Susan Lefevre

Office: TBD
E-Mail: susan.lefevre@csuci.edu
Cell: 805-827-0512
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 12:30 – 1:15 or by arrangement

UNIV 250
Second Year Seminar:
Examination of Ideas and Perspectives in a Complex World
Through Service Learning, Career Exploration, Academic Skills Building and Critical Analysis

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this syllabus, other than that mandated by the University, may be subject to change with
advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

CLASS MEETINGS
Spring Semester 2017
Monday/Wednesday – 1:30 pm to 2:45pm
Bell Tower 1352
Tuesday/ Thursday – 1:30 pm to 2:45pm
Del Norte 1555

Education Team
Kristen Bromen, University Navigator
Luis Morales, University Navigator
Susan Lefevre, Adjunct Professor

REQUIRED TEXTS:
Cress, Christine M., Collier, Peter J., Reitenauer, Vicki L., and Associates (2013) Learning Through Serving Stylus: VA

Articles/Resources:
Over the course of the semester six articles will be selected as support material for critical issues study.
The 2015 State of the Region Report for Ventura County will be used as a reference guide during class sessions.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Examining ideas and perspectives in a complex world, this seminar /class highlights interdisciplinary connections in
scholarship and “ways of knowing” and fosters in students their development as self-reflective, culturally aware, and
responsive community participants. Students gain hands-on experience, knowledge, and skills about local
communities and community organizations and learn how different academic disciplines apply to real world
problems. The course requires community service work, in addition to class time, during the semester. Topical
content and community-based projects will vary from semester to semester.

CAREER PATHWAYS EDUCATION:

The sophomore seminar experience course includes career pathway education through collaboration with UN peer
mentors. UNIV 250 curriculum specifies activities and critical reflection that will support students’ self-efficacy in
multiple areas and identified service learning as an opportunity to apply learning to complex problems and build
professional skills. Professional and career success “emphasized in undergraduate education include critical thinking
and analytical reasoning; complex problem solving and analysis; written and oral communication; the application of
knowledge and skills in real-world settings; the location, organization, and evaluation of information from multiple
sources; innovation and creativity” (Hart and Associates, 2013).
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Integrate content, ideas, and approaches from perspectives across disciplines.
2. Take individual and collective actions, which can address issues of public concern.
3. Deliberate with others and present arguments clearly, logically, and creatively.
4. Explain the economic, legal, social, and ethical issues surrounding the use of information.
5. Convey how issues relevant to social, cultural, political, contemporary/historical, economic, educational, or
psychological realities interact with each other.

SERVICE LEARNING:
This course includes a SERVICE-LEARNING COMPONENT. Students are required to participate in activities of a
community organization. The requirements for the service learning consist of three components: (1) 15 service hours
at a community organization completed over at least 3 different dates, (2) reflection journals, and (3) a group
presentation.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
The community partners in service learning include FOOD Share Inc., Cabrillo Economic Development Corp.
(tutoring), Ride-On Therapeutic Horsemanship, the University Food Bank, Camarillo Health Care District (geriatric
clients), and Community Roots Garden. Additional placements may be offered. Students will be given an opportunity
to rank their preferences as to the organization with which they prefer to volunteer and every effort will be made to
accommodate each student’s preferences. Students will select one community partner to complete their 15 service
learning hours.

UNIVERSITY NAVIGATORS (UN)

Trained student peer associates, called University Navigators (UN), who are employed by the University Experience
Program, support the Second Year Seminars. These students will run activities in the UNIV 250 classroom, assist the
professor with in-class activities, and meet with students outside of class with groups of around five students formed
into Dolphin Interest Groups, or DIGs.

Your UNs: Kristen Bromen (T/Th), Luis Morales (M/W)

UN E-mail address: Kristen Bromen – TBD, Luis Morales - TBD
UN Cell Number: Kristen Bromen 562-328=7605 – TBD, Luis Morales – 805-758-0060

DOLPHIN INTEREST GROUPS (DIGs)

DIGs will meet outside of class about every three weeks for one hour at a time, and will be scheduled by your UN.
The DIGs serve as a student support affinity group to promote student success, with activities and informal
discussions led by the UNs and supervised by the Director of University Experience. The DIGs will also support
students in piloting various aspects of folioCI, a new eportfolio system. DIG participation is a requirement for this
UNIV 250 course. Ideally, student participation in DIGs will continue next semester on a voluntary basis, so that the
University Experience Program can continue to support student success at CI.

GE SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENTS
GE Signature Assignments are designed for students to be able to produce meaningful examples of their learning that
document their progress and culminating skills and abilities. CI uses students’ signature work to assess GE outcomes
at the programmatic level, providing a valuable resource for evaluation and institutional change. Students will submit
Signature Assignments to folioCI, an online portfolio, where faculty will assess them with rubrics developed for the
relevant GE outcomes. folioCI is also a tool for students to curate their best work (GE or otherwise) in one place,
where they can use it to build portfolios for university and personal use. The Signature Assignment for this class is
the Reflection journal.

