Assignments

Group Presentations
You will sign up in a team for a broad general theme. Within that theme, your group together will choose a topic on which to present. You have a lot of freedom and flexibility in picking your topic as long as it is within your overall theme. The instructors can help provide guidance as well.

Questions to answer in your presentations:

1.What is the problem(s) or issue that you are focusing on? Why is this a problem or concern?

2.What is the scope of the problem or issue at the national and state level?

3.What does this issue or problem look like locally? Focus on Southern California and Orange County.

4.What is some important background or history on this issue or problem?

5.What are some important policies and/or laws and/or government organizations that address this issue? What are their roles?

6.Who are some local organizations who are working on these issues? Describe their efforts to address these issues. To learn more about local non-profits and community organizations, visit the website for the Volunteer Center of Orange County at www.oneoc.org.

Reading Reflections:
RR1: After reading campus compact, please comment on one or more of these questions:
1) Thomas Erlich (the author) declares that we cannot afford to educate a generation of students who only have knowledge with no understanding of how to use that knowledge to help the community.  What do you think about this statement?  How does it relate to what you learned about Kolb’s model of experiential learning?
2)  What role do you think organizations like the Carnegie foundation should have in setting goals for universities across the country?
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community?  What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?

RR2: You have now read about how community partners select service learners, and you have been discussing in class what you are looking for in a service learning site. How do these criteria fit together? In what ways might they conflict? Do the criteria community partners use to choose you make it easier, harder, better, worse, etc. for you to find a good site? How well do the criteria the authors present match what you have seen at your site for those who have been to their sites? Answer one or many of these questions twelve hours before class starts Thursday. Try to be thoughtful but also concise.

RR3: Describe one thing you learned from your readings (about presentations) and how you could have benefited from it in the past… be specific in your story about the past and in your connection to the reading.

RR4: What do you think your responsibilities are as a citizen of Southern California, the US, or even the world with environmental sustainability? How did the reading help you formulate your thoughts? What would you take from the reading specifically to change your own actions/behaviors or those of others?

RR5: Physicians and attorneys are both highly paid professionals. Relate what you learn about Dokte Paul in the first bits of your reading to the kinds of things Anna Davis talked about in class in relation to pro bono and community-based law work.

RR6: As you have read more about Paul Farmer’s travels, what do you think are the biggest strengths he and his team bring to their work? What are their biggest challenges? Relate this to the speakers you have had in class, as many of them have described similar situations.

RR7: How would you relate the kind of work that Paul Farmer is doing in Haiti with what Dr. Chen and Dr. Noymer are doing here at home? what about in the Philipines? Are we doing what we can and should be or are there things you think we should be doing or should not be doing to help with health disparities worldwide and at home?

RR8: Compare Crabtree’s comments about international service learning with Paul Farmer and his team’s experiences.

Service Learning Reflections:

SL1: How did you choose your site? What do you expect to gain from working at this site this quarter? How did your first meeting and service activities go? What is the most surprising thing that happened?

SL2: How is what you are learning at your site like what you expected… or quite different?

SL3: Pick a key concept we have addressed in class (social capital, structural discrimination, cultural competence, etc.). Analyze how your experience at your service learning site expands your understanding of this concept. For example, does it help you understand the concept better? If so, how?  Does it challenge how this concept was characterized in readings and/or class discussion? If so, how?

SL4:  What happened to you during your service-learning placement? What was especially meaningful or important, in terms of your own learning? How are you poised to leave this experience?

What is especially compelling for you to do next as a person, learner, or community member? (This could be tied to an issue or group you want to investigate, strategies for advancing your own skills and knowledge, etc.)

Opportunities for Bonus Points:

These will be announced periodically in class.

Policies

Dropping the Course

This course includes a service-learning project with a local non-profit organization and also a group presentation. To support mutual responsibility within and outside the class, no drops are permitted after the end of week 2. Please do NOT come to talk to me about trying to drop this class after that time. It will only be an uncomfortable situation for us both, and in the end, the policy is firm.

