisions, or other difficulties—please take advantage of this both in class and individually. 

Your instructor will make every effort to help you become aware of and incorporate the Learning Outcomes of the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan throughout the USI 130 course.  Students should: 

1.                  Identify their aptitudes, abilities, and interests and articulate their future goals and aspirations;

2.                  Modify their behaviors and values in response to knowledge and skills gained from their academic and co-curricular experiences; and

3.                  Recognize the synthesis of their university experiences relative to their future education and career plans. 

To achieve the expected learning goals, WCU has identified a set of core skills and behaviors (outcomes) that are central to a student’s development as an integrated, intentional learner.  These core expectations include the ability to: 

• Integrate information from a variety of contexts;
• Solve complex problems;
• Communicate effectively and responsibility;
• Practice civic engagement; and
• Clarify and act on purpose and values

Attendance in USI 130:

Much of a person's learning and thinking originates in, and is supported by, interactions with other people.  What happens inside the classroom is the “meat” of the USI 130 course.  Therefore, your performance on short in-class activities and contributions to class discussion are important to you and to your fellow students, and will serve as a significant portion of your course grade.  In addition, given the nature of this course, regular attendance and participation are critically important to reinforce for students that many others are sharing in and can relate to the kinds of experiences you may currently be going through.
 

The University's Undergraduate Catalog, The Record, states the following regarding class attendance: “Western Carolina University expects students to recognize the positive effect on academic success of class attendance and participation.  All undergraduates are expected to attend all meetings of the courses in which they are enrolled: any absence is incurred at the student's own risk…. A student with more unexcused absences in a 100-(freshman) or 200-(sophomore) level course than the semester hours given for the course can expect the instructor to lower the course grade.”  You are encouraged to consult the complete statement of this policy in the Undergraduate Catalog.

**Attendance will be recorded at the beginning of each class session.  Please be on time or you will be marked absent for the day.

You are allowed up to two absences provided that your instructor excuses the absence.  Acceptable excuses include the following:

a) Clear evidence that you are too ill or otherwise indisposed to benefit from being in class and will be a risk or distraction to others in the class;
b) Documented evidence of your required presence in a court of law;
c) Documented evidence of a personal or family emergency requiring your presence away from campus;
d) Documented evidence of your participation in an approved university activity (field trip, athletic event, etc.; documentation will be provided by the university official in charge of the activity, and must be presented before the time of the absence);
e) Other circumstances approved by your instructor, preferably prior to the absence.

You must request IN WRITING that each absence be excused before the next regular class period; otherwise that absence will be considered unexcused.  Your written excuse must be presented to your instructor, at the instructor's office, as soon as possible after the absence occurs.  If you miss class for what you believe is a good reason, you must still ask, in writing, that the absence be excused--we want to see that you are acting responsibly about class attendance.  Even if you miss class unexpectedly or accidentally, do not compound the error by failing to turn in a request for an excuse; if you act responsibly, you might be granted an excuse even with a poor reason.  It is up to your instructor to grant excuses, so do not assume your absence will not be excused until you have communicated with your instructor.  

Attendance affects your final grade according to the following procedure:

·  If you have more than two excused absences, you cannot earn a final grade higher than a C, regardless of your performance on the course assignments;

·  If you have more than four excused absences, your instructor may assign a grade of F, regardless of your performance on the course assignments.

·  If you have ANY unexcused absences you will not pass USI, regardless of your performance on the course assignments.

Keep in mind that if you miss a class meeting, you are responsible for the material addressed during that meeting and for submitting assignments due at the meeting.

Basis for Student Evaluation:

Your grade in the course will be determined through several factors:  class attendance; class participation/journals (90 points); and satisfactory completion of specified assignments (180 points).

**Again, please be aware of the impact poor attendance will have on your grade in the course, as indicated above!!
 

Revised Grading Scale:  (270 total points available):  A+=261-270; A=250-260; A- =243-249; B+ =238-242; B=224-237; B- = 216-223; C+ =211-215; C=197-210; C- = 189-196; D+ 184-188; D=170-183; D- = 161-169; F=0-160.
 

Texts:  We will be referencing the undergraduate catalog, The Record; your Student Handbook; The Transition to College Writing; and The University Experience:  Strategies for Success.
 

During the first class meeting, we will cover the following points:  Introductions; distribution of syllabus; discussion of email accounts, and discussion of journals.

Homework Due for second class meeting:  Journal 1

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