LAST 301 B27
Field school in Latin American Studies
Spring 2008
Course offered May 14 - June 29^th in Ciudad Guzmán, Mexico

Instructor:	Emily Gillen Ballou
Office Location:	CHD317
Office Phone:	220-5296
E-Mail:	eballou@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	http://fis.ucalgary.ca/people
Office Hours:	By appt

Course Description

An experiential learning course, designed to provide a framework for the student's empirical learning experience during the Latin American Studies Field School. Provides a forum for the sharing of cross-cultural experiences among the students, as they analyze and reflect on the realities of life in Latin America. Students will be expected to live with a local family during the Field School, to take an active part in discussions, and to participate in events and field trips.

 

Objectives of the Course

See above.

Textbooks and Readings:

Some readings will be distributed at the beginning of the course.

Assignments and Evaluation

Writing assignments (journal)                                               50%

Class participation                                                      50%

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  NO

There is no final exam for this course.

 

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

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 need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

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

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

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.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

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/su

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see

The Faculty of Communication and Culture Research Ethics site: http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/ethics

or the University of Calgary Research Ethics site: http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/compliance/ethics/info/undergrad/

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

Hand-outs on general information about Mexico distributed before course begins.