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College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences POLI
496, Senior
Seminar: Religion and Politics 3
Units, Fall 2007
University COURSE DESCRIPTION This seminar focuses on the ethical, political, and
historical implications of ideas both in their historical context and in
contemporary society. Meets the general studies requirement as a Senior Seminar
in God’s Word and the Christian Response. (university catalog) Prerequisites: POLI 300, senior standing, completion of the
majority of the units required for God’s Word and the Christian Response; and
completion of the majority of course work in the major. Fulfills
general
studies requirement as a senior seminar in God’s Word & the Christian
Response Fulfills
core requirement for the following majors: Social Science, History, Political
Science COURSE FORMAT This
is it! You’ve arrived at the
culminating course of the general studies program as well as the final course
for Political Science, History, and Social Science majors. After
four years of study at a Christian liberal arts university, you will be called
upon in the next few months to test the thinking, discussion, research, and
writing skills you’ve developed while here. The
specific topic for this course is the justice of American immigration practice
and policy and we will be looking at that topic from a Christian framework.
In other words, as we examine The course will be conducted as a discussion-based research
seminar. There are no obvious yes or
no answers to the complex questions above. Thus
your thoughtful preparation before each class session is crucial.
In the first weeks we will discuss selected readings that will immerse us
in the topic at hand and we will do some preliminary short essays to get our
analytical engines warmed up. The
shift will then be towards the development of your own research focus, and some
small group and individual meetings to fine-tune your approach and your product.
Finally, we will have oral defenses of the individual research papers. Reading Discussion Days There
will be two formal reading discussions, listed below in the Semester Schedule.
On these days you will be partially responsible to lead the discussion.
You will need to have several inquiry points ready to present to the
class–things about the reading that struck you, challenged you, angered you,
etc. I expect thoughtful
reading of the texts that will produce a thoughtful discussion, rather than “I
really liked it,” or “this book stinks.”
I consider the participation on reading discussion days strongly when
formulating the attendance/participation portion of your course grade.
Please note–if you are absent on
a formal discussion day, you must arrange a separate, individual meeting time
with me to discuss the reading. STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the semester each
student will be able to: 1.
Understand the background of immigration from the nation’s
origins to the present. 2.
Explain biblical perspectives on the treatment of
sojourners/strangers/aliens. 3.
Make connections between American immigration realities and
biblical principles concerning sojourners/strangers/aliens. 4.
Select an appropriate topic in American immigration, conduct basic
research on that topic, and defend a point of view concerning that topic in a
20-30 page research paper. 5.
Assist and evaluate fellow students in their research projects. 6.
Defend a research project in a 10-15 minute oral presentation to
the rest of the class. COURSE
POLICIES Class Etiquette Please arrive on time and do not
leave before the end of class unless you inform me prior to class. Please turn
cell phones and beepers to off or silent mode
(not vibrate!); if your cell phone interrupts the class, you may be asked
to leave for the day, and will receive an unexcused absence. Attendance The university catalogue states, “Class attendance is of
paramount importance, and excessive absences will affect the final grade.”
Even though the Senior Seminar will not meet as a full class throughout
all weeks of the semester, you are still to adhere to these attendance
guidelines. Students are expected to participate actively in class and small
group activities, therefore behaviors such as sleeping, talking, reading
unrelated materials, and studying for other classes are not acceptable.
Students who are not actively involved in class (e.g. who are sleeping)
will be asked to leave class, counted absent, and will not be allowed to make-up
work missed during that class. You are allowed 2 unexcused
absences in the semester. If you miss 4 consecutive classes/meetings without notifying me, you
will be dropped from the course. Attendance
is determined by a roll sheet passed around at the beginning
of each session. Be on time–if
you are late to the class/meeting you will not be able to sign the roll sheet
and you will be considered absent for the day. The following constitute excused absences: (1) illness (2)
death in the immediate family (3) required appearance in a court of law (4)
representing the university in an extracurricular activity.
Please note that some university extracurricular activities do not
justify an excused absence, so prior approval of the absence by the professor is
required. Unexcused absences include work, job interviews, job fairs, weddings,
vacations, and completing work for other courses. It is the student’s responsibility to make the instructor
aware of the situation prior to the absence and to provide appropriate written
documentation. If absent, contact a
classmate who can fill you in on what you missed, since you
will be responsible for all material covered during the session. The following guidelines will be
used in determining your attendance/participation grade (three or less unexcused
absences is “regular attendance”):
Academic
Integrity and Dishonesty The mission of Expectations
for this course regarding academic integrity in this class
Academic dishonesty is a serious offense which diminishes the
quality of scholarship and defrauds those who depend on the integrity of the
educational system. Academic dishonesty includes: Cheating: Intentionally using
or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any
academic exercise. ·
Students completing any examination should assume that external
assistance (e.g., books, notes, calculators, and conversations with others) is
prohibited unless specifically authorized by the instructor. ·
Students may not allow others to conduct research or prepare work
for them without advance authorization from the instructor. ·
Substantial portions of the same academic work may not be
submitted for credit in more than one course without authorization. Fabrication: Intentional
falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic
exercise. Facilitating academic dishonesty:
Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act
of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly
representing the words, ideas, or work of another as one’s own in any academic
exercise. (from university catalog) Students
often misuse their sources unintentionally.
Others do so intentionally. Both
are unacceptable. Fundamentally,
plagiarism is when you offer the words and ideas of another author as your own.
The work of another person, their ideas, interpretations, distinctive
phrasing, and exact words, constitute that author’s intellectual property.
Use of that property without proper citation is, simply, theft.
If you have any questions about plagiarism, please ask me to clarify.
