Course Syllabus
IDS4890: Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone: Applying Knowledge
Section RVBB; Fall B 2023
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Professor Gali Milbauer Lefkowitz |
Instructor Information
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Course Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time (EST). Course due dates are according to this time zone. The contents of this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the professor. |
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Course Description and Purpose
The Department of Liberal Studies offers students the opportunity to design a major based on their interests. Some use their degree as a means to an end, custom designing a curriculum that will help them achieve a specific goal. Others see it as a stepping stone on the path towards greater ambitions. Regardless of your motivation, while pursuing your major you are developing a skill set and knowledge base that is unique to you. Additionally, you are a part of a group whose defining feature is the diversity of career interests being pursued by its members. The overarching objective of this course is to help you leverage these unique aspects of your degree.
Course Objectives
Upon completing this course, you will be able to:
- Document and reflect on your university education, identifying and describing the transferable skills you have acquired at university;
- Document and reflect on learning experiences beyond the university;
- Articulate how your coursework is an integrated and individualized curriculum built around your interests;
Course Awards
Policies
Before starting this course, please review the following pages:
- Policies
- Netiquette
- Technical Requirements and Skills
- Accessibility and Accommodation
- Panthers Care & Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
- Academic Misconduct Statement
- Copyright Statement
- Inclusivity Statement
Course Policies
Assignments submitted late will be subject to grading penalties. Exceptions will only be made in the case of extenuating personal circumstances such as a medical emergency. It is essential that you communicate with me if you find yourself in a situation where you cannot submit your assignment on time. Assignments submitted late without an explanation will not be graded.
Grievances and Your Rights
If at any point in the semester you have any questions or concerns about your grade or your standing in the class, please first contact your instructor directly. You may also contact Dr. Wanda Raiford, Liberal Studies Director at wraiford@fiu.edu
Course Prerequisites
This course has prerequisites: ENC1101 and ENC1102.
Required Course Materials
You will find all course materials and other useful resources in the library research guide, which is curated and maintained by FIU research librarians. You’ll want to spend time on the IDS 4890 LibGuide page as you prepare your work for this class. All the assigned readings can be found there plus links to suggested reading, helpful databases (that cost money but which you already paid for when you paid your fees), and links to useful FIU resources.
Expectations of this Course
This is an online course, which means most (if not all) of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same as a traditional course. In fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills which can make these courses more demanding for some students.
Students are expected to:
- Review the how to get started information located in the course content
- Take the practice syllabus quiz to ensure that your computer is compatible with Canvas
- Interact online with instructor/s and peers
- Review and follow the course calendar
- Log in to the course 7 times per week
- Respond to messages within 24 hours on weekdays
- Submit assignments by the corresponding deadline
The instructor will:
- Log in to the course 5 times per week
- Respond to messages within 24 hours on weekdays
- Grade assignments within 14 days of the assignment deadline
Course Communication
Communication in this course will take place via the Canvas Inbox. Check out the Canvas Conversations Tutorial or Canvas Guide to learn how to communicate with your instructor and peers using Announcements, Discussions, and the Inbox.
Discussion Boards
Discussion Board initial posts are due Thursday by 11:59 pm. Due dates are included within all Discussion Boards. Responses to peers' posts are due Saturday by 11:59 pm. Initial posts submitted after the Thursday due date will have 5% deducted per day late. There is a Discussion Board rubric attached to the instructions for each Discussion Board assignment.
Assignments
Assignments are due Saturday by 11:59 pm. Due dates are included within assignments. Assignments submitted after the Saturday due date will have 5% deducted per day late. There is an assignment rubric attached to the instructions for each assignment.
Capstone Portfolio
Class Presentations of Capstone Portfolios
- You will be required to post your near-final Capstone Portfolio submission to the discussion board. (No attachments - just enter text or copy and paste)
- If you can copy and paste the artifacts into the same document, do that. If it’s not easy to copy and paste them in (maybe due to formatting issues) or if you are including a video or other non-textual artifact, then upload those artifacts as separate files (see instructions for uploading multiple files here).
- Include in your post, a table of contents for the artifacts, in the order you want people to look at them. After the table of contents, write at least 2-3 sentences that explain what items you decided to include in your portfolio and why. The Portfolio instructions direct you to focus on a specific story -- tell the class what message you want to convey with your three artifacts and how your curating and editing choices helped communicate that message.
- After posting all parts of your near-final-version Capstone Portfolio submission -- (a) Table of contents, (b) Short paragraph explaining your choices, and (c) your artifacts -- respond to two other classmates’ Portfolios. You have until Saturday to respond to a classmate’s work. Here are some questions to guide your response: What do you like the most about your classmate’s Portfolio? Did reading someone’s portfolio help you to think through changes for your own final version submission? Your response should be at least 75 words.
Here’s how you’ll be assessed on this assignment:
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- Content: Did you follow all parts of the instructions, including the minimum word count? (4 points)
- Quality and engagement: Are your comments for classmates thoughtful, helpful, and/or detailed (16 points)
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Final Capstone Portfolio and Reflective Letter
Review the Capstone Portfolio and Reflective Letter Guidelines for detailed instructions and more information about how you’ll be assessed on this assignment.
Grading
Course Requirements |
Weight |
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Posting to weekly discussion boards |
35% |
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Submitting weekly assignments |
45% |
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Submitting a Capstone Portfolio at the end of the semester |
20% |
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Total |
100% |
Letter |
Range% |
Letter |
Range% |
Letter |
Range% |
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| A | 95 or above | B | 83 - 86 | C | 70 - 76 |
| A- | 90 - 94 | B- | 80 - 82 | D | 60 - 69 |
| B+ | 87 - 89 | C+ | 77 - 79 | F | 59 or less |
Review the Module Overview pages at the start of each module for a complete description of what will be covered. Below are the due dates for all assignments in this course.
Due Dates Calendar
October 16 - October 21
Discussions: The initial post is due Thursday by 11:59 pm. Responses to peers' posts are due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
- Post to Introduce Yourself
- Post to Practicing Curation
Assignment: Due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
(I highly suggest to work on these during Week 1, but due date is extended to end of Week 2 for anyone who got a late start)
October 22 - October 28
Assignments: Due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
October 29 - November 4
Discussions: The initial post is due Thursday by 11:59 pm. Responses to peers' posts are due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
- Post to Videotaped "Selfie"
- Post to Starting Work on the Capstone
Assignment: Due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
November 5 - November 11
Discussions: The initial post is due Thursday by 11:59 pm. Responses to peers' posts are due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
- Post to Hiring Manager Challenge
- Post to Planning your Resume
Assignments: Due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
November 12 - November 18
Assignments: Due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
November 19 - November 25
Discussion: The initial post is due Thursday by 11:59 pm. Responses to peers' posts are due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
November 26 - December 2
Assignment: Due Saturday by 11:59 pm.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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