Inclusive Learning Environment

I strive to make the classroom a place where everyone can learn. Oppression and privilege shape the learning environment and I will do my best to make reduce the impact of these structural forces on our learning environment. If there is ANYTHING that I am doing that reproduces the harm PLEASE let me know. This classroom is also a place where I strive to attend to what we now call neurodivergence. If there is anything that I could do that would make your learning experience better let’s have a conversation.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Students with Disabilities

I strive to accommodate all learning needs in this class. This includes students with documented learning differences as well as those who might be without official documentation. It is helpful to officially register your documented learning difference or mental health need with the office of disability services which is located here.

If you think you might benefit from accommodations but have not yet received official documentation you can talk to me about what might help or talk with the appropriate provider. Our counseling office is available to help with these types of issues and they can be contacted here.

Kalamazoo College provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the office of the Dean of Students [337-7209] in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate accommodations.

Cultural/Religious Holidays

Kalamazoo College provides reasonable accommodations for observing religious or cultural holidays. Students can be excused from class to participate in these religious/cultural activities, but they will be responsible for getting all assignments and turning in course work. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the faculty member in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate accommodations.

Student Athletes

Student athletes who have university permission to miss classes or tests need to inform the instructor before they miss the assignment.

Honor System

This course will operate in accordance with the Kalamazoo College Honor System: a responsibility for personal behavior, independent thought, respect for others, and environmental responsibility. Students who are caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a zero for that assignment, will be referred to Student Services, and may fail the class. Students who download papers or any information from the Internet without citing the source may receive an F in this course.

Attendance

70% of life is showing up and engaging. The course has been designed to give you credit for attending class. If you miss more than two classes you will receive ½ letter grade deduction. If you miss four or more classes you should consider withdrawing. If you are in the middle of a family, medical or mental health crisis please let me know so that we can find a compassionate solution.

Assignments Overview

Grading

It is possible to earn a total of 685 points this term. The scale below is slightly different from typical scales so please note the difference. This course is weighted more heavily toward the final group projects. This has been constructed intentionally so that you can get more credit for learning as you go. The quizzes are designed to give you an opportunity to test your knowledge on the weekly topic.

How We Roll

Experience, reflect, connect, apply

Learning Theory Principles: Activate retrieval!

Use the table below to write down your group # and group members name and contact info.

Group #

Weekly Schedule

We will meet to discuss reading and complete in-class learning activities on Mondays and Wednesdays. Most Fridays will be set aside for project work, writing workshops, hands-on learning, or guided bike rides (so please keep this time clear in your schedule each week).

Assignments and Activities

Short Responses

You will write 3 short responses over the course of the quarter. Two of these will focus on readings. One will reflect on what you have learned about writing over the quarter. There will be multiple opportunities for responses, and you will sign up for 2. You will also be responsible for starting our class discussion (working individually or as teams) on the days your responses are due.

Research assignment/Policy Paper

You will research a topic of your interest/choice related to our course theme. You will start this research as part of your Beyond Google session, and will develop your research into a 5-page policy paper. You will peer workshop a draft of this essay and will also meet with me
individually to discuss your drafts before the final version is due.

Beyond Google Information Literacy Workshop

Our Seminar will participate in a workshop intended to help you develop and improve your research and information literacy skills, supporting your development as an independent scholar. Your work will be part of the research you do for your policy paper and will be led by one of our reference librarians and me. The steps in the Beyond Google process will be graded P/F

HILL Cluster Activities

Our class is one of a cluster of courses focusing on questions of location and dislocation in Kalamazoo. We will have three required cluster activities during the quarter: a lunch or dinner at a time of your choosing during 2nd week with a member of the “Finding a Home in the World”
Senior Seminar; a lunch and meeting with all of the courses in the cluster (Common Time/11-11:45AM 3rd Week Monday); and a critical reflection discussion with the “Finding a Home in the World” Senior Seminar (Common Time/11-11:45, 5th Week Monday). There are other, optional, cluster activities you may choose to take part in throughout the quarter.

Photo (and video?) Essay

Throughout the quarter, keep an eye open for people riding bikes on campus and around town. Take photos of as many different kinds of riding (types of bikes, purpose in riding, rider demographics, etc.) you come across. We want to represent the diversity of riding in Kalamazoo. Each student is required to contribute at least two photographs (or possibly short videos—we’ll discuss this early in the quarter!) to the overall photo essay. When we go to Copenhagen, you’ll be asked to create a parallel photo essay about Copenhagen cyclists.

Community-based Project/Structured Reflection

Students will work in 3 teams to complete community-based projects, working alongside community partners. One group will work with the City of Kalamazoo (and City Planner/K Alum Christina Anderson) on a project related to cycling infrastructure in Kalamazoo; a second group will work with Open Roads (and Executive Director Isaac Green) on a project focused on developing and implementing safe cycling routes for Kalamazoo-area children; and a third group will work with the Kalamazoo College Outdoor Programs office (and Director Jory Horner and Assistant Director Jess Port), investigating ways to make college-owned bikes more accessible to students, to promote and support cycling among students, and to develop a cycling culture on campus.—This might lead to work on campus (and maybe in collaboration with WMU and/or the City) on a bike share program. Teams will be assigned early in the quarter and will work on these projects throughout the quarter. You will need to work on your projects with your teams and your community partners outside of class time, and this workload is accounted for in your reading/writing load for the course. Individually, you will complete 2 structured-reflection assignments that ask you to connect your readings and other in-class work with your experiential work.

Project Reports and Presentations

At the end of the quarter, project teams will collaboratively write project reports, which gather together research, raw data, analysis, implementation/project sustainability plans, and reflections on their community-based project experiences. Teams will present their key
findings to one another, our community partners and other members of the College and Kalamazoo communities.

