Course Description
This course examines the recent cultural movement of "slow," which includes Slow Food, Slow Looking, and Slow in the Arts, Literature, and Contemplative Practices. Slow arts and practices can help support students' metacognitive learning and their individual mental health and wellness.
Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
Courses in the Health and Wellness competency intensely focus on health and wellness as well as information literacy. These courses provide explicit instruction in how to understand decisions as they impact the health and wellness of individuals or communities. Upon successful completion of this health & wellness course, students will: Demonstrate knowledge of factors that contribute to physical and/or mental health. Analyze the connection(s) of different aspects of wellness (i.e., choices or actions to achieve health/well-being) to the overall health of an individual or population. Synthesize information from multiple sources to support arguments and/or inform decisions. Integrate and cite sources accurately and correctly.
COURSE-SPECIFIC STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- You will be able to define and explain contemporary consumerism. [SLO 1]
- You will be able to define, explain, and compare and contrast the Slow movement and its offshoots as responses to consumerism. [SLO 1]
- You will gain experience in interpreting several types of Slow: in the arts, film, texts, and everyday life. [SLO 2]
- You will analyze readings, videos, films, websites, and case studies and contribute to class discussion and the class community. [SLO 2, 3, 4]
- You will design, plan, and create your own Annotated Slow Manifesto that synthesizes theory and practices developed over the course. [SLO 3; SLO 4]
- You will write a critical appraisal of modern consumer culture and how notions of “Slow” do or do not contribute to human flourishing and why. [SLO 1, 2, 3, 4]
Course Grading Information:
| Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
| Practice-Based Unit Assignments | 20% |
| Discussion Forum | 20% |
| Unit Content Check-Ins (Written Assignments) | 20% |
| Slow Sketchbook | 20% |
| Annotated Slow Manifesto | 20% |
Grading Scale:
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 100-94% | A |
| 93-90% | A- |
| 89-87% | B+ |
| 86-84% | B |
| 83-80% | B- |
| 79-77% | C+ |
| 76-74% | C |
| 73-70% | C- |
| 69-67% | D+ |
| 66-64% | D |
| 63-61% | D- |
| 60-0% | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Because this is an online asynchronous course, attendance is demonstrated through regular and timely engagement with course materials, discussions, activities, and assignments. Participation means contributing thoughtfully to course discussions and activities, completing required work by established deadlines, and engaging respectfully with classmates and course content. Students are expected to log in regularly and remain actively involved throughout the term.
The final integrative assignments are required components of this course and must be attempted in order to earn a passing grade. Students may not opt out of these assignments based on their point total or current course grade. Even if a student has accumulated enough points to mathematically earn a passing grade, failure to submit a good-faith attempt at the required final integrative assignment(s) may result in a failing course grade.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
- Holly Bauer, Food Matters. A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Third Edition. Boston: Macmillan, 2021.
- Amy Maricle, Draw Yourself Calm. Draw Slow, Stress Less. London: Quarto Publishing, 2022.
- Uncle Boonmee, Who Can Recall His Past Lives. It is available through Prime Video.
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.