General Studies (GNST) 201 - Lecture 02
Journeying Into Myth: Understanding Others Through Understanding Ourselves
Fall 2006
Tuesday and Thursday 1100-1215  

Instructor:	Dr. Margo Husby Scheelar
Office Location:	SS 310
Office Phone:	220-4846
E-Mail:	husby@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:
Office Hours:	by appointment

Course Description

This course will examine the meaning of the myths that shape our ways of making sense of our world. This will open the door for a greater understanding of people from different cultures and different time periods.

Objectives of the Course

1) To have students identify their own interpretive lenses;

2) To have students identify some of the dominant interpretive lenses of Western civilization;

3) To have students identify points of connection and disconnection with the interpretive lenses of other people and other cultures;

4) To familiarize students with research resources on campus;

5) To help students grow in their research, writing and presentation skills.

Textbooks and Readings:

Keen, Sam and Anne Valley-Fox (1973,1989) "Your Mythic Journey". Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.

Assignments and Evaluation

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS IN ORDER TO PASS THE COURSE.

In class participation: 15%

Assignment 1: 15% (due September 28)

Assignment 2: 15% (due October 5)

Presentation: 20% (beginning October 17)

Paper based on presentation: 25% (beginning October 24)

Final quiz: 10% (on APA & MLS)

NOTE: E-mailed assignments or those placed in digital drop boxes will not be accepted; hard-copy only. Please hand assignments directly to the instructor. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination: No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement

Good communication skills are essential. Grammar, spelling and formatting abilities may not be accurate measurements of intellectual depth but errors are distractions at best and, unfortunately, communicate laziness and sloppiness.

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you wish help with your writing at any stage, including drafts, you are invited to contact the Writing Centre, SS110, 220-7255.

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+/A (4.0); A- (3.7); B+ (3.3); B (3.0); B- (2.7); C+ (2.3);
C (2.0); C- (1.7); D+ (1.3); D (1.0); F (0)

 

Plagiarism

ALL WORK SUBMITTED WITH BE READ WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT STUDENTS HAVE READ AND TAKEN THIS SECTION TO HEART.

Academic integrity is the cornerstone of genuine learning. For this reason, I have a policy of zero tolerance of plagiarism or cheating on exams.

Plagiarism is the ultimate denial of one’s own intellect, the ultimate academic betrayal of self, the ultimate academic cowardice. There is no excuse for plagiarism. You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people’s words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

The penalty for plagiarism is an automatic F in the course and the potential for suspension or expulsion. The explanation of plagiarism is included in this course outline and students will be held responsible for knowing the information contained therein; ignorance will not be considered an acceptable excuse. Consider the development of citation skills to be something you must have in order to pass the course. The Effective Writing office has handouts on MLA and APA standards, either of which is acceptable in this course.

The University Calendar describes plagiarism as follows:

Essentially plagiarism involves submitting or presenting work in a course as if it were the student’s own work done expressly for that particular course when, in fact, it is not. Most commonly, plagiarism exists when: (a) the work submitted or presented was done, in whole or in part, by an individual other than the one submitting or presenting the work (this includes having another impersonate the student or otherwise substituting the work of another for one’s own in an examination or test); (b) parts of the work are taken from another source without reference to the original author; (c) the whole work (e.g. an essay) is copied from another source, [including the internet]; and/or (d) a student submits or presents work in one course which has also been submitted in another course (although it may be completely original with that student) without the knowledge of or prior agreement of the instructor involved. While it is recognized that scholarly work often involves reference to the ideas, data and conclusions of other scholars, intellectual honesty requires that such references be explicitly and clearly noted. Plagiarism is an extremely serious academic offence. (http://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/How/HOW_LB.htm, emphasis mine)

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS110) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Additional Information

I also have a zero tolerance policy re any type of non-academic misconduct, including but not limited to abuse or harassment of students or faculty. Genuine learning can only take place when everyone feels safe and is safe. Mutual respect is possible even when we strongly disagree with each other: attacking issues is acceptable; attacking each other is not. Questioning and even disagreeing with how an exam or assignment has been graded is acceptable; insulting, threatening or stalking faculty members is not. Appropriate appeals procedures are outlined in the Calendar.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

To be posted on Blackboard.