First-Year Forum Requirement

First-Year Forums are programs (usually 1-2 hours in length) offered throughout the fall term on topics important for first-year students (time management, study abroad/away, personal safety, civic engagement in Kalamazoo, career planning, and more!). These engaging programs are facilitated by faculty, staff, and sometimes even upper-class students. First-year students are required to attend one program in each of five different categories:

• Social Justice and Civic Engagement
• Intercultural Understanding
• Personal Decision Making and Habits
• Career and Professional Development
• Academic Success and Independent Scholarship

Multiple unique programs are offered throughout the quarter in each of the five categories, so students can pick and choose what programs to attend based on their interest and schedule. Forum attendance is logged as part of the First-Year Seminar grade. If students do not attend at least one Forum in each group, two percentage points for each Forum missed will be deducted from the final Seminar grade. You can check your First-Year Forum attendance records.

Participation

There are many ways to participate in our course—completing the readings; taking part inclass discussion; showing up for team meetings and other project-related work; giving good feedback during workshops; attending office hours; etc. You may have your preferences, but you really can’t ignore any of these things and expect to receive an A for participation. A student earning an A in participation will, for example, come to class having read their assigned texts and thought through the reading, will make at least two contributions to most (if not all) class discussions, will provide thoughtful workshop feedback, and will meet their obligations to their team.

Grading

Not every written assignment will receive a grade. We’ll start the term with lots of feedback and less grading, then move to more graded work. I’ll be clear about how this works with each assignment.

Required Activities

P/F—You must attend these activities (or complete an alternative assignment if you have an unavoidable conflict) to pass the class.

Attendance

Your attendance is expected and required, except for cases of illness. In this time of Covid, it’s difficult to provide an unchangeable, one-size-fits-all attendance policy, but you should use the following as a guideline: If you miss more than 3 classes over the course of the quarter, you might expect your grade in the course to go down. The more absences, the lower the grade. Why? Because your presence in our class—to take part in discussions of reading and in-class work—does more than just give you a chance to go over concepts. Our work together actually creates meaning—and what we create as a class will necessarily be different (and poorer) without everyone’s presence and contribution.

Beyond the end of the quarter

Travel to Copenhagen will be a required part of the course. Our coursework will prepare us to engage fully with our experiences in Copenhagen. Our activities in Copenhagen will be designed to inform and deepen our learning/knowledge around our project topics, and we will focus on how to translate Copenhagen experiences back to Kalamazoo needs/opportunities as we travel. I will offer a partial-unit course in the winter of 2023 (optional, but open to students in “Wheels of Change”), where students can earn up to .5 units of credit for reflecting on the Copenhagen trip and use the knowledge and materials we’ve compiled while traveling to revise and deepen project reports from the fall. In addition to revised written reports, students completing the .5 unit winter course will also give two presentations about their work: one to the campus community and one to our community partners/others in the wider Kalamazoo community. There may also be opportunities to continue project work through internships with one or more of our partners either later in the academic year or in the summer, although this is not a guarantee.

HILL (Humanities Integrated Locational Learning)

In January, Kalamazoo College received a three-year Mellon grant. (For more information, see the grant announcement.) Known as Humanities Integrated Locational Learning (HILL), this initiative examines how many problems of our time can be analyzed through the lens of
location and dislocation. To develop a deeper knowledge with the aim of generating the potential for change, HILL supports the formation of class clusters linked to specific places within and beyond Kalamazoo.

Our class is part of the Kalamazoo cluster that explores dimensions of home and belonging. In the spirit of the grant, courses partner with Kalamazoo community organizations/members and with each other. The collaboration includes SEMN 132 – Radical Belonging, SEMN 163 – About Us: Disability Stories/Disability Rights, SEMN 182 – Wheels of Change, ENGL 155 – Identities: Home and Belonging, CES 240 (Critical Ethnic Studies) – Language: The Colonial and Imperial Difference, and SEMN 495 – Finding a Home in the World. Instructors for each course will communicate how and when they will collaborate throughout the term.

When considering the effects of location and dislocation, we understand that these concepts impact students who, for any number of reasons, may feel displaced or out of place on a college campus. The project, then, seeks to construct a sense of home on and off campus. By erasing the distinction between the classroom and “real world,” we seek to embrace how ways of learning within the humanities can facilitate a space to think about and create collective futures.

Learning Commons and Academic Support

I strongly encourage you to become familiar with and make use of the Learning Commons, which includes the Writing Center; ESL support; New Media Design; peer instruction and support in Chemistry, Biology, Math, Physics, and Economics and Business; Learning Support Coaching; and more. See the Learning Commons site for more information.

Academic Integrity

This course operates under the College Honor System.  That means: we treat each other with respect, we nurture independent thought, we take responsibility for personal behavior, and we accept environmental responsibility. Academic honesty is a critical part of our value system at K.  When you borrow an idea, express the idea in your own words, thus thinking it through and making it your own, and acknowledge the source of the idea in a citation, or, in certain situations, use the exact words of the source in quotation marks and acknowledge with a citation. If you have any questions about citing sources, the acceptable use of secondary materials, or issues regarding collaborative vs. individual work, PLEASE ASK ME. I will send any cases of academic dishonesty to the Dean of Students’ office to be addressed according to College policy. For the full policy, see the academic dishonesty page.

