Honors 121 : Cruising the Cultures of the Mediterranean Spring Break Trip (March 2-12, 2016) 4 countries, 6 cities, one big, fun adventure!

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1 COURSE SYLLABUS Honors 121 : Cruising the Cultures of the Mediterranean Spring Break Trip (March 2-12, 2016) 4 countries, 6 cities, one big, fun adventure! Welcome to 121 Honors Seminar Professor: Marianella Jara jaram@uncw.edu Phone: (910) (no voice mail available) Office: 289 Leutze Hall Class time: Wednesdays 2:00-2:50 p.m. Classroom: Leutze 131 Office hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:45-5:00 p.m. Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 p.m. until the last day of classes. Also available by or appointment. Course Description: "Cruising the Cultures of the Mediterranean" will explore the historical and cultural relevance of six fascinating cities; while embarking on an unforgettable, fun spring break cruise adventure around the Mediterranean. Class will meet weekly to discuss relevant readings, documentaries and videos, and to learn basic useful phrases in French, Italian and Spanish. During the spring break trip, students will take guided tours of the cities of Barcelona in Spain, Marseille in France, Rome, Palermo and Genoa in Italy and the Valleta in Malta. Students will work in groups and individually to do short analytical and research projects that will help them apply critical thinking skills and reflect on how their experience contributed to their cultural awareness as well as their academic and personal growth. Course objectives: Understand the most important aspects of the history and culture of the Mediterranean region. Comply with UNCW s goal of creating global citizens. Understand the importance of today s global society. Promote cultural awareness and appreciation. HON 121 / Jara 1

2 Materials and Resources: Improve language skills by learning basic- useful travel phrases in French, Italian and Spanish. Apply analytical and critical thinking skills. Fulfill the Explorations Beyond the Classroom requirement by building their e-portfolio entries. In order to so, students will do the following: o EBC 1: Articulate their expectations, the purpose, and/or the goals of the experience in terms of their personal educational development. [Thoughtful Expression] o EBC 2. Synthesize knowledge drawn from their coursework to address the issues/challenges/questions involved in the experience. [Critical Thinking, Foundational Knowledge, Inquiry] o EBC 3. Communicate the impact or significance on their personal educational development and on others in the profession or in the field at the conclusion of the experience. [Critical Thinking] Blackboard access. For recommended browser information go to the following link: Blackboard support (910) 962-HELP or tac@uncw.edu Αll readings and other course materials will be posted on Blackboard or distributed in class. High-speed internet connection Computer (preferably no older than 3 years) Smart phone or Ipad or tablet Multilingual dictionary or app. We will use English-Spanish, French and Italian. Larousse paper of app is recommended UNCW account Dropbox and Flickr accounts (free of charge). Flash or pen drive. Grade Distribution: Assignments (readings & videos reports) 20% Group facilitations 10% Reflection essays (2) 10% Research project & presentation 20% Poster and show case presentation 10% In class participation 10% Excursions participation 10% Proper behavior while on spring break trip 10% HON 121 / Jara 2

3 Grading Scale: A B C D A B C D B C D F IMPORTANT INFORMATION Communication with the instructor: It is very important to me that you know that you can count on me to give you my very best always. I have an open door policy and enjoy very much meeting and helping my students. The best way to contact me is to come to my office during my listed office hours. I am also available by or WebEx if necessary. Blackboard : The course calendar, assignments guidelines, trip materials, as well as other important information will be available on Blackboard. To get to the Blackboard site for this course, follow these steps: 1. Login to Blackboard ( 2. Use your UNCW username 3. Use your UNCW password My Grades: Students will be able to see their grades on Bb. To see my grades, click on the link on the left. Grades will be upgraded weekly. Course Calendar: Your course calendar is available on Blackboard. It is crucial that you review it regularly. You are responsible for following all deadlines. The calendar may be subject to changes and some assignments may be announced during class or by . Make sure to pay attention to announcements made both during class and by . It is the student s responsibility to check their UNCW account regularly. This will be our main way of communication. You are responsible for reading all class announcements ed to you. Make sure to have enough space available in your inbox to receive s. Make-up Policy: Make-ups will only be considered in the following situations: 1. Sickness 2. Court citation or jury duty 3. Death of a relative or close friend 4. UNCW official event 5. Religious observance Proper and official documentation must be presented to your professor prior to the event or within a week. Examples of proper documentation are: Doctor s notes, court citation, and letter in official letterhead or with proper information about the person in charge. In case of death of a relative or close friend, accident or religious observance, students must contact the office of the Registrar: registrar@uncw.edu which will be in charge of notifying the instructor HON 121 / Jara 3

