The Course

Course Syllabus (Acrobat (PDF) 155kB Jul14 08)

Course Format

A learning community is comprised of a group of scholars (in this case, students and faculty), who come together to inquire, to investigate, and to construct knowledge about a topic of interest. We intend for this learning community to be characterized by openness and respect; collaboration; experiences linking the classroom to places, events and people outside the university setting; and group and individual learning. To meet these goals, students must be active, informed participants. All of us must read and thoroughly consider the reading assignments for each week before coming to class and take responsibility for making connections and sharing ideas.

Examples of activities:

The following types of activities will provide opportunities for students to achieve both course and personal learning objectives:

• leading and participating in seminar discussions;
• observing migration in the field (several weekend camping trips are scheduled);
• keeping journals;
• reading and critiquing scholarly books, journal articles, and other materials on migration, including perspectives from science, public policy, literature, and the arts;
• using the library, Internet and other tools to elaborate and clarify classroom discussions, track migration reports, conduct research on international treaties, and gather data for projects;
• preparing research materials and graphics for group and individual projects; and
• taking quizzes over course materials and activities.
  

Pedagogical Methodologies:

As a learning community model, this course emphasizes active, collaborative learning through discovery-driven investigations, development of student competencies and skills, and experiential learning in the field. Throughout the course activities, students are responsible for evaluating their goals and their learning through multiple methods (see section below on pedagogies).

• Course journal:

Each student must keep a journal throughout the course. We will have a workshop on journal writing and provide separate handouts describing in detail what and how to write in your journal.

• Group case study project:

This capstone assignment for the course is to be a well-researched, professionally presented group case study of a public policy issue involving migration. This project will have several components -- a preliminary research plan with annotated bibliography, a draft, and the revised/final project. See separate handout describing the requirements and grading for this assignment.

• Course portfolio:

Each student will prepare a course portfolio, documenting his or her progress toward specific seminar learning goals and toward NCC competencies. The portfolio is your primary vehicle for analyzing and reflecting on the course, demonstrating the connections you make through this course, and setting future goals for yourself.

NCC Competencies and Portfolios:

This learning community provides at least one or more opportunities to improve in each of the following NCC competencies: critical thinking, problem-solving, effective citizenship, social interaction, communication, global perspective, valuing, and aesthetic response. Your course journals should reflect your own assessment of the progress you have made in each of these areas. You may also want to address other competencies in your portfolio. We will discuss portfolios briefly at the beginning of the course and provide a portfolio workshop toward the end of the course to assist you in developing your course portfolio. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the portfolio, please ask us.

Peer evaluation:

Students must complete an evaluation for each group member. Any student who does not complete the peer evaluation will forfeit his or her own peer evaluation points. Students will have an opportunity to help us design the peer evaluation form.