Accommodations

If you are a student with a disability who seeks accommodation or other assistance in this course, please let me know as soon as possible. Kalamazoo College is committed to making every effort to providing reasonable accommodations. If you want to discuss your overall needs for accommodation at the College, and receive formal accommodations, please direct questions to Dana Jansma, Senior Associate Dean of Students, at (269) 337-7209 or through email at Dana.Jansma@kzoo.edu . For more information, please see the disability services page. This website also contains resources for assistive technologies and neurodivergent students.

Writing Competencies

The First-Year Seminar faculty has established the following goals for fostering writing competencies that will help prepare students for writing in discipline-specific courses in the major and, eventually, for writing the SIP. We hope that every first-year student will develop greater competency in these areas:

Achieving clarity through revision

• stating and developing a thesis
• writing coherent sentences and well-developed paragraphs
• using correct grammar and mechanics
• being conscious of overall structure and impact
• becoming proficient at editing and proof reading
• writing frequently to gain fluency
• expressing ideas directly and economically

Constructing an argument using evidence

• understanding the difference between opinion, argument, and evidence, and becoming aware of which of the three serves the writing project at hand
• synthesizing others’ ideas with one’s own
• using sources to support ideas and positions
• using quoted materials effectively and correctly

Gaining experience in research strategies

• understanding why doing research is important
• learning how to do research, beginning with the earliest stages
• putting newly gained knowledge and skills into practice
• working as independent scholars and contributing to scholarly discourse throughout college and beyond

Cultivating an authentic and versatile style of written communication

• discovering one’s own way into material
• making deliberate choices about structure, style, and voice, with a distinct awareness of audience, context and impact
• writing in a natural, straightforward style
• demonstrating or developing authenticity and ownership of the work

Schedule Weeks 1-5

Please note that this schedule is always subject to change. You’ll find the most up-to-date version of our
class schedule on our class Teams site.

Mobility and Exclusion in the History of Cycling

Topics of discussion:
The “cycling craze” of the 1890s; women and cycling in the late 19th/early 20th centuries; Race, mobility, and cycling in the late 19th/early 20th centuries in the US.

City Planning, Bike Infrastructure, and Equity

Topics of discussion:
Bicycle urbanism; City planning perspectives on cycling; cycling as community-building; bringing an equity lens to non-motorized transportation/cycling infrastructure

Overview of topics/assignments for the second half of the quarter
(details to come . . .)

Course Materials

All readings, videos and other content will be available on our course Moodle site.

We will also be using a Course Research Guide on Environment and Sustainability curated by our reference librarians.

Course Methods

As a senior capstone experience, I hope to work in partnership with you, so that you have opportunities every class to share your gifts and expertise, partner in building the class, and find it a time and space for deep reflection on and engagement with what your K Plan means to you and how you can use it in the future.

Weeks 1-5

I’ve tried to structure the course so that we have some time at the beginning to build knowledge, learn the history of earth-human interactions in the Mediterranean, and think about lessons we might take from a different time and place. We will also build a common vocabulary for discussing these issues. In addition, we will engage in a number of activities, talk to visitors, bring in other materials, and look for ways to try on these ideas.

Tuesdays: Discussion of readings, vocabulary building, sharing from reflections
Thursdays: Visitors, projects, experiments, making connections to the modern world

Weeks 6-10

In these weeks you take over! On Tuesdays you will share a topic that you have been thinking about and researching, and will lead us in our exploration of it. You will assign our readings for the day, give us questions to use to reflect on the topic and help us develop a better understanding. Students will meet with me at least two weeks in advance to ensure that they have the resources they need and feel confident to shepherd us through the topic.

We may retain the same structure as weeks 1-5, but it depends on the number of students and student interests. If you want to keep the same structure, I will work with you to secure speakers for our Thursday sessions, projects or experiments that could inform our work, or help plan field trips to enhance our understanding.

Course Requirements:

This class is built on our work together—with each other, and our community partners—and so your grade will be based on how well you analyze the texts we read, both in class and in your written work.

A substantial portion of your grade depends upon class participation. This does not mean that you have to have something “brilliant” to contribute to each class. It does mean that I want to see that you are thoughtful, engaged and eager to dig into our topic that day. For each text we read you should come to class prepared with:

• one passage that you liked, found interesting, or spoke to you in some way.
• one question or problem.

The breakdown of your grade will be as follows:

I grade on a pretty standard scale:

Weekly Journal:

Each week you will be asked to bring our readings, discussions and your own experience into conversation with each other. There will be a prompt for each week to guide your writing, and to bring our course readings and discussions into conversation with current problems. But it is also a place where you can explore your own ideas. You can also use it as a place to record passages from the readings that interested you (that you want to make sure you bring up in class) or an experience that you have and want to reflect on. Really, anything course-related can go there. Weekly Journals should be updated every week by Tuesday at 9am. You should plan to write about two paragraphs in your response, in order to receive full credit (about 300 words). These will be graded using the Journal Rubric.

Facilitating Class:

We will work together early in the quarter to identify a topic that you would like to explore. In collaboration with me, you will select readings for the class, craft discussion questions for your classmates, then lead them through them in class. This will be graded using a rubric that reflects your seriousness of engagement, effort, and interest.

Participation:

Participation is an important part of your grade. This part of your grade reflects both your participation AND your presence in the work we do. Active participation in this class means:

• coming to class on time,
• completing assigned readings and exercises,
• listening to others (in ALL kinds of discussions),
• contributing ideas of your own, and
• asking questions as they come up.

If you are concerned about your participation grade or want to improve it, just ask!

Community Partner Work:

The work we do on our class project is one way we begin to practice the application of our knowledge to problems in the world, and the acquisition of new skills and knowledge to apply to the challenges of living. Thus, engagement and commitment to the project is critical for success in the class. Attendance is part of it—but open and enthusiastic engagement, curiosity and humility are essential.