4 directly. All work approved for make-up needs to be completed within a week of the original due date. Grade Distribution explained Assignments : Will consist of short readings, language tutorials and documentaries or videos of the locations we are going to visit during spring break. Follow the course calendar to keep up with assignments. Each assignment will have guidelines and questions. Make sure to review those before completing your assignments. Assignments will be used for class discussion and collected for credit. Group facilitations: Students will work in groups to facilitate one of the readings assigned. The facilitations topics and dates will be raffled in class. The facilitations must be interactive and include understanding and reflection questions and activities. (See specific guidelines on Bb). Reflection essays Students will write 2 short reflection papers. Papers must be insightful, organized and contain as much information as possible. Entry 1 will be prior to departure. Entry 2 will upon return. The essays must show cultural competence by evaluating and analyzing cultures in terms of traditions, activities, viewpoints, and opinions. Comparisons and contrasts between countries visited and the U.S.A. must be included. (Refer to specific guidelines, learning objectives and grading criteria on Bb). Research individual project: Depending on the student's interest, student will do a short research project on topics such art, architecture, music, film, gastronomy, painting, traditions, important facts, history or literature pertaining to any of the cities studied and visited. Other topics may be considered. Students must propose the topic for instructor s approval on the day indicated on the course calendar. The project will be presented to the class. (Refer to specific guidelines on Bb). This project may be used as evidence for your e-portfolio entry to fulfill the Explorations Beyond the Classroom requirement. Poster & showcase presentation: Students will create a poster to summarize their research project and trip experience to showcase the last day of class. This poster may also be used as evidence for your Explorations Beyond the Classroom e-portfolio. (Refer to specific guidelines and grading criteria on Bb). Class and excursions participation: You will receive a participation grade in this course. The grade will be based on your performance each week. Your participation grade is determined by your willingness to participate actively and voluntarily in all activities both in class and while on the trip. Use every opportunity available to get involved; this is how learning will become fun and more importantly easy. We will switch partners often to get to know everyone and avoid monotony. The following is a participation grading scale and applies to class and trip activities or events : Student is always on time, comes fully prepared, pays attention, participates actively and frequently asks questions : Student is usually, but not always on time, often pays attention and participates in discussions, sometimes volunteers or asks questions. HON 121 / Jara 4