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ACADEMIC HONESTY
Any work (written or otherwise) that is plagiarized or involves academic dishonesty on any assignment will result in a
failing grade in the course. There will be no exceptions. If you are unsure of what constitutes plagiarism, see the
following appropriate reference: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION
Cal State Channel Islands is committed to equal educational opportunities for qualified students with disabilities in
compliance with Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
of 1990. The mission of Disability Accommodation Services is to assist students with disabilities to realize their
academic and personal potential. Students with physical, learning, or other disabilities are encouraged to contact the
Disability Resource Programs at Bell Tower 1541. Email- accommodations@csuci.edu, phone- (805) 437-3331, for
personal assistance and accommodations. Online assistance and services are available from www.csuci.edu/drp.

VETERAN & RESERVIST ACCOMODATION

Veterans and active duty military personnel with special circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill
requirements, disabilities) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the
instructor. Further support, information and programs can be found at the Veterans Affairs Office in Bell Tower 1518.

CLASS EXPECTATIONS
Dolphin E-mail: E-mails regarding this course and the service learning activities will be sent to your Dolphin account.
You are responsible for checking that account on a regular basis. You are responsible for the information contained in
emails sent to your Dolphin account.

Professionalism: I expect that you are all professionals. That means that when you show up in class for discussions,
or correspond between each other, with representatives from your community partner or with the instructor – you
use professional language and demeanor. Profanity or inappropriate language is not acceptable. At all times, you are
a representative of yourself, this class, the service learning initiative and CI.

Late Assignments: All class-learning opportunities (assignments) are due at the beginning of class and must be turned
in on time. Assignments are due at the beginning of class in both hard copy and electronic copy to the professor’s
email. No late work will be accepted without prior written approval (minimum of two week prior to due date) from
the instructor. The instructor will use her discretion with regard to the legitimacy of the request for a late work
submission. Any late work accepted will be assessed at least a full grade deduction.

Cell Phones: All cell phones are to be turned off prior to entering the classroom; the instructor prior to class must
approve exceptions.

Behavior: Student behavior in the class or associated with the class must meet the CI Student Code of Conduct.

Written Work: All written work should be typed in 10-12 point font. You are encouraged to print on both sides of the
paper to save resources. If an assignment says “two pages,” that means a fill at least pages, as opposed to two pieces
of paper – one full page and some that fills part of a second page. Respect yourself as a learner to focus on the
learning, not simply meeting minimum requirements.

FolioCI: is a new tool at CSUCI that helps assess the effectiveness of teaching and learning, and allows students to
reflect on their learning. The new folioCI e-portfolio system will follow you through your journey at CI. FolioCI will also
help you make connections between what you learn in different classes. Essentially, it is an easy way to keep an
electronic record of your scholarly achievements and to reflect on your learning both in classes and in the

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community; you will build a portfolio that you can share with future employers, professors, friends, and family. The
UEAs will train and assist you with this process.

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS

What Inspires Me? /Intrigues Me (15 points)

Share briefly (2-3 minutes) with the class something that inspires you to want to make a change in the world. It can
be anything – a story, a person, a bumper sticker, a YouTube video, a song, a poem, a photo, a headline, a statistic, a
commercial – anything.

Community Partner Research (100 points)

Complete a research paper about your community partner organization. This assignment includes three areas. The
first is detailed instructions are in Exercise 2.5 from page 26 of the Learning Through Serving text. The second and
third areas cover public policy and outside issues. These will be detailed in class.

Reflection Journals (Signature Assignment) (Three journals, 10 points each for first two and 15 points for the third;
35 points total)
You are to complete at least three reflection journals about your service learning experience and how that
experience relates to the texts and class discussions. Each journal should be at least 2 pages long. Individual
assignments may changes as the semester develops.

Reflection Journal #1: Facebook post

- Note: You do NOT have to have Facebook to complete this assignment, nor do you have to actually post this
on your Facebook, if you do have one.
- This journal should be completed after your first day with your community partner.
- Write a Facebook post about your experience – good, bad or ugly. You can include photos, memes, videos,
Vines, etc.
- After your Facebook post, write your thoughts about the following:
o Before you arrived on your first day, what did you expect?
o What were you excited about? Were you nervous about anything?
o Was your experience what you expected?
o What was the most important lesson learned today at the site?
o Is there anything you will do differently next time?
o If you did post on Facebook: What reactions were you hoping to get? What reactions did you actually
get? Did these reactions surprise you?

