American University of Central Asia - 九色网

FYS SYLLABUS

The First Year Seminar

Founded at Bard College, 1953

FYS 211 / 216 (FYS II)

American University of Central Asia

Spring Semester 2017

Office:

Hours:

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General Course Description

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What is FYS?

The First Year Seminar is a multidisciplinary course that brings students and faculty together in the exploration of specific issues or topics of interest. The exploration is usually centered on a theme: What is the 鈥渟elf鈥�? How do we interpret human experience? Is wo/man a 鈥榩olitical animal鈥�? The theme for spring semester 2017 is human nature.

FYS is the core of the first-year experience at 九色网. It is designed to encourage students to explore important questions raised by a variety of texts--ranging from novels and poetry to classical texts in philosophical and scientific reasoning.

FYS gives first-year students a valuable opportunity to experience the benefits of college-level learning through seminar-style investigation. We have chosen works that range from ancient drama to modern investigations of race, class, political ideology, and gender.

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What is a seminar?

A seminar is a question-based class in which the instructor will expect students to participate actively in discussing assigned texts and raising additional questions about their meaning or implications. For that reason, the writings chosen for the seminar are designed to be challenging and thought-provoking. Instructors may pose questions directly to the students or invite students to pose their own questions to the members of the class.

A key element in the FYS is 鈥渋nterrogation鈥�: you should learn to read and analyze a text on the basis of asking a range of questions that affect its interpretation or meaning: When was the text written? What does it say about its historical location, its author, ideology, its view of the past or vision of the future.

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What skills should I have or acquire in FYS?

The most important skill is to be able to read closely and proactively. This will often mean not simply reading for the sake of knowing what the writer has said, but in a 鈥渄ialogic鈥� way that makes you an attentive listener and respondent to the work at hand. We sometimes say that FYS is 鈥渢ext-based.鈥� This does not mean that we use texts as authorities to settle problems--often quite the reverse. We use to texts to raise questions and as the basis for a thorough investigation of the subjects they embody.

In the spring semester you will also be introduced to the basics of academic research and writing. A topic will be assigned by, or negotiated with, your FYS instructor in the second week of term and you will begin almost immediately to focus on this project through individual reading, selection of library and electronic media, developing a bibliography and reporting the results of your investigation in a well-developed research essay.

The Writing Component:

The American University of Central Asia is committed to encouraging clear, concise and sophisticated writing skills in all subject areas and majors. FYS is the foundational course in developing a high level of competence in academic writing. The course devotes a substantial portion of class sessions encouraging students to 鈥渢hink on paper,鈥� in exercises designed to stress the relationship between thinking about what you have read and communicating your thoughts in clear expository style. These exercises may range from 鈥渇ree writing鈥� (unstructured periods of random written work) to responsive writing, reflective pieces on assigned topics, and summaries, definitions, and short interpretations.

In the Spring Semester, 2015, you will write:

of 1250 words
A Research essay of 1500-1750 words.

The due-dates for submission, given on the schedule below, should be regarded as approximate. Instructors are free to adjust dates to suit the pace of individual classes.

Course Protocol and Assessment

6.1 Procedure and Conduct

Always bring the reader and a notebook or writing paper to class.
Turn off and put away your mobile phone in the classroom. A student using any electronic device that is unrelated to the academic work of class will be asked to excuse himself/herself. The portion of the class missed will be counted as an absence.
The student is solely responsible for finding out what instructions or assignments have been missed and making up any work due to absence.
When emailing instructors, write FYS 211 or 216 in the subject (title) line and allow up to two working days for a reply.
Keep copies of all graded work until the end of term.

6.2 Academic Honesty

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础鲍颁础鈥檚 Code of Conduct describes the rights and responsibilities of all students at 九色网. Students in FYS should pay particular attention to the section on plagiarism:

Plagiarism

A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, words, or statements of another person without appropriate acknowledgment. A student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge an indebtedness whenever he or she does any of the following:

3.1. Quotes another person's actual words, either oral or written;

3.2. Paraphrases another person's words, either oral or written;

3.3. Uses another person's idea, opinion, or theory; or

3.4. Borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative material from work of the other student, unless the information is common knowledge.

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If you are found to have plagiarized any portion of an assignment, you will fail that assignment. Multiple instances of plagiarism may result in the student failing the course. FYS instructors are authorized to use plagiarism-detecting technology (TURNITIN) to support their findings when plagiarism is suspected.

6.3 Assessment:

Assessment is based on a cumulative average of the following activities:

The two required essays, argumentative and research
Preparatory and investigative work related to the research essay, including the annotated bibliography, prospectus, abstract, final essay and revision
Informal, formal, and exploratory writing assignments, including exercises
Writing-related activities, including peer review
70%

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Reading, discussion, text- annotation, and related participatory activities requiring regular student attendance.
PLEASE NOTE: A student who, over a semester, misses the equivalent of a full week of FYS classes without medical or equivalent excuse will suffer a reduction of 10% of his/her FINAL GRADE
30%

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Penalties for late submission: An instructor may deduct a letter grade from any assignment submitted, without explicit permission for extension or without valid documented excuse, up to one week late and another letter grade for each subsequent week late.