Grading

Class Participation (14 points) 

By actively participating in class you can develop your professional skills for design. Here are some examples of how you can participate:

1. Treat all with respect – be constructive in all discussions
2. Come to class prepared – read carefully prior to class meetings and post reading reflections on time
3. Be an active listener – be attentive, be engaged, use in-class technology with discretion
4. Ask challenging questions
5. Comment, build on, or clarify others’ contributions
6. Post useful or interesting information to the class discussion list or the class website

If you would like, you may submit an optional 2-3 paragraph personal statement on how you contributed to the class. If you submit a statement, it is due on the day that would be the final exam: December 10 via EEE Dropbox.

Quality of Written Assignments 

Reports should be well organized, thoroughly proofread, and free from grammatical errors. Each assignment will have “quality of written assignments” as a graded component worth at least 10%. If English is not your first language, I recommend you check out the UCI writing center at http://www.writing.uci.edu/writingcenter.html

In addition to the above recommendations, all assignments should include the following information:

 Your name and e-mail address
 US 10 Fall 2013
 Assignment number and name (e.g., Service Learning Reflection One)

Service learning (14 points)

This course has a significant service-learning component.  Service-learning involves students in community service as a context for critical analysis and learning tied to course material, to facilitate student learning, personal and social growth, and civic responsibility.

Students are required to participate in a service-learning project. Arrangements have already been made with some pre-selected sites for students who do not have access to other sites.  Students may also identify their own sites with professor approval.  I encourage students to continue service at sites they already know, but you may not double count hours for the class you are doing for some other purpose.  In all cases, the students and the site contact must sign a contract for the service learning and return it to the professor by the end of the third week of classes.

The service experience must include 15 hours of service over at least two weeks (e.g., you cannot do all 15 hours in one weekend, but you could do 5 hours a week for three weeks, 3 hours a week for 5 weeks, etc.). The community organization will be depending upon you to fulfill this responsibility.

Signing up.  
Those who have already agreed are described on our class web site—including the site’s mission, location, hours, requirements, and what the service-learning placement would involve.  You can sign up for sites by contacting the primary site contact.

Some service-learning placements will require you to complete applications.  These may be on line on the site’s web page, or you may receive the application during your first visit to the site.  Other sites require Live Scan screening (to check for criminal records) and/or TB testing.  See the list of service-learning placements for requirements for each site.  Also see instructions for Live Scan screening and TB testing.  These are all available on our class web site.

Transportation to your site.  An essential aspect of this class is getting students involved in communities outside of campus.  An effort was made to include service-learning sites within the city of Irvine, but most sites are not within walking or easy bicycling distance.  For students without cars, information on the UCI zip car program and on the Orange County bus system is available on the class web site.  Please plan for transit time in schedule your hours at your service-learning site.

Keeping track of hours.  Use the service-learning time log (it will be available on our class web site) to keep track of your service-learning hours each week.  You will be asked to submit your completed time log at the end of the course.

Timeline:
After first class
Review service-learning placements
Sign up for service-learning placements… some sites fill quickly. So, you will want to get on this rapidly.

Week 1

• Complete and submit applications, screening requirements required by the site
• Contact the site contact and arrange for a date to meet (before the deadline for having your service learning agreement signed!!!!)

Weeks  2 -4

• Meet your site contact
• Have the site contact sign the service-learning agreement (on our class web site).  Please give a copy of the agreement to your site supervisor and a copy to the professor 

Weeks 3 – 9

• Conduct service-learning placement at your site.
• Submit reflections on your service learning as instructed by the schedule online

Week 10

• Submit completed service-learning time log in class

Service Learning Reflections

Students are required to submit reflections on their service-learning experiences in response to questions provided.  These reflections provide an essential opportunity for you to transform your “service” experience into “learning.”  You will do this through critical analysis of your experiences, integration of your experiences on site with class concepts and information, and through connection of your service-learning experience to larger issues such as the political, economic, and sociological characteristics of communities.

