Course Objectives
Course Outline
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
Grading Policies
Forms of Evaluation:
Weekly Assignments (35%) *Late Policy applies
Consistent completion, analysis and reflection of course content is demonstrated through a variety of weekly assignments. Late policy of a reduction by 2.5% per day will be applied to these assignments.
The average student is expected to spend 12 hours a week on lecture content, readings and assignments.
Because the assignment is available until Sunday of each week, those with extended time accommodations with DSPS are responsible for scheduling extended time for themselves to work on these assignments. If your schedule prevents you from meeting your learning needs, please let me know ahead of time and we can find a plan that works for you.
Lecture Quizzes (20%) No Late Policy
Interaction with course content delivered through lecture is demonstrated through weekly lecture quizzes. You can take the video quiz as many times as you wish, and the highest score is kept.
The average student is expected to spend 12 hours a week on lecture content, readings and assignments.
Because the assignment is available until Wednesday of each week, those with extended time accommodations with DSPS are responsible for scheduling extended time for themselves to work on these assignments. If your schedule prevents you from meeting your learning needs, please let me know ahead of time and we can find a plan that works for you.
Peer Review (15%) No late policy.
Besides being a course objective, analyzing the stylistic choices in your own writing and the writing of others is an essential academic and information consumption skill. 3 focused peer-reviews are assigned.
Because the assignment is available for two days during the assigned week, those with extended time accommodations with DSPS are responsible for scheduling extended time for themselves to work on these assignments. If your schedule prevents you from meeting your learning needs, please let me know ahead of time and we can find a plan that works for you.
Research Projects 30% No late policy.
Three group research cycles produce a variety of products. Student projects are evaluated based on five main criteria: the overall product in terms of design and presentation, quality of research, application of the rhetorical situation, participation, and responsibility in your designated role.
The average student is expected to spend 12 hours a week on lecture content, readings and assignments.
Because the assignment is available until Sunday of each week, those with extended time accommodations with DSPS are responsible for scheduling extended time for themselves to work on these assignments. If your schedule prevents you from meeting your learning needs, please let me know ahead of time and we can find a plan that works for you.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy
Artificial Intelligence tools are fundamental to the production, reception, and distribution of information. At the same time, Ai tools are disrupting institutions, including education, industries and foundational concepts like plagiarism and intellectual property.
Because we study the production, reception and distribution of information and knowledge, this class is a learning environment where we are free to play with and examine Ai tools. Freedom comes with responsibility. We will also be transparent with how and why we use those tools so we can have conversations about how to define intellectual work and how to create guidelines for the future of humanity. The previous statement is not hyperbole. We, in this unique historical moment, are creating definitions, boundaries and guidelines that will literally serve as a foundation from which humans' relationships with technology will be built.
We have two guiding principles for our work together:
- As ethical content creators, we are transparent and honest about our use of Ai tools because we are trying to figure out where intellectual work ends and Ai-generated content begins; therefore, we must have honest communication around effective and ethical use of these tools.
- We do not waste each other's time with copied and pasted content. We can create a situation where Ai tools are interacting with Ai tools (faculty uses Ai to evaluate content that students used Ai to generate); or, we can privilege the purpose of higher education--to genuinely explore ideas so that students can learn how to become leaders within your chosen communities.
If for some reason a student chooses not to abide by these principles, administrative action may be taken.
Ai Transparency Statements are required on all assignments.
Attendance Guidelines - California Education Code requires attendance must be taken for the first two weeks of regular classes for census. Faculty need to have clear policies describing their withdrawal procedures.
Academic Integrity - Students are encouraged to discuss homework problems with others but need to produce assignments that are a result of their own independent effort.
Academic Accommodations and DSPS - Students will have academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, services and/or instruction provided through a DSPS approved academic accommodation plan. If you believe that you may need an accommodation in this course because of a disability, please contact DSPS.=
Student rights and privileges -- As members of a democracy, we must assume that all perspectives have value, even if we choose to resist those perspectives. I assume we will all listen to and respect the sacred practice of freedom of speech.
My job is to teach each of you how to most effectively express your opinions; it is not my job to dictate those opinions.
Drop Policies
Participation and Attendance:
Federal law requires active participation if a student is to continue to receive financial aid. I define active participation as the submission of one assignment each week. Students who miss the requirement two weeks in a row without contacting the instructor may be dropped. See the Butte College Attendance and Academic Integrity page Links to an external site.for more information on attendance, grades, drop and withdrawal deadlines, and so forth. Because I have no way of knowing who is using financial aid, this policy applies to all students—bottom line, just talk to me.