Final Reflection:

Your final assignment will be a reflective essay, asking you to do many of the things we practice every week in our journals (integrating readings, experiences, work, and our own interests and expertise) but on a larger scale. Specific guidelines will be provided.

A Few Other Pieces—Campus Policies:

Honor Code:

This course operates under the College Honor System. That means: we treat each other with respect, we nurture independent thought, we take responsibility for personal behavior, and we accept environmental responsibility. Academic honesty is a critical part of our value system at K. When you borrow an idea, express the idea in your own words, thus thinking it through and making it your own, and acknowledge the source of the idea in a note, or, in certain situations, use the exact words of the source in quotation marks and acknowledge with a note. Ideas raised in class are part of the public domain and, therefore, sources of the ideas need not be acknowledged. If you are ever in doubt about this, you must ask. Here’s the full policy.

Accessibility:

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires me to offer reasonable accommodations for students with physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, learning and psychiatric challenges. Please contact me during the first week of the quarter if you need or believe you may need accommodations so that you can be successful in this course. If you need more information, you can learn more about specific resources by visiting the student life website or calling the Dana Jansma, Senior Associate Dean of Students Office at (269) 337-7209.

College Resources

Student Mental Health

The Kalamazoo College Counseling Center is available to all students. If you are struggling—or know someone else who is—you should definitely contact them for a visit (their hours are Mon-Fri 8-5). E-mail Patricia Jorgenson, who can assist you in getting the support you need. They are a great place to turn to if you are anxious or depressed—and they are also a great place to visit if you are struggling with workload, feeling overwhelmed, or a little worried that things are harder than they used to be. In addition, for issues that won’t wait, there are lots of people that can 24/7:

• Campus Safety: 269.337.7321 (to be connected to an on-call counselor)
• Gryphon Place: 269.381.HELP (Kalamazoo)
• National Suicide Hotline: 1.800.273.8255
• Steve Fund Crisis Text Line (for young people of color): Text STEVE to 741741
• Call 911

Policy on Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Gender-Based Violence

While I want you to feel comfortable coming to me with issues with which you may be struggling, please be aware that I have reporting requirements in my role as a professor.

For example, if you inform me of an issue of sexual harassment, assault, or discrimination, or other misconduct, I will keep the information as private as I can, but I am required to bring it to the attention of the Title IX Coordinator. In the event that I must share such information with the Coordinator, you may respond to their outreach in any way you wish, or not respond at all.

If you would like to talk to the Office of Gender Equity directly, you can reach out to Tanya Jachimiak (tanya.jachimiak@kzoo.edu) or make a report through the Title IX website. You can also report incidents to anyone in Student Development or Campus Safety (located in Hicks 138, 269-337-5739). If you would like to speak with a confidential individual who is not required to report to the Title IX Coordinator, please reach out to the Counseling Center, our College Chaplain, or
K’s Victim Advocate from the YWCA.

Finally, any form of discrimination or harassment based on your real or perceived race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, height, weight, marital status, familial status, disability as protected by law, sexual orientation, or gender expression or identity is prohibited by K’s Nondiscrimination Policy. If you feel you have experienced any type of bias-related discrimination, please reach out to me and I can help connect you to the appropriate resources.

Class Schedule and Readings

Please prepare the assignments that are due for that class. This class, perhaps more than many you have taken, will rely on you to form it and sustain it.

Possible Topics for Your Class Sessions

Water and Waterworks (including oceans, rivers, lakes, reservoirs)
Flooding
Pastoralism
Arts and the Environment
Health and the Environment
Progress and Regression
Philosophies of Nature and the Environment
Ecological Systems: Resilience and Vulnerability
Managing Climate Anxiety
Models for Sustainable Shelter
Gender and Sustainability
Queering the natural world
Disability and Difference in Nature
Sustainability and Transportation
Animal Rights
Extinction
A World without Humans
Climate Science for Dummies
Learning from Other Cultures and Societies
Economics of Climate Change
Food Preservation and Production
Deconsumerism
Implementing Kalamazoo College’s Climate Action Plan

Class Policies

Attendance and Participation

This is a discussion class. Your willingness to speak up, listen closely to each other, provide thoughtful responses, and raise constructive questions fosters the type of learning that is ideal in a seminar. This is a way of saying that we jointly create a knowledge from shared readings and experiences—even as I play an important role in guiding our work together. If you are going to be absent and know ahead of time (e.g., athletics, a student conference off campus or class trip, religious observance, etc.), please let me know in advance. If you consistently begin to miss class and/or arrive late, I will contact you (first through email) to check in to see how you are doing. While I will reach out and seek ways to provide support, it is important to understand that, at a certain point, excessive absences (five or more) will jeopardize your ability to pass the seminar.   

Due Dates

Unless I have revised due dates from our initial schedule or you have been in touch to request an extension, I will expect written work to be turned in electronically (email attachment in PDF or MS Word form) by midnight on the dates assigned. If you wish to request an extension, please do so two days in advance of the deadline. Note: Though I set up these guidelines, I still wish to offer greater flexibility when specific circumstances warrant more adjustment to due dates. So, if you face unexpected (and unsettling) obstacles to meeting deadlines, please let me know, and we will work out another turn-in schedule. (You need not disclose private/confidential information.) Like you, by the way, I will be dealing with a range of personal and academic commitments, so please avoid ghosting me.

