University of Maryland

University/World 101
The Student in the University
and Introduction to Computer Resources

 
Section 0110
Fall Term 2002
Thurs. 3:00-5:00pm
PLS 1146
http://www.inform.umd.edu/Faculty/DWilliams/Fall02/UNIV101/index.html

Description | Organization | Requirements | Readings | Grading | Academic Integrity | Schedule

Instructor

Teaching Assistant

Dr. Daryle Williams
Department of History
2135 Francis Scott Key Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-7315
(301) 405-0061
daryle@umd.edu
http://www.history.umd.edu/Faculty/DWilliams

Makeba Smith-Cook
Senior in History and Education/Social Sciences


8128 LaPlata
(301) 405-0641
makebaruth@yahoo.com

Office Hours: Thursdays 1:00-3:00pm and by appointment Office Hours: By appointment


Course Description

UNIV 101 introduces first-year students to the University of Maryland, and in a broader sense, life as a university student. Working closely with a full-time faculty member and an advanced undergraduate teaching assistant, UNIV 101 students will explore our large and diverse University community and their place in it.

The UNIV 101 curriculum is designed to introduce students to a range of campus resources, including academic support services, student activities, diversity networks, residence life, academic integrity councils, physical and mental health care facilities, recreation, and crisis referral. The course will also introduce incoming students to the formidable computing technologies available on campus, as well as strategies to navigate through informational technologies and databases housed on campus, in the local area, and on the World Wide Web.

The Department of History, in collaboration with the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, is especially eager to welcome first-year students to the intellectual and social communities of historians, history majors, and the historically-inclined. Our section has been set aside exclusively for incoming students who have declared History as their major. The course content has been tailored to the anticipated needs of the first-year history major on the hope that the course will build a strong and enduring relationship between the Department and our majors from their first semester at the University.

Course Organization

The course meets weekly for two hours throughout the semester. Some weeks will be devoted to group discussions about assigned activities, campus resources, and campus climate. Other weeks we will hear from guest speakers. A group outing will be scheduled in the second half of the semester. Depending on the venue/event chosen, the cost of admission, transportation, and meals will be either be paid-in-full or heavily subsidized.

Most sessions will be held in Plant Sciences 1146, but a handful of sessions will be held in other locations, including the AT&T Teaching Theatre located on the first floor of Jiménez Hall. Consult the syllabus prior to coming to class to make sure where and when we will be meeting.

 

Course Requirements

Each student will be required to develop a PERSONAL WEBSITE that contains, at a minimum, a valid web address, your name and contact information, ten captioned images related to your first semester at the University, and a link to the Department of History's website. You are, of course, encouraged to develop a more sophisticated site. All websites will be linked to the main course page.

Each enrolled student will be required to submit a BIWEEKLY JOURNAL that documents his/her first semester at the University of Maryland. Certain weeks, the professor or the teaching assistant will indicate a theme for your journal entry. Other weeks, you will be free to write about whatever you like. In either case, it is important to keep in mind that your journal entries will be treated as confidential.

All students will be required to contribute to the GROUP PROJECT, a website on the first-year student's experience in the Department of History.

 

Assigned Readings

There is one required reading, available for purchase at the University Book Center, is: Dancer, Thomas. Introduction to the University and its Computer Resources: A Student Manual. Second Edition, 2001.

All UNIV 101 sections in the College of Arts and the Humanities will join the Terrapin Reading Society in reading The Laramie Project.

 

Grading

Your final grade will be determined using the following formula:

Personal Website 10%
Journal 25%
Group Project 25%
Participation 40%


It is impossible to participate if you do not attend class. Contact Dr. Williams or Makeba if you anticipate missing a class.

A Special Note on Grading:

Over the course of the semester, you will be called upon to demonstrate skills needed to succeed in your academic career (e.g. regular attendance, academic integrity, critical thinking, clear writing, turning in assigned work by the due date, active participation in group discussions, familiarity with information technology, etc.). When appropriate, you may be asked to consider a few basic concepts in historical thinking (that is, how we think, talk, and write about the past).

UNIV 101 is not, however, an explicitly academic course. The course content, organizations, and goals are different from any other course that you will take in the department.

The key principle to keep in mind is that UNIV 101 is designed to introduce the importance of skills needed to succeed as a university student and history major. Thus, your grade will be determined by your ability to demonstrate a growing familiarity with these skills and their related campus resources. A secondary consideration to be used in determining your final grade will be your ability to document the challenges faced during your first semester at the University.


Statement of Academic Integrity

The Code of Academic Integrity guides this and all other courses taught at the University of Maryland. Violations of the Code may result in a failing grade and/or referral to a University disciplinary committee.

Should you have ANY questions or doubts about Academic Integrity, including questions of citation and attribution, you should consult your professor, the Student Honor Council, and/or a full-text version of the Code of Academic Integrity.


Class Schedule (Check for Updates)

Week

Date

Theme

Location

Week I Sept. 5 Introduction to the Course PLS 1146
Week II Sept. 12 Campus Scavenger Hunt and Welcome Reception with Dr. Robyn Muncy PLS 1146
Week III Sept. 19 Intrduction to Campus Computing AT&T Teaching Theater
Jiménez Hall
Week IV Sept. 26 Visit to the Farm and the Dairy  
Week V Oct. 3 Peer Counseling PLS 1146
Week VI Oct. 10 Outdoor Recreation Center Behind the CRC
Week VII Oct. 17

More Campus Computing
The Final Project

AT&T Teaching Theater
Jiménez Hall
Week VIII Oct. 24 Academic Success
Barbara Goldberg, Learning Assistance Center
PLS 1146
Week IX Oct. 31 Career/Internships [To be confirmed] PLS 1146
Week X Nov. 7 Library Safari 6107 McKeldin Library
Week XI Nov. 14

Advising
Course Selection

AT&T Teaching Theater
Jiménez Hall
Week XII Nov. 21 The Laramie Project Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Week XIII Nov. 28 Happy Thanksgiving! No Class
Week XIV Dec. 5 Field Trip PLS 1146
Week XV Dec. 12 Wrap Up PLS 1146