Plagiarism is a serious matter; as a Christian community we need to hold
ourselves accountable to the highest standards–to do only those things that
please our Lord and Savior. Consequences
for violations of academic integrity in this class Academic
dishonesty, including intentional plagiarism, will result in a failing grade for
this course. Available
Support Services ·
Students in this course who have a disability that might prevent
them from fully demonstrating their abilities should meet with an advisor in the
·
A variety of support services are available in the · Students needing help with writing skills should contact The Writing Center
REQUIRED The
Bible (Selected Passages) Kate
L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations,
7th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996).
ISBN: 0226823377 Barkan,
Elliott Robert. And Still They Come: Immigrants and American Society, 1920 to the 1990s.
The American History Series, eds. John Hope Franklin and A.S. Eisenstadt. Please
have the assigned readings completed by their corresponding lecture
dates. Doing so will enable you to understand the lectures more fully, provide
you the chance to ask more informed questions, and allow you to participate in
any relevant discussions. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS Exploration Papers Two
short (500 words) analysis papers will be given in the first weeks of the
course. Each will be based on a
prompt I will give you concerning the assigned readings.
The essays must be typed and double-spaced. Research Paper You
will write a 20-30 page research paper (approx. 7,500 words) on a topic of your
choice within the general theme of the justice of American immigration practice
and policy. A significant
component of your topic must be the consideration of how religious/ethical/moral
values intersect with American immigration. See the separate handout for more
specific details on writing a research paper. Research/Draft
Deadlines Each of the following deadlines must be met.
You will lose points for late or incomplete work, or for work that is
significantly shorter or longer than the minimum/maximum requirements.
See the “Semester Schedule” below for the specific dates. ·
Topic Selection (2%) ·
Preliminary Bibliography (2%) o
Aim to include at least 10-15 sources for your research paper.
I need to see a balance of books, journal articles, and online
sources. Must be typed and in
Turabian format. Note: make sure
your sources are “scholarly”. I
also want to know the particular places where you have found those sources–put
the location in brackets after each citation i.e. in Darling/Marshburn library,
available through Link+, available through interlibrary loan, available through
EBSCOHost database, time-travel, etc. ·
Preliminary thesis and outline (3%) o
A one- to two-page typed plan that must include your “working”
thesis or research question and the particular topics you will explore in order
to answer your question/prove your thesis. o
Provide this to me and to everyone in your group at
least 24 hours before your group conference ·
First 10-page section (5%) o
This is not to be an “overview” of the entire paper, but
specific content that relates to and supports your thesis or answers your
question. o
Note: do not view these sections as “rough” or “sloppy”.
The key to good writing is rewriting, and if you give these initial
drafts your best effort i.e. if you believe these to be final draft quality, you
improve your chances of succeeding on the final version of the paper. o
Note: the first and second sections need to be “complete” in
order to receive full credit i.e. turning in a draft that is substantially below
the 10-page limit will not be considered complete. o
Provide this to me and to the person in your group doing your
peer-review at least 24 hours before
your group conference. ·
Second 10-page section (5%) o
This section is to be distinct
from your first 10 pages o
Include the hard copy of your first ten-page section that I
returned to you o
Include your first 10-page section for the sake of context for
your peer reviewer, and identify the second 10-pages clearly. o
Provide this to me and to the person in your group doing your
peer-review at least 24 hours before
your group conference. ·
Introduction and conclusion (3%) ·
Final Draft (50%) o
Submit this in a portfolio that includes all your previous work
that I have read, critiqued, and/or graded.
Do not staple together the various drafts–simply include them all in a
binder clip. o
Also include all peer
evaluations you have received–this is the only way I can verify the peer
evaluations, so if you do not turn in peer evaluations your classmates might be
penalized. Peer Critiques All
students will have the opportunity to evaluate the work of their colleagues at
the various stages of the research projects, both in small-group and entire
class settings. I will provide
different peer-review forms and instructions as the course progresses. Oral Defense At the end of the
semester, each student will present his or her paper to the rest of the class in
a 10-15 minute oral defense. I will
provide more specific directions on this defense in a later handout. GRADING
Extra‑credit
work will not be accepted for this course. Late Policy: Late papers will be penalized with a one-third grade-deduction
per class session, to a maximum of 2 full letter grades.
For example, a B paper would become a B- if one session late, a C+ if two
sessions, and so forth. Computer
problems are not a legitimate excuse for late papers.
Print extra copies of your drafts and back up your files regularly on
disk to avoid “computer panic.” Please note: I follow the 24-hour rule when handing back any
graded assignments–you must wait 24 hours before discussing with me your
grade. However, please don’t wait
until the end of the semester to talk with me about specific issues related to
your grade. The earlier you make an
appointment with me, the better your chances for improvement and success. I use the following guidelines to grade
your written assignments: I
will use the following abbreviations in grading your essays:
I will use the following guidelines to grade your written
assignments:
SEMESTER
SCHEDULE & READING ASSIGNMENTS
Week
One
Week
Two
Week Three
Week
Four
Week
Five
Week
Six
Week Seven
Week
Eight
Week
Nine
Week
Ten
Week
Eleven
Week
Twelve:
Week
Thirteen
Week Fourteen
Week
Fifteen
Instructor’s
Note A huge thank-you to David
Weeks, Chris Flannery, Rae Newstad, Tim Hagen, and Brad Hale, from whose senior
seminar syllabi I borrowed extensively. The
following instructor’s syllabi also were consulted and used in designing this
course. In some cases the language
from their syllabi was incorporated into this one. John
Putman, History 445, Dr.
Harold D. Tallant, History 470, Jo
Miller, History 100, Ralph Wilmoth,
SUPPLEMENTAL
BIBLIOGRAPHY General Barkan, Elliott |