Academic Honesty

This course operates under the College Honor System. That means: we treat each other with respect, we nurture independent thought, we take responsibility for personal behavior, and we accept environmental responsibility. Academic honesty is a critical part of our value system at K. When you borrow an idea, express the idea in your own words, thus thinking it through and making it your own, you should acknowledge the source in a note, or, in certain situations, put the exact words of the source in quotation marks and also provide an endnote. Ideas raised in class are part of the public domain and, therefore, sources need not be acknowledged. If you are ever in doubt about what to do, however, you should ask. For the full policy, see the Academic Dishonesty page. Improper use of another source (or plagiarism) may result in failure for the particular assignment or, if especially egregious, failure for the course. More than one instance of plagiarism may also result in suspension from the College. I will notify the Office of Student Development concerning instances of plagiarism.

Cell Phones, Lap Tops, and Tablets

This is a complicated topic, especially given how devices in class can both support learning and distract from it. I would like for us to reflect together on the following issues and questions rather than offer a “device policy” on the syllabus at this time. So… what are your expectations and needs? Things to consider:

Accessibility:

Some of us benefit from digital support. Only making accommodations for certain students may force them to disclose their disability.

Distraction:

Research suggests that most of us overestimate our ability to multitask (listen / stay engaged while on our phone, for example). We can also distract others.

Listening:

In a discussion-based class, what role might laptops/phones/tablets play?

Through our discussion, let’s come to some agreements and mutual expectations that work for us all—as informed by these considerations. (Note: thanks goes to Josh Moon, a colleague at K, for this advice, language, and questions.)

Accommodations

If you are a student with a disability who seeks accommodation or other assistance in this course, please let me know as soon as possible. I am committed to making every effort to providing reasonable accommodations. If you want to discuss your overall needs for accommodation at the College, and receive formal accommodations, please direct questions to Dana Jansma, Senior Associate Dean of Students, at (269) 337-7209 or through email at Dana.Jansma@kzoo.edu . For more information, see the Disability Services page. This website also contains resources for assistive technologies and neurodivergent students. 

Learning Commons

The Learning Commons is a network of peer support available to help you with a variety of skills and disciplines. The Writing Center, Research Consultant Center, and Center for New Media Design are on the first floor of Upjohn Library. Our English as a Second Language and Learning Specialist support programs are located there as well. The Math-Physics Center is in Olds Upton Hall. I encourage you to use their resources and peer consultants. The Peer Writing Consultants in the Writing Center, for instance, can provide another audience with whom you can think through your choices in relation to an assignment. You can find more information about each of these centers at the Learning Commons site.

Humanities Integrated Locational Learning (HILL) Grant

In January, Kalamazoo College received a three-year Mellon grant. (For information, see the HILL grant announcement.) Entitled Humanities Integrated Locational Learning (HILL), this initiative examines how many problems of our time—such as climate change, global migrations, and mass incarceration—can be analyzed through the lens of location and dislocation. To develop a deeper knowledge of these disruptions (physical, psychological, social, linguistic, and more) with the aim of generating the potential for change, HILL supports the formation of class clusters linked to specific places within and beyond Kalamazoo

Our class is part of the Kalamazoo cluster that explores dimensions of home and belonging. In the spirit of the grant, courses partner with Kalamazoo community organizations/members and with each other. The collaboration includes SEMN 132 – Radical Belonging, SEMN 163 – About Us: Disability Stories/ Disability Rights, SEMN 182 – Wheels of Change, ENGL 155 – Identities: Home and Belonging, CES 240 (Critical Ethnic Studies) – Language: The Colonial and Imperial Difference, and SEMN 495 – Finding a Home in the World. Instructors for each course will communicate how and when they will collaborate throughout the term.

When considering the effects of location and dislocation, we understand that these concepts impact students who, for any number of reasons, may feel displaced or out of place on a college campus. The project, then, seeks to construct a sense of home on and off campus. By erasing the distinction between the classroom and “real world,” we seek to embrace how ways of learning within the humanities can facilitate a space to think about and create collective futures. 

Tier-One Writing Expectations:
Writing Competencies (extended description)

The First-Year Seminar faculty has established the following goals for fostering writing competencies that will help prepare students for writing in discipline-specific courses in the major and, eventually, for writing the SIP.  We hope that every first-year student will develop greater competency in these areas:

ACHEIVING CLARITY THROUGH REVISION

• stating and developing a thesis
• writing coherent sentences and well-developed paragraphs
• using correct grammar and mechanics
• being conscious of overall structure and impact
• becoming proficient at editing and proof reading
• writing frequently to gain fluency
• expressing ideas directly and economically

CONSTRUCTING AN ARGUMENT USING EVIDENCE

• understanding the difference between opinion, argument, and evidence, and becoming aware of which of the three serves the writing project at hand
• synthesizing others’ ideas with one’s own
• using sources to support ideas and positions
• using quoted materials effectively and correctly

GAINING EXPERIENCE IN RESEARCH STRATEGIES

• understanding why doing research is important
• learning how to do research, beginning with the earliest stages
• putting newly gained knowledge and skills into practice
• working as independent scholars and contributing to scholarly discourse throughout college and beyond

CULTIVATING AN AUTHENTIC AND VERSATILE STYLE OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

• discovering one’s own way into material
• making deliberate choices about structure, style, and voice, with a distinct awareness of audience, context and impact
• writing in a natural, straightforward style
• demonstrating or developing authenticity and ownership of the work

COURSE OUTLINE

Introductions

Telling Stories

Presentations and Reflections

Course Expectations

Archive of Language Revitalization and Language Revitalization Tool:
Total points: 20 points (five for choosing an endangered language; fifteen for content; five for applicability of language revitalization; five for formatting)

Every week students will meet in class to discuss the different efforts of language revitalization around the globe. From the different in-class examples, visit any language search engine such as ethnologue.com or the Linguistic Atlas Project, 7000.org, Where Are Your Keys or any others. You can also explore past archives of Endangered Language Resources.

