Course Requirements:
- Attendance:
You are expected and required to attend
all seminar classes and required meetings of this course. Since this
course is a seminar
course
that
revolves about class discussion, it is particularly important for
you to be in
class to benefit from all that your fellow student-scholars and instructor
have
to offer. No more than three unexcused are permitted. You will fail the
course on your fourth unexcused absence.
- Introduction to the Liberal Arts writing requirements:
A. An introductory essay of approximately 500 to 750 words that will
be assigned during the first week of class. Your instructor will
expect you to revise
this essay.
B. Two formal 750-1250 word thesis-focused essays
and one formal 750-1250 word essay of autobiographical or biographical
nature.
C. Informal Writing: You will be expected to write
informally on a regular basis. Informal writing might include journals,
free writing, convocation descriptions and others.
D. A library-based research exercise as determined
by your instructor. This exercise (oral or written) will
focus on the collection, evaluation and citation of sources.
E. A comprehensive essay final exam.
- Grading Guidelines:
50% Formal Writing, Informal Writing, and Research/Library Assignment
20% Class Participation/Oral communication in class
30% Quizzes, exams, final exam.
- Section Differences:
Beginning with the course philosophy from the Monmouth College catalog, the
current Introduction to the Liberal Arts instructors collaborated on the choice of texts, convocation
speakers, writing requirements and grading guidelines for the course. Although
the broad outlines and goals of the course are common, you will find that there
are variations that exist between your section and others. These variations
may be in the extra readings that your section does, the particular emphasis
of your section places on particular texts and the philosophical direction
that your section takes. This diversity in the sections is part of the excitement
of the course. Introduction to the Liberal Arts instructors come from across the campus from
all different disciplines.
No instructor is a specialist teaching in his or her field. In some very real
sense, your instructor embodies the ideals of liberal education as he or she
explores the ideas of the course with you. You should strive to learn how to
gather ideas and information, how to assess those ideas and information, and
how to create new ideas and information. Your instructor will model one way
of doing that, so you should be sure to pay close attention to how your instructor
approaches problems and solves them.
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