The Core Program in the Liberal Arts at Queens University consists of five required courses, taken in sequence from the Freshman year through the Senior year. The unofficial motto of the program is "only connect," and all the semesters work very hard to make connections between the texts we read, the events and ideas we study, and the real lives of all of us who wish to live thoughtfully and actively in the 21st century.

The CORE Program is inspired by Socrates' famous comment that "for human beings, the unexamined life is not worth living." The Core Program is concerned above all with LIVING, and not just knowing. That is why the program vigorously and constantly insists on relating what we do in the classroom to the way we act and live both inside and outside the classroom. This is why the Core program is a very "hands- on" program that stresses highly active teaching and learning. The Core Program agrees that it is the unexamined life that is not worth living, and this is why the Core program insists on serious, systematic, critical thinking about ourselves and the world we live in.

Core 110 --"The Ancients" -- and Core 120 --"The Moderns" are specifically designed to complement one another and to explore the same fundamental questions about what constitutes a "good person," a "good life," and a "good society." But if each course asks the same questions, the answers that each provides will necessarily have a different emphasis because of the deep differences between the "ancient world" and the "modern world." We will try to identify the nature of at least some of those differences, as we move from a world rooted in religious traditions and communal values to a world that is characterized by scientific thinking and individual striving for self-interest and self-expression. We will consider the challenge we modern people face -- to create good lives and good communities in a culture inhabited by individualists adapting to rapidly changing and often challenging environments.

                                                                                      Core 120 -- The Moderns

Core 120 focuses on four important forces that impact the modern western world and the individuals who live in it: politics and economics, particularly democracy and the market economy; science and technology; aesthetic issues inspired by art; and the modern media. These forces are not separate entities: they influence each other in a multitude of ways, and often several of them can be discerned simultaneously in contemporary events and attitudes. Moreover, these forces are so much a part of our modern lives that we may take them for granted, and we may forget the power we have to channel them and effect change.

During your lifetime, you will have many opportunities to make choices, as an individual thinking mostly of your own interests and as a member of various communities, and it will be important for you to be able to see clearly and think critically about the world in which you live. Therefore, Core 120 will focus on specific contemporary issues that reflect these important modern forces -- issues that both reveal who we are as moderns and that will continue to be a part of your life for some time to come.

Core 120 meets four times each week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (class does not meet on Thursdays). There is a room for the MWF meetings and a second classroom for when we meet in sections on Tuesdays. Generally, Tuesday classes meet (or begin) in the Auditorium in the Sykes Learning Center.

You are expected to attend every class. If you arrive late for a class, you may be counted absent for that day.

Should you miss class for some reason, it is your responsibility to find out what was missed and turn in any assignments as required by your instructor. You may miss FOUR classes without penalty. Should you exceed this limit for any reason, your final course average will be reduced by one point for each extra absence. Should an extended absence be necessary, speak with your instructor.

Save your excused absences for emergencies. It would be foolish to use your "cuts" in the first weeks of class, and then discover later that you really do need to miss class for some reason. It would be foolish indeed to do poorly in this class because you failed to attend class meetings.

DO NOT make travel plans before determining what your class responsibilities are; in particular do not schedule travel that conflicts with examinations. You are expected to take examinations WHEN THEY ARE SCHEDULED. If you do not take the examination as scheduled you will receive a "zero" for that examination.

Ill. Work.

You need to be aware that this course is based on the assumption that no good harvest ever comes without very hard work. Entertainment is NOT the purpose of this class. To the contrary, you should expect to work very hard each day. If you do work hard, you will discover that the fruits of your labor are valuable indeed; you will discover too that those fruits simply are unobtainable without disciplined and committed work.

You should expect roughly 3 hours of homework - reading, marking your text, answering study questions, writing, or other assignments for each class.

All of us in Core 120 are expected to behave in a courteous and professional manner at all times. Details matter. Courtesy, civility, and even-temperedness are among the qualities we prize. Thoughtless, rude, or obnoxious behavior of any sort is simply unacceptable. Punctuality is important; late arrivals disturb a class already in session. Classes begin on time and you should be in class and ready to participate when classes begins. Being late is the same thing as being absent; if you arrive late for a class, you may be counted as absent for that day.

Because this is a course that emphasizes discussion, your participation grade for the semester will be seriously affected if you:

            You will need to purchase the following texts at the Queens bookstore:

                    Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed. New York: Henry Holt, 2001.

                    DeLillo, Don. White Noise.  New York: Penguin Viking Critical Edition, 1998.

All other course materials, including the syllabus, can be found on the Queens University website. To access them, go to the Queens website, go to "academics," go to "The Core Program," click on "Core 120," and then click on "Core Syllabus Spring 2003." Most readings can be accessed by simply clicking on the  blue web address on the syllabus. Check the Core 120 site often. Assignments are subject to change.

Because most readings (except for the textbooks and handouts) are on-line or electronically accessed, make sure you have reliable access to computers (available several places on campus), and also plan ahead by forming a support group with friends in the event that you have difficulty accessing a reading. Unless otherwise directed by your professor, print all readings and bring them to class on the date due.

Occasionally, other materials may be made available as in-class handouts and Library Reserve Readings (available in Everett Library).

We will use a variety of methods to evaluate your performance in CORE 120.

Participation: 15% of your final grade will be based on your class participation and your homework. Core 120 is an interactive "hands -on experience", which means you are expected to participate actively in class discussions and projects. To participate actively, of course, you must be prepared for each class. Your instructor may use "pop quizzes," in-class writing assignments, and other instruments to gauge your overall preparation for and participation in class.

Homework: One key of your preparations for class (and part of your participation grade) will be your completion of assigned homework. Your homework will take a variety of forms. You may have reading questions for reading assignments. These will direct your attention to key points in the text and help you mark your text with notes in preparation for the next day's discussion. You will also have discussion topics to consider that connect the text you are reading with the larger issues of the course. These will often form the basis of class discussion and you should think about them before each class. On occasion you will be given a writing assignment which may ask you to produce a written response to some of the reading questions or discussion topics. Keep all completed writing assignments in your three ring binder course notebook.

HOMEWORK IS DUE IN CLASS ON THE DATE ASSIGNED. Instructors will review written homework frequently, and mark it with a "check" system indicating that it was successfully completed (some instructors may add a"+" or a "-" to their check. At the end of the term, instructors will compare the total number of homework assignments to the number of assignments each student has completed, and use this ratio as a key indicator in calculating a