Do a search for a language, specifically an endangered language of the world. In the archive add sections to 1) Describe the language (specific characteristics), 2) Describe the speakers (culture, location, and/or geography), 3) Other contact languages, 4) Language revitalization efforts (if any), 5) Any other important aspect of the language and the speakers, and 6) Discuss topics of “Land, Home, and Homemaking,” “Location and Dislocation,” and “home and belonging” through the eyes of the community of study.

Students should pay note that this assignment reflects research completed outside of the course readings. Please visit the Kalamazoo College Library Research Guides for more research tools. Finally, write a report with the information on the language. Organize reports by themes or categories.

Learning Goals

Students are encouraged to learn as much as possible about the language to think in a greater context about: 1) the difference between Indo-European languages and other languages (e.g., Uto-Aztecan languages), 2) The politics behind the language of choice, culture/identity, and the personal connections with language if any, and 3) different language projects and the efforts of language revitalization. The main goal is to become familiar with one endangered language and understand why people are not speaking, teaching, or producing speech in this language.

Language Revitalization Tool Proposal

After doing research on an endangered language, do a search on the different tools for language revitalization. Using the readings and online search as samples, we will create/develop or improve a tool for language revitalization for your language of choice. For the development of this tool, you can consider the difficulties of learning a language, the challenges, the accessibility to technology to its speakers, and other relevant aspects/factors. Be creative and use all the resources available online and research tools online. This is just a proposal of a tool, and you should include the type of funding available for the development of the tool. Search for some grants and/or potential grants on campus to complete this language tool.

Additionally, each student will contribute to the recompilation of tools for the Wixárika language to develop a Wiki for Indigenous languages. Review the current sources and add some entries for the Proyecto Taniuki (“Our Language Project”) a Wixárika collective. For more details visit Proyecto Taniuki or @taniukizitakua

Reading Responses

Total points: 10 points: Five Entries two points for entry (Reading Response #1 Due 9/18, Reading Response #2 Due 10/2, Reading Response #3 Due 10/16, Reading Response #4 Due 10/30, Reading Response #5 Due 11/13).

Provide a Reading Response on one or more pieces from the class. Each entry must consist of a minimum of three paragraphs, each containing five-six sentences (500 words minimum). The Journal Entries must include three-five sentences summarizing the article, two-three sentences relating the article to course material, and two-three sentences providing your opinion of/reaction to the reading. Students must submit their responses on the class website every Sunday no later than midnight. These Journal Entries are designed to expand your knowledge of the literature and deepen your summarizing and analytical skills. They also encourage you to make connections between a reading and your own ideas. These reports are informal: conceptualize them as “rough drafts” or “non-polished” pieces of writing.

Some questions to consider while writing the online response:

• What are the relevant issues surrounding the class themes?
• Why do you agree (or disagree) with the ideas you have read?
• In what ways have you witnessed the ideas in the article “in action?”
• How are the ideas in the article congruent with or contradictory to other articles?
• What practical application does the article have for your life?

Community-based Language Workshops Journal Entries

(Due Sunday before Midnight Reflection #1 Week 5; Reflection #2 Week 6; Reflection #3 Week 7; Reflection #4 Week 8; Reflection #5 Week 9)
Each Journal Entry must consist of a minimum of three paragraphs, each containing five-six sentences (500 words minimum). The Journal Entries must include three-five sentences summarizing the workshop or guest speaker presentation, two-three sentences relating the article to course material, and two-three sentences providing your opinion of/reaction to the workshop and/or presentation (Please see Moodle for specific guiding questions to approach this
assignment) Students must post their reflections on the class website every Sunday no later than midnight. These Journal Entries are designed to expand your knowledge of the topics, and the literature, and deepen your summarizing and analytical skills. They also encourage you to make connections between a reading and your own ideas. These reports are informal: conceptualize them as “rough drafts” or “non-polished” pieces of writing.

After posting, each student is required to engage in an online discussion by responding to one other Online Post. Some questions to consider while writing the online response:

• What are the relevant issues surrounding the class themes?
• Why do you agree (or disagree) with the ideas you have read?
• In what ways have you witnessed the ideas in the workshop/presentation “in action?”
• How are the ideas in the workshop/presentation congruent with or contradictory to otherarticles?
• What practical application does the workshop/presentation have for your life?

Final Report/Proposal (Due 11/18)

Total points: 30 points (twenty-five for content and five for formatting)

All students must work during the quarter toward the completion of a paper that: (1) thoroughly examines course themes; (2) analyzes course materials; (3) three outside scholarly sources; (4) includes Chicago Style endnotes and bibliography; (5) includes a section on the interconnection between the student and their language of choice. This paper is a reflection on the experiences in class, workshops, and important information each of you will collect from the readings, language archive, language revitalization tool proposal, and grant writing. Please make sure you understand the assignment. All the assignments in class build into this final report.

These final papers will be no less than ten pages (meaning that the paper extends to the final line of the twelfth page). The maximum paper length is twelve pages. In other words, you are responsible for editing a paper to be between ten to twelve pages long. The results of your research must be in written form. Students must follow the formatting guide available on the class website (Moodle). Students should also expect to discuss in section meetings not only the content of the course readings but also how to write as a means of critical thinking, rather than an outcome of critical thinking. In other words, students will be asked to discuss their writing process and offer examples of writing drafts to the class on a regular basis.

