Special note:
Academic accommodations are available for students registered with the Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity. Students in need of ADA/504 accommodations should schedule an appointment with me early in the semester to discuss any accommodations for this course that have been approved by the Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity, as indicated in your AEO accommodation letter.
Requirements
This half-unit course is graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. To receive a Satisfactory grade, each student must...
1. Maintain consistent attendance. We meet only 12 times over 6 weeks, so your presence and participation in each class session is crucial. You may only have one unexcused absence in this course.
2. Be on time to our class meetings and throughout our fieldtrip itineraries. We'll generally have two destinations per fieldtrip, typically involving appointments with Hudson Valley people leading tours and giving presentations. To be courteous to them and efficient with our own time, please be punctual.
3. Cowrite a minimum 500-word essay with one other student about one of our five scheduled class fieldtrips. This essay will be published within one week of the fieldtrip on our course blog. For instructions on this assignment, click here.
4. Write a minimum 500-word essay about an independent trip you make to a Hudson Valley destination (from an approved list). This essay will be published within one week of your independent trip on our course blog. For instructions on this assignment, click here.
5. Publish a Wikipedia entry on one of the places, organizations, initiatives or issues that we encounter in our fieldtrips. A list of topics for Wikipedia entries will be provided; some topics may need more than one student to address adequately. You'll need to adhere to the research and writing conventions of Wikipedia: citations, writing tone, narrative organization, hyperlinks to other entries, etc. For instructions on this assignment, click here.
6. Write a self-assessment of your Wikipedia entry (not for publication) explaining your research process, source selection, and other decisions and obstacles that shaped your entry.
Policy on student computers: You're welcome to use laptop computers or iPads for our Wednesday classroom meetings. However, they must turn off texting, e-mail, Facebook, and other social media. Violating this policy more than once will result in the student being forbidden from bringing their personal technology into the classroom. On our Friday fieldtrips, you're also welcome to bring smart phones in order to take photographs; the same spirit of etiquette applies.
Course suggestions
1. Have fun! You're about to visit some really interesting places and meet people doing impressive things, and at probably the prettiest time of the year.
2. Take a digital camera, smart phone, or other picture-taking device on fieldtrips. You'll use these images in blog posts, Wikipedia entries, and social media.
3. Dress appropriately for fieldtrips. Wear comfortable, durable shoes, and bring jackets or umbrellas when needed.
4. Empty your evening schedule on fieldtrip Fridays. You'll want to linger in many of the places we visit. Whenever possible, we'll line up a second van or alternate transportation for people who want to stay past our normal fieldtrip time.