Reflections should preferably be typed and double-spaced, and should include your name and date. Reflection questions will be turned in to the instructor at the beginning of the class when they are due.  Reflections will be evaluated based on their thoughtfulness and their thoroughness in addressing the reflection question(s).  There is no required page limit for reflections; however, longer entries will not necessarily be evaluated more positively.  One page should generally be sufficient to address the question.  The key is the quality of your reflection rather than the length.  No reflection questions will be accepted after the beginning of class on the due date. These will be submitted through EEE just as the reading reflections (below). Please submit them to the appropriate EEE dropbox BEFORE THE START OF CLASS ON THE DAY THEY ARE DUE.

Reading Reflections
There will be substantial discussion in this class. To prepare you for that discussion, you will write reading reflections based on questions posed by the professor on the assigned readings. These should be short (a paragraph or two) and turned in via EEE AT LEAST 12 HOURS BEFORE CLASS!!!! They will not be accepted on paper. Online only please.

Group Presentation
Students will work in teams to prepare group oral presentations papers tied to one set of social and/or environmental issues discussed in class.  Group presentations will offer an overview of key issues to be discussed in class, focusing on how those issues are playing out locally.  Presentations will discuss the scope, background, and consequences of the issues and will focus on strategies for addressing these issues.  You will choose your own groups and sign up in class.

Service Learning Sites:
With instructor approval, you can propose your own service learning site. Otherwise, please use one of the following:

New Vista School
23092 Mill Creek Drive
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Contact: Nancy Donnelly, Executive Director
Website: http://www.newvistaschool.org
ndonnelly AT newvistaschool.org or 949 455-1270
Opportunities: Help at lunch during sports club and other lunch clubs with instruction from the social skills staff as to what to do and where to go. This could be every day for 1.5 hours until they fulfill their time.
We might have other activities as well if lunchtime is not a good time. If someone is interested in the school they can contact me, and we can discuss this and go from there.
Other important information: You will need to get fingerprinted, but it is close to the school, and the school will pay.
No limit on the number of students who can get involved.

Regents Point
19191 Harvard Ave Irvine, CA 92612
Contact: Rosario Bechelian
Social Services Designee II
Website: http://www.thebegroup.org/communities/regents-point
Rosario.Bechelian AT thebegroup DOT org or (949) 509 – 2243
Opportunities: You can help out in either the skilled nursing home (largely bed or wheelchair bound elders) or with more active seniors as your interests fit. You will need to take a LiveScan test (they will pay) and bring a copy of your TB test from your health provider or student health.
You will need to be interviewed by Rosario for about 45 minutes.
No limit on the number of students who can get involved. They can take up to 4 to 5 in any given day. They typically need help 9 to 11:30 or 1:30 to 5. Occasionally, they need help in the evenings as well.

Second Harvest Food Bank
8014 Marine Way | Irvine, CA 92618
Contact: Kelly King
Website: http://feedoc.org
e: kelly @ feedoc . org
t: 949-653-2900 x 168 | f: 949-653-0700
They can take volunteers Monday through Friday 8AM to 4PM
No limit on the number of students who can get involved.

Orange County FoodBank
Contact: Mark Lowry
Contact Phone Number: (714) 897-6670 ext. 3601
Contact email: mlowry @ capoc .org
Website: http://www.capoc.org
Site limit: 3 or 4 students

