First Year Odyssey Syllabus
FYO 100
Section 86 - Mondays 1pm-1:50pm
Wister 204
Autumn 2011
Course Description:
Welcome to the "First Year Odyssey."An "odyssey" is, by definition, a journey and a quest, a transition from one place to another, often with various twists and turns.
The "First Year Odyssey" at La Salle is a one-credit course designed to help you as you embark on your college experience at La Salle University as a first year student. You are encountering much that is new: a new place, new academic challenges, new friends, a new way of using your time, new responsiblities, opportunities, and temptations. And you encounter all of this without many of the structures you may be used to - family, close friends, your high school teachers, your neigborhood.
It is in these ways, then, that your first year is a journey and transition. And the FYO is one way La Salle helps provide you with tools and support along your way.
FYO is both an odyssey through La Salle as an institution, entering into its heritage, academic expectations, setting, and values, as well as an odyssey within yourselves, seeking to understand better who you are going to be, what your role is here at La Salle, and how you will take on responsibilities as a college student. Moreover, it is an odyssey upon which you set out together as a community of learners, in a relaxed classroom environment, forming bonds with one another, your professors, the wider community, and campus staff.
Objectives:
There are a number of areas that the "First Year Odyssey" will strive to address:[2] Improving and developing the skills necessary for success on a college level.
[3] Discovering and reflecting upon the Lasallian philosophy of education in order to increase engagements in the academic experience.
[4] Discussing social issues that impact college students in order to encourage healthy decision making regarding behavioral choices.
[5] Learning about the Core Curriculum and pre-registration process.
[6] Identifying short and long term goals to encourage career exploration and personal growth.
[7] Exploring the numerous co-curricular opportunities that La Salle offers.
[8] Developing an enhanced appreciation for the diverse cultural opportunities, history, and entertainment that Philadelphia offers.
[9] Learning how to manage your time, how to handle your stress, and where to seek academic or personal help in learning support.
[10] Learning about the neighborhood - its people, its history, its schools, its resources, and La Salle's relationship with and contribution to the community.
[11] Investigating the value of living in a diverse community.
[12] Building new friendships and working toward common goals with your classmates.
Expectations:
This course is a one-credit and receives a grade, which will be counted towards your overall GPA. Thus there are requirements that must be met in order to pass the FYO successfully. If you fail FYO, you will have to take it again in the spring. Having to take FYO again is just silly and easily avoidable, so let's have a good time with it and make the best of it.Please be on time for class. I know the class meets during what is likely your normal lunch hour. You are free to bring food to class and to eat it while we are meeting, but do not be more than 5 minutes late. Plan ahead. Lateness will affect your grade.
Class Schedule: We are scheduled to meet during the 1pm-2pm period on Mondays. It is possible, however, that the class will be scheduled on some other day (usually during the midday period on Wednesday) in order to meet scheduling needs of presenters or to attend an on-campus event or to go on a trip.
I will give advance notice of any such changes and post them on the online Schedule of Classes, but you are responsible to know the schedule and attend all class meetings. If, for some reason, it will be impossible for you to attend a class, you must let me know ahead of time and we will arrange an alternative time or assignment for you.
"Big Es":
Our FYO section has two "Big Es" ("E" here is short for "Explorer") who are upperclassmen will work with us. They are Jessika Alicio (email: acilioj1@student.lasalle.edu) and Andrew (AJ) Groy (email: groya1@student.lasalle.edu). They are both happy to talk to you about any aspect of your experience here at La Salle, or try to answer any questions you might have. They'll also be facilitating a couple of class sessions and, hopefully, will be able to join us on our Field Trip or be able to help organize some off-campus explorations with some of you.Earning Credit:
The basic requirements of the class are these:- Neighborhood
- City site
- Performing Arts
Cultural Passport explorations:
Since part of the goal of this course to familiarize you with the campus, neighborhood, and city, our FYO includes a component in which you get to go to events of your own choosing, making use of your Cultural Passports. The only requests are you [a] try to visit one site in the immediate neighborhood (historic Germantown, or at least the northwest part of Philly) and [b] visit one site elsewhere in the city or attend one performing arts event. Try to pick two different sorts of events or venues, for instance, a historic site and a performing arts event.
You are free to do these two off-campus outings either individually or in groups. There will also be a couple of times that I will be headed to an event in Center City and will invite you along, if you'd like to join me and my family (for instance, we usually go to First Fridays in Old City).
The organized class field trip will not count toward your "Cultural Passport explorations."
Campus Events:
In addition to these two off-campus outings, everyone is required to go to at least two on-campus events. This could be a lecture, a film (including a philosophy Film Night), a musical perfomance, a play by the Masque, a study skills workshop, a sporting event, or the like. I'll try to highlight a number of these on-campus possibilities on the Schedule of Classes. But also keep an eye out for flyers and posters and items listed on the Portal.
Earning Exploration Points:
In order to get credit for these explorations, you need to provide some proof of attendence, unless it's an event I'm organizing or sponsoring or attending, in which case I'll see you there. Proof of attendence for Cultural Passport sites and venues should be a stamp or mark in the passport itself. If, for some reason, that doesn't work, it could be a receipt, a digital picture, a ticket stub, a playbill, or the like.
For on-campus events, you can provide proof in similar ways, such as a brief written summary, a signed note from a professor or facilitator, a playbill or brochure, or the like.
The two Cultural Passport explorations add up to 25% of your grade. The two on-campus explorations will add up to 15% of your grade.
Presentations:
The one other item that might need explanation are the presentations. All I'm asking here is that everyone share with the rest of the class about one or more exploration they've completed. You can do this individually or, if you did something with others from the class as a group, you can do a group presentation. I would like this presentation to include some kind of visual aid: a PowerPoint presentation, photos on Facebook, a poster, or a website.
Grading:
The various components of FYO will be weighed in the following way:|
Participation & Attendance Four writing assignments Field trip Homework log eChug program Cultural Passport explorations On-campus events Presentations |
10% 20% 10% 5% 5% 25% 15% 10% |