5 70-80: Student is sometimes late and is not always attentive or engaged during discussions or excursions, contributes only occasionally while typically sitting quietly or not paying attention : Student is often late, rarely participates in discussions and seems disinterested. 0-60: Student misses activities often, does not participate and does not show any interest. Proper behavior while on spring break trip: Students in this course and spring break trip are expected to abide by the UNCW Student Conduct and comply to all rules and regulations stipulated on the Responsibility Statement. The statement could be found on Bb. Please sign and turn in on the date indicated on the course calendar. Please read the Student Handbook and Code of Student Life for more information: Grading Rubrics: All projects will be graded using a specific rubric. Please refer to rubrics included with the guidelines on Bb. Attendance Policy: a) Students are allotted 1 absence for classes that meet once a week. Though you are allowed one absence without any penalty, it is highly recommended that you avoid missing class and save this opportunity for a true emergency. This applies to excursions and activities while on trip as well. b) You do not need to excuse yourself when missing a class. However, while on the trip, if you need to miss an excursion or activity, I ask you to please notify me ASAP so I can make proper arrangements. c) For each absence in excess of the limit stated above, 2 points will be deducted from the final grade. d) Missing 15 minutes either at the beginning, middle or end will count as an absence. e) Any student who misses 3 classes or events without a valid, justified reason will sadly fail the course. f) If you want to justify your absence so no points will be deducted from your grade, you need to provide official documentation. The following circumstances will be considered: Sickness Court citation or jury duty Death of a relative or close friend UNCW official event Religious observance Examples of proper documentation are: Doctor s notes, court citation, letter in official letterhead or with proper information about the person in charge. In case of death, accident or religious observance, students must contact the office of the Registrar: registrar@uncw.edu which will be in charge of notifying the instructor directly. Please be aware of these policies and keep track of your absences. Students who have perfect attendance will be entitled to 1 point extra credit added to the final grade. Perfect attendance means being present and participating in class always. HON 121 / Jara 5

6 Course etiquette: Be on time: Arrive at least 5 minutes prior to class, excursions and activities. Planes, trains, buses, etc, leave on the dot and there will be no such a thing as waiting. Be prepared: Bring all materials to class, have your assignments completed. While on the trip, pack all requested items indicated on the packing list. During excursions, there are no stops at stores. Participate: Make sure you have read and viewed all assigned readings and videos before class. Complete all the assigned exercises so you can participate meaningfully in class. Be an active participant! During excursions, pay attention and ask meaningful questions. Be focused: In class pay attention always. During excursions, pay attention, be courteous to tour guides, stay with the group at all times, limit your talking and photography taking. Please ask permission to separate from the group in case of an emergency. There will be designated times for shopping, talking and photography taking so please shop only when appropriate. Copying information is considered plagiarism and may carry severe consequences. Remember, even the smallest activities and assignments count and serve an important purpose. Finally, bring a smile and yourself with a positive attitude!! Believe me, it truly makes a difference! Extra Credit: J The following are extra credit opportunities. Students can do one or a combination of activities. The maximum number of points allowed is 5, including perfect attendance. Extra credit points will be added to your final grade. Please follow all instructions and fill out forms as instructed. All forms are available on Bb under extra credit. 1. Cultural Events outside of class (2 points per event): You may attend any of the events listed under extra credit opportunities. Most cultural events are free and are offered on campus or locally. A report must be submitted following the guidelines on Bb. 2. Perfect attendance (1 point): In order to receive this point you cannot miss any days, be late or leave early. 3. Filling out final course evaluation (IDEA): (1 point) If the class has a 100% response rate, including comments, everyone will be entitled to 1 point extra credit. 4. Best research project presentation: (1 point) The student who gets the most votes for his or her presentation or video will gain one extra credit point. HON 121 / Jara 6

7 5. Best poster: (1 point) The student who gets the most votes for his or her poster will gain one extra credit point. OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Seahawk Respect Compact: In the pursuit of excellence, UNC Wilmington actively fosters, encourages, and promotes inclusiveness, mutual respect, acceptance, and open-mindedness among students, faculty, staff, and the broader community. Please read the complete Seahawk Respect Compact here: Disability Services: If you have a disability and need reasonable accommodations in this course, you should inform the professor of this fact in writing within the first week of class. If you have not done so already, you must register with the UNCW Office of Disability Services. UNCW Disability Services supplies information about disability law, documentation procedures and accommodations. This information can be found at Safety on campus: UNCW practices a zero-tolerance policy for violence and harassment of any kind. For emergencies contact UNCW CARE at , Campus Police at , or Wilmington I am glad to have you as my student! I am sure we will have a wonderful semester and an unforgettable trip! Get onboard and let s cruise! J HON 121 / Jara 7