Free Wheelchair Mission
Contact: Ariel Rigney, Project and Event Manager
Contact information: arigney @ freewheelchairmission.org
Location: 15279 Alton Parkway, Suite 300, CA 92618
Website: www.freewheelchairmission.org / www.runformobility.org
Service days/hours: Weekdays 9 to 5. Select weekends possible if available.
Application/screening required? No
Number of students: No limit
Organization mission: Free Wheelchair Mission is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for free to impoverished disabled individuals in developing nations. Partnering with a vast network of humanitarian, government, and social groups across the world, FWM has distributed 700,000 wheelchairs to over 87 countries to date. Wheelchairs are produced overseas in order to keep costs low, and are then shipped directly to recipient countries and then distributed for free to recipients in need. FWM is headquartered in Irvine, and provides administrative, logistical, and fundraising support for our international operations.
Service learning opportunity: Students will assist with marketing, communications, event planning, and general fundraising campaign support based around our annual Run for Mobility campaign. This campaign is a partnership with the Huntington Beach Surf City USA® Marathon. Opportunities include community education and outreach, online communications, office administrative support, and expo event staffing on select weekends. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required. Orientation is provided.

Center for Living Peace
Contact: Volunteer coordinator, Sterling
Website: http://www.goodhappens.org
Phone #: 949-854-5500 or email: contact@goodhappens.org
4139 Campus Dr Irvine, CA 92612
They ONLY take students for commitments of 4 months or more at 4 to 5 hours per week. So, this is a good choice if you know you want to stay with them for your internship.

More sites still being recruited

OTHER POLICIES

Late Assignments
You can turn in your assignments up to two days late for half-credit. Later than that, and no credit.

Extra Credit
I may occasionally give out extra credit. If you don’t get this, don’t worry, you can still theoretically get 100% in the class without extra credit. Extra credit will be given out entirely at the instructor’s discretion and almost always in class, which is to say you must be present to earn it.

Attendance
Students are expected to attend all lectures on time. I understand that things happen in life. You may need to miss class from time to time, though you should do everything in your power to avoid it. It is your responsibility to make up the content by meeting with other members of the class. If you make a habit of missing class, it will reflect in your participation grade. I do not want to talk with you about your excuses for missing class, because a small number of missed classes is acceptable with no explanation, and a large number is not acceptable regardless of the explanation.

Contacting the Instructor 
You are welcome to give me feedback about the course, to ask a question about an assignment, to share an interesting article or resource, to request additional time for an assignment (because of significant health, personal, or educational matter), or similar communication. Please note the following guidelines:

 Email or before/after class are the preferred and most reliable methods of contact. Please include US10 in the subject line of all emails.
 Whenever appropriate, please copy the class listserv with your question or comment
 E-mail concerning assignments might not be replied to if it is sent within 36 hours of an assignment due date
 If your question concerns your grade, please follow the re-grading policy (see below)
 E-mail that is sent on Friday afternoon or over the weekend it is not likely to be replied to until Monday or Tuesday of the following week
 If you don’t receive a reply within 2 days or so, please resend your e-mail or ask about it during class

Re-grading Policy 

To have work re-graded, you must submit a Re-grade Request within one week of when your work was returned. The request must be a single page, printed on paper or sent by e-mail. It should contain the following information:

 Re-grade Request
 Your name, email address, date the original assignment was due, date you are turning this in.
 An explanation for why you believe you deserve a higher grade.

The instructor will consider your request. If the instructor is convinced by your argument, your work will be re-graded. If not, the instructor will send you an e-mail explaining why. No re-grades will be considered for late work.

Accommodations:


If you are a student with a disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) and think that you might need special assistance or a special accommodation in this class or any other class, please check out the Disability Center online or visit them in person at
100 Disability Services Center, Building 313
Irvine, CA 92697-5130

Counseling Center:


If you find that personal problems, career indecision, study and time management difficulties, etc. are adversely impacting your successful progress at UCI, please check out the Counseling Center online or in person at 203 student services 1.

Technology Requirements:


You need access to a personal computer (Mac or Windows) for major amounts of time for this course. You need Internet access for this course. You must be able to save word processing files in a .doc or .docx (Microsoft Word) or .pdf format for sharing and submitting files to the instructor. You are expected to have working knowledge and capability with your computer before entering this class.
Please submit all papers and materials (unless otherwise noted in the course schedule) through EEE/TurnItIn.com online. NO ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED BY EMAIL. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Class information and announcements will be communicated through EEE and through your UCI email address. To access EEE, you will need your UCI Net ID and password. If you do not know these, please contact OIT.