Reflection Journal #2: Letter/E-mail to your best friend

- Note: You do not have to send this letter to your best friend.
- This journal should be completed any time after your second day with your community partner.
- Write a letter to your best friend or someone very close to you.
- Reflect upon some of the following:
o Discuss your experience with service learning so far.
o What have you learned while working with your community partner? What have you learned in
class? How have those two ways of learning interested and affected each other?
o Have you changed your mind about anything you believed? Have any ideas you’ve had in the past
been reinforced?
o Are there ways you can apply your service learning to your major? Are there ways you are bringing
what you’ve learned in your major to your service learning?
o In what ways are you uniquely contributing at your community partner site? What is it like to
contribute in this way?

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Reflection Journal #3:
- This journal must be completed after you have completed all of your hours with your community partner.
- How did your service-learning experience relate to the readings, discussions, and lectures in class?
- What was the most important lesson learned from working with your community partner?
- What role would you like to play in the future in relation to the social issues that you are learning through
your community service?
- Have your own views on yourself and society changed as a result of your service?
- Have your own life philosophy and values changed as a result of your service?
- Are you learning about different approaches and solutions to the social issues that you are working on?

Feedback on Classmates’ Chapter Discussions (25)

Students will complete a feedback form that will help the student presenters understand how effective their
presentation was and how they might also improve their skills. Points will be calculated on the students’ quality and
depth of discussion after each presentation.

DIG Participation (25 points)

You will participate fully in all DIG sessions with your UEA, who will take attendance at each meeting.

Service Learning Hours (60 points)

You will complete and submit a log of all you service learning hours, which will be at least three logs, since you have
to complete your 15 hours on at least three different dates. The log will be provided to you. A representative from
your community partner must sign off on each log. Hours will not be counted unless a completed, signed log is
submitted on time.

Class Attendance & Participation

You are expected to attend each class and be prepared to participate fully. Students are expected to attend all
classes. If a student misses three classes their grade will automatically go down one grade level for each three classes
missed.

GROUP/PAIRS ASSIGNMENTS

Facilitate Chapter Discussion (25 points)

In pairs or groups of three, students will be responsible for presenting and facilitating a discussion on one
chapter/article from assigned readings. The presentation should take 10-15 minutes and include (a) main points and
arguments of the chapter, (b) your critical comments on ideas presented in the reading, and (c) questions and issues
that you would like the class to discuss.

Social Problems Presentation (100 points)

In groups of 4-6 people, you will select a specific social problem that you would like to change. You will research the
history of that problem, the current state of that problem, as well as some of the community organizations that seek
to address that problem. Be sure to explore the social problem from the perspective of multiple disciplines (for
example, sociology, nursing, Chicana/o studies, political science, journalism, economics, psychology, history,
literature). Your group will give a 20 - 30 minute presentation about your social problem. The presentation will
include handout for each member of the class with key issues and statistics, links to videos, community organizations,
etc. as well as steps your classmates might take should they be interested in helping to address the problem. The
handout will also include a bibliography of your sources. The group members will be given a form they will use to give
feedback to other group members regarding their participation and contributions to the group. The quality of this
feedback will be part of the points earned for this assignment.

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Community Partner Presentation (75 points)
At the end of the semester, you will give a group presentation with other students who work at the same community
partner organization. The presentation should be approximately 25 - 30 minutes in length, utilize power point slides
or Prezi, and include (1) a brief description of your community organization (its mission, activities and/or programs),
(2) a description of a social problem(s) that the community organization addresses (based on class materials and
additional research), (3) a description of your community service (you may consider including personal photos and
videos), (4) an artifact that can be given to the community partner organization summarizing your experience, and (5)
a brief reflection on what you learned as a result of the service. Additional, guidelines will be added by the professor
that reflects the unique learning environment of this semester’s class.

Low Stakes Writing/Chapter Presentation Evaluations (10 points)

Every class period will have a ‘low stakes’ writing component. Please bring writing materials to class each day.

GRADES:

Assignment Points
What inspires Me?/Intrigues Me? 15
Community Partner Research 100
Reflection Journals 35
Feedback on Classmates’ Chapter 20
/Low Stakes writing
DIG Participation 25
Service Hours 60
Class Attendance/Participation 60
Facilitate Chapter Discussion 25
Social Problems Presentation 100
Group Presentation on Service 60
Learning Experience
Total 500

Grades will follow the standard university scale where 97% and above = A+; 93 – 96.9% = A; 90 – 92.9% = A-; 87 –
89.9% = B+; 83 – 86.9% = B; 80 – 82.9% = B-; 77 – 79.9% = C+; 73 – 76.9% = C; 70 – 72.9% = C-; 67 – 69.9% = D+; 63 –
66.9% = D; 60 – 62.9% = D-; 59.9% and below = F.