WGSS Foundations: Claiming Your Education

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

MAC Foundations Outcomes

• Develop academic skills in order to demonstrate the ability to identify and use campus services and resources (Library, Weatherspoon Art Museum, to name a few)
• Develop goals and plans related to personal purpose, interests, or values between self and community
• Build Connections between self and community relationships with peers, faculty, and staff (UNCG, college/student/department, special interest group, social/leadership/service initiative)
• Critically evaluate information and media sources in a variety of formats
• Incorporate and cite sources accurately and correctly

Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Outcomes (WGSS)

• Analyze the mutual constitution of gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, nationality, and religion

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Claiming your Education Activities	25%
Reflection and Connection	25%
Campus Tour	25%
Final Project	25%

Grading Scale:

Percentage	Letter Grade
94-100	A
90-93.9	A-
87-89.9	B+
84-86.9	B
80-83.9	B-
77-79.9	C+
74-76.9	C
70-73.9	C-
67-69.9	D+
64-66.9	D
60-63.9	D-
Below 60	F

Attendance/Participation:

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Everyone learns from sharing and exchanging with each other in class, so we each have an obligation to come to each class period prepared on the topics and material of the day. And it turns out that students who come to class generally do better academically. If a student is absent more than 3 times, I may drop your final grade. Please talk to me if you feel like your attendance may be an issue.

But attendance is more than just being there- it must include Participation

PARTICIPATION POLICY: Active and informed participation means you come to class with assignments completed, having thought about the course material, and prepared yourself to say something specific and relevant on the topic. This happens when you practice skills like focus, curiosity, and empathy. Like other skills these must be practiced- here is a way to start thinking about these terms:

Focus means to direct your attention fully and in a sustained way to the work at hand; to be doing what it is we're doing, and not doing something else instead. Staying awake is a focus skill, staying off your phone is a focus skill, and active listening and contributing to the interrogation of ideas and the expansion of knowledge are focus skills.

Curiosity is rooted in imagination... wondering if, how, why, when, etc. People who wonder ask questions more than they make claims; they are uncertain more than they are certain; they do not seek quick closure on big or tough questions but rather they accept (and create) meandering paths toward answers that may never actually be final or complete.

Empathy is the capacity to imagine, feel, sense, and perceive what others are experiencing (even when different from you) and to act in a way that privileges their interests at least some of the time, rather than do marginalize or invalidate them in some direct or subtle way

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

No course materials are required.