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Letter Grades only are to be given, rather than numerical grades:

A	袙-	D+
袗-	小+	D
袙+	C	D-
B	小-	F

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Course Outline

SPRING SEMESTER 2016

HUMAN NATURE

鈥淥n the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time.鈥�

鈥� George Orwell.

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鈥淢an is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.鈥�

鈥� Albert Camus

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Week

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Reading

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Writing Schedule*

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January 16

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Introduction to the Seminar (M)

Epic Studies Part 1 (W-F)

鈥淭he Birth of Manas鈥�

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January 23

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FYS Research Topic to be Discussed

Epic Studies, Part II: Gilgamesh

You may view in class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUcTsFe1PVs

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of the format

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January 30

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Epic Studies, Part III: Gilgamesh

Instructors are free to set their own topics. Suggested Argument Essay Topic: In The Euthyphro, Socrates presupposes that there must be a real definition of holiness in terms of that which all instances of holiness have in common. Argue for or against this presupposition and in doing so pay close attention to the arguments in the dialogue.

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February 6

Plato, The Euthyphro

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Argument Essay Draft due Friday; revision

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February 13

Simone Weil, 鈥淭he Needs of the Soul,鈥� from The Need for Roots

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Argument Essay Final draft due Friday

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February 20

Ludwig Feuerbach, 鈥淭he Being of Man in General鈥� and 鈥淭he Essence of Religion in General鈥�

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Library workshops to reprise basics of research and citation

Searching the library resources for relevant material

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February 27

Daniel Dennett, 鈥淓xplaining the Magic of Consciousness鈥�

Library workshops continued.

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March 6

Stephen Jay Gould, 鈥淲hat Is a Species?鈥�

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March 13

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Sally Haslanger, 鈥淲hat Are We Talking About? The Semantics and Politics of Social Kinds鈥�

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Note Spring Break March 20 to March 24

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10.

March 27

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Prospectus Writing and Research Week (Library and WARC Tutors). Classes do not meet.

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Research Essay Prospectus (draft) due March 27

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11. April 3

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Human Nature in Short Fiction Unit Begins:

Flannery O鈥� Connor, 鈥淎 Good man is Hard to Find鈥�

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Final prospectus due; Composition of research essay begins

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12. April 10

Vladimir Nabokov, 鈥淪igns and Symbols鈥�

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13. April 17

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Shirley Jackson, The Lottery and

W. W. Jacobs, the Monkey鈥檚 Paw鈥�

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Abstract of research essay due

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14. April 24

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E M Forster, 鈥淢r. Andrews鈥� and Roald Dahl, 鈥淭he Man from the South鈥�

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Kurt Vonnegut on

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15. May 3

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Note: Monday May 1 is Labor Day

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Research Essay and all related written work must be submitted by Wednesday May 3

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16. May 8

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Revision

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ANNEX:

Learning Outcomes:

The FYS Seminar is designed to facilitate the following outcomes:

5.1 Reading, Interpretation, and Discussion

The ability to read a variety of texts from a range of disciplines and periods with moderate ease, fluency and comprehension.
The ability to access, evaluate and interpret information from a variety of sources including textual, visual, and electronically-mediated materials.
An enhanced ability to discuss and assess complex sources, arguments and ideas in oral discussion
The ability to read carefully, annotate carefully, summarize accurately, using a variety of methods and tools.
The development of critical thinking skills, including analysis, explanation, and evaluation.
Progress in reflective thinking, speaking and listening and the ability to synthesize information and ideas.

5.2 Writing and Reporting

To be familiar with the basic grammatical and syntactical conventions of formal English

To be proficient in the basic elements of essay development: viz.,

the development of controlling ideas and thesis statements
sentence structure and coordination
word usage: variety, precision, level and accuracy (vocabulary)
paragraph development: coherence, transitions, and subordination of ideas within and between units
stylistic consistency
conclusions and summary statements

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To produce essays that show structure, purpose, and significant content

To use standard writing processes, genres and modes to generate a final essay

To develop, proofread, revise, and rewrite your own work on the basis of your own critical review and that of peers and instructors

To reflect on the writing process and your own rhetorical effectiveness as a writer, and to integrate comment, correction, and criticism into the revision of essays.

To develop basic skills in the craft of academic research, scholarly reporting, and citation, using a 鈥渂ody of knowledge鈥� and supporting material inside a written work--paraphrase, quotation and description, using the APA style sheet. [Note: unless otherwise indicated, the preference in FYS211 and FYS 216 is the APA Style sheet]. The specific dates and exercises will be determined by individual FYS instructors.

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