Attendance/Participation/Volunteer work

Total Points: 30 points; Due Week 10

These 30 points are earned as follows:
1) Please be on time for our meetings! Check the attendance box in Teams or the signing sheet in each session. Classroom attendance helps to monitor active participation. We have 29 required days of class and out of the 29 possible signatures/checkmarks, all students are allowed to miss two classes without any impact on their final grade.
2) Be active in class! Your active participation counts as part of your attendance. Speak up, share your thoughts, ask questions, and participate in our class activities. You earn one point every day you are in class and actively participate. Each student must present in class one of the assigned readings/articles. Sign up for presentations during Week 1. Additionally, during certain sections, I will have a question, a quote, a song, a poem, a picture, or a news article for you to make a connection with the week’s readings and key concepts. You need to write your thoughts and ideas in a 1/2 page to 1 full page handwritten and turned in during class after the exercise. This will also count towards your participation grade for the day. Later you will write on the board relevant quotes, ideas, page numbers, or keywords to discuss as a class.
3) Show up for your community! To get full points for Attendance/Participation/Volunteer Work you must visit your site once per week. We will begin placing students on sites during week 2. We will go together to the site (K College will provide transportation), and we will collaborate with our partners in their different activities. Please also share your availability for the volunteer schedule with TA.

Communication & Email Etiquette

If you feel yourself falling behind, or are stressing out, please email your instructor. Let me know what is going on. On the other hand, if you want to know my office hours or the due dates for class assignments, check the course website (Moodle) or the syllabus before messaging me. Please allow 24 hours during business days (Monday-Friday) for me to respond to your questions and/or concerns. If you email over the weekend, please anticipate a delayed response. In the heading, please note the course name and the general topic of your email (Examples: CES 240 Question).

Classroom Etiquette

Some of us are shy and some are more talkative, so please be mindful of the ways you are taking up space during the discussion: are you dominating the conversation? Have you been completely silent? Try to make meaningful contributions to enrich your and everyone else’s experience. Here are some ways you can participate: ask/answer questions, participate in group work, write down your thoughts in class, and come to office hours to discuss ideas with me. There will be several in-class exercises including games, group work, presentations, etc. You will receive full credit for your active participation throughout the entire quarter.
*Please Note: For online courses, you can raise your hand using the tools in Teams or simply unmute your microfine to ask a question.

Academic Honesty

In this course, we will collaborate with each other following the College Honor System. For this, we will treat each other with respect, we will nurture independent ideas, we will take responsibility for personal behavior, and we will accept environmental responsibilities. Academic honesty is a crucial aspect of our values system at Kalamazoo College. If you want to utilize ideas from an author acknowledge the source. For full policy, feel free to visit the Student Development site.

Late Policy

Any assignment that is turned in after the due day/time will receive a 1.5-point deduction per twenty-four-hour period late. The final paper, however, will receive a 2-point deduction per twenty-four-hour period late.

Accommodations

Students needing academic accommodations based should contact the Dean of Students Office. Please visit: Student Development or call the Associate Dean of Students Office (269) 337-7209.

Kalamazoo College Counseling Center

Kalamazoo College recognizes that there may be times, as a college student, when personal stressors interfere with your academic performance and your daily life. The K College Counseling Center supports students by addressing mental and emotional well-being and provides FREE and confidential short-term individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, outreach, and referral services. To schedule an appointment, please visit the Counseling Center and complete an intake form on one of the iPads in the lobby or email kenlana.ferguson@kzoo.edu. Our Counseling Center is located on the 1st floor of Hicks West next to the Health Center. Visit the Counseling Center site to learn more about our services and to access online resources.

Learning Commons

The Learning Commons is a network of peer support available to help you with a variety of skills and disciplines. The Writing Center, Research Consultant Center, and Center for New Media Design are on the first floor of Upjohn Library. Our English as a Second Language and Learning Specialist support programs are located there as well. The Math-Physics Center is in Olds Upton Hall. It is my observation that students who frequent these centers generally learn more and receive higher grades, so I encourage you to use them early and often. You can find more information about each of these centers at the Learning Commons site.

Other Resources

The Intercultural Student Life: Mission Statement “Through advocacy, education, and relationship-building, the Office of Intercultural Student Life (ISL) at Kalamazoo College strives to cultivate an inclusive campus culture that celebrates our community’s many differences while affirming our shared interconnections. ISL organizes programs, initiatives, and dialogues that center on the lived experiences and voices of minoritized students. Recognizing the value that our pluralistic and globally representative campus provides, the Office of Intercultural Student Life works with a range of stakeholders to foster a network of support that ensures all of our students can grow (academically, socially, and personally) through meaningful engagement across difference.” Learn more at the Intercultural Student Life site.

New Orleans Research Project

The objective of the project is to develop an original interpretation of the relationship of memory to some aspects of African diasporic history and culture in New Orleans. Students can choose their projects, but projects must be designed with the assistance and approval of the professor. The research paper should be no less than 20 pages in length. I suggest you use this assignment to start thinking about the project you will be working on during the December experiential experience in New Orleans. I suggest reviewing the websites of our New Orleans community partners as a source of inspiration for ideas and topics for your papers.

Your paper will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Understanding of the concept, idea, or issue that you have chosen to investigate; and
• Ability to draw upon, analyze and use the knowledge gained from the research in making an argument;
• Clarity of writing (punctuation, grammar, sentence construction, spelling);
• Formatting and style (use of standard in-text citation and referencing system).

Paper Proposal and Bibliography

To facilitate the task of the final project, you will complete two preliminary assignments geared toward developing the final research question and kick-starting the research process.

The first part of the preliminary assignment is a 2-page paper proposal. The proposal will describe the research topic and formulate the research question the paper intends to pursue. When writing the research proposal, imagine the audience as scholars interested in the subject but unfamiliar with it. The goal is to give a good overview of the topic and get the audience excited about the project. Please schedule a meeting to discuss your paper proposal as soon as possible.

Annotated Bibliography

The second part of the goal of the bibliography will help you start the research process and begin thinking critically about the different writings on your topic. You will prepare an annotated bibliography of no less than 10 peer-reviewed journal articles on the subject.

You may use class readings as part of your bibliography.

Final paper presentation

During 9^th and 10^th week, students present the results of their research to the class

reading and course assignment schedule

Placement Descriptions:

Niñas del Corazón at El Concilio

The after-school program, Niñas del Corazón, has the mission to help Latinx girls (8-15 years old) and families heal from acculturation, language barriers, environmental high-risk factors, and disparities. El Concilio and The Community Healing Center joined forces to design a program to benefit Latinx girls; through a four-stage program, adolescent girls will have the opportunity to get in deep conversations about social-emotional skills, life skills, and good choices as well as engage in community volunteer work. Parents will also be included since they’re key to healthy youth development.

• Mondays- Thursdays from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm. (At least one hour per day for at least two days)
• 1-3 K students will be chosen for this placement (female-identified students, tutoring math and science)

Tutoring Program at El Concilio

The Tutoring Program is an after-school program designed to help children in the Latino community with their homework or any other academic assistance they might need. Tutors can help with Math, Reading, English, Spelling, Science, History, and many other subjects as well. Talking about events in South and Central America, as well as Hispanic leaders and cultures around the world is encouraged.

• Monday and Thursday from 5 pm – 6 pm with the Elementary School group
• Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 pm – 6 pm with Middle and High School group
• No limit – Default placement (Sep 26th-Nov 18th)

Danza folklórica at El Concilio

Danza Folklórica is a space for youth to connect and explore their Hispanic roots; It started ayear ago as an initiative of two young college sisters who are passionate about teaching traditional Mexican dances. Currently, a mom who is a leader in the community is running this group, teaching Mexican dances to about 17 boys and girls between 4 to 15 years old. Their goal is to perform these dances at different community events to share the Hispanic traditions with
new people. Another goal of the Folkloric Dance group is to strengthen their goal-directed behavior as well as their self-management skills.

• Friday 5-7 PM
• 1-2 K students will be chosen for this placement

ESL (English as a second language) for adults

In partnership with the Kalamazoo Literacy Council and Kalamazoo Public Schools Adult Education, El Concilio is hosting ESL classes at our building

• Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 pm – 8 pm (At least one day
• 1-2 K students will be chosen for this placement

Proposal for an alternative site or project

Discuss with Cyndy and TA if you currently do volunteer work with an org.

If you, for any reason, cannot volunteer at any site please talk to Cyndy and TA about alternative projects before Friday of Week 1 for approval.

Policies

Participation and Attendance

Though I will offer lecture material, this is primarily a discussion class. Your willingness to speak up, listen closely to each other, provide thoughtful responses, and raise constructive questions fosters the type of learning community that is ideal for this course. This is a way of saying that we jointly create a knowledge from shared readings and experiences. If you are going to be absent and know ahead of time (athletics, religious observance, etc.), please let me know in advance. If you begin to consistently miss class and/or arrive late, I will contact you (through email) to check in to see how you are doing. While I will reach out and seek ways to provide support, it is important to understand that, at a certain point, excessive absences (five or more) will jeopardize your ability to pass this class.

Moodle Forums

In addition to your contribution to small and large group discussion, your participation in Moodle forums will further represent an engagement with the readings and each other. In short, these responses will generate a deeper (and shared) knowledge. Keep in mind that for these reflections to help you prepare for (and set up) our discussions they need to be submitted on time, i.e., before not after the class session when we will be considering the reading. 

Deadlines

Unless I have revised due dates during the term or you have been in touch to request an extension, written work should be turned in electronically (email attachment) by midnight (EST) on the dates assigned. You may request an extension as long as you do so two days in advance of the deadline. Note: Though I set up these guidelines, I still wish to offer some flexibility when specific circumstances warrant more adjustment to due dates. So, if you face unexpected (and unsettling) obstacles to meeting deadlines, please let me know, and we will work out another turn-in schedule. (You need not disclose private/confidential information.) Like you, by the way, I will be dealing with a range of personal and academic commitments, so please avoid ghosting me (J). All work must be completed to pass the class.

Technology

If you need to use a laptop or smart phone to access class readings and/or to take notes, let me know at the beginning of the course (and/or class). Otherwise, all computers and phones should be left in your backpack. So, though it may be difficult, our classroom space will be a “no phone zone”–unless you use a smart phone to access assigned readings or have other family or medical reasons to have it with you.

Academic Dishonesty

This course operates under the College Honor System. That means: we treat each other with respect, we nurture independent thought, we take responsibility for personal behavior, and we accept environmental responsibility. Academic honesty is a critical part of the Honor System. When you borrow an idea, you should acknowledge the source in a note, or, depending on the needs of the essay and research, put the exact words of the source in quotation marks and also provide an endnote. If you are ever in doubt about what to do, please talk with me. For more information, see K’s policy. Improper use of another source (or plagiarism) may result in failure for the particular assignment or, if especially egregious, failure for the course. More than one instance of plagiarism may also result in suspension from the College. I will notify the Office of Student Development concerning instances of plagiarism. For a useful source, see the Purdue OWL plagiarism overview.

Reading Schedule

You should read the selections and be prepared to discuss them on the assigned dates.  If you have missed a class, it is your responsibility to contact a classmate or me to see if you need to pick up any handouts.

Introductions

In America: Family, Heritage, and History

On Home Land

On Writing toward a New Home

On Body, Mind, and Belonging