Plagiarism & Cheating:


Please read and heed the following information regarding academic dishonesty. The instructor cannot and will not tolerate academic dishonesty. For more information, refer to the UCI Student Handbook. The UCI campus policy on plagiarism can also be found on the Registrar’s website, under “Academic Honesty Policy”.

In assignments that involve a group you will ALL be held EQUALLY responsible for any plagiarism, regardless of who actually wrote what in the paper/presentation. So do not come to me claiming that your partner was the one who actually plagiarized. You are responsible for content with your name on it.
 Everything you turn in WILL BE CHECKED FOR PLAGIARISM. The penalty for plagiarism and cheating is at a minimum to receive a 0 on the assignment and have the case reported to the Dean of Undergraduate Education office. Particularly flagrant cases may receive more severe punishment (notably failing the course).

I can not emphasize to you enough how strongly I feel about plagiarism and cheating. It will NOT be tolerated.
If you have any questions, please come to me and ask. It is much better to ask before than to be caught after.

What is cheating?


–       Supplying or using work or answers not your own.
–       Providing or accepting assistance with completing assignments or examinations.
–       Interfering in any way with someone else’s work.
–       Stealing an examination, solution, paper topic, etc. from the teacher.

What is plagiarism?
–       Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgment.
–       Buying a paper from a research service or term paper mill.
–       Turning in another student’s work with or without that student’s knowledge.
–       Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgment.
–       Copying materials from a source text, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks.
–       Paraphrasing materials from a source text without appropriate documentation.
–       Turning in a paper from a term paper website.

You should be EVER WATCHFUL about plagiarism. It can creep up in the strangest and most unexpected places, and I will be on guard at all times in search of it. In academia, the only thing we have is our ideas. If you do not respect other people’s ideas, you can not be a successful, moral, and ethical academic.

Generally, when you use ideas and/or words gathered from some other source, you will either quote that source directly or you will paraphrase or summarize that work. You MUST let the reader know which you are doing.

1. If you quote the source directly, you must

a. put quotation marks before and after that person’s words;
b. let the reader know the source by (1) putting a footnote or endnote number at the end of the quotation, or (2) putting at least the source’s name in parentheses after the quotation marks (such as when being taken from fieldwork).

2. If you paraphrase (a paraphrase is about the same length as the original, but in different words) or if you summarize (a summary is a severely shortened version of the original), you must
a. introduce the source in some manner at the beginning of the passage being paraphrased (or summarized) so that the reader can tell where your idea stops and the other person’s begins;
b. state the ideas taken from the source in your own words and your own arrangement. It is possible to plagiarize sentence patterns as well as exact words.

****A useful rule to check every time you paraphrase or summarize: if, when you are summarizing, you use more than three words in in a row from the source materials, you should think about using quotations around those words. This is not a bad thing. You want to use the quotes!
b. provide the exact source citation/reference for the ideas that you are summarizing. In formal writing, you can do this with a footnote, endnote, or other formal reference. In less formal writing, you can mark it inline or as a note at the end of your writing. Either way, make sure the reader knows where to find the source and gives proper credit to the original author.

3. You must also provide a footnote, endnote, or reference for ANY chart, graph, figure, table, summary, or other data taken directly from another source as well as anything that you state in text that comes from such a visual reference. You should also be sure to check copyright to determine whether you are even allowed to use this figure in the first place. Google and Flickr both have advanced search engines that allow you to only find images that are allowed to be used (typically with attribution through Creative Commons or another similar body).

For example, the text here on plagiarism has been generously borrowed and slightly modified from the UTC Center for Advisement and Student Success. Likewise, the course materials have been replicated over the years from my own previous courses as well as from Kris Day, who originally designed this course. Her contributions to these materials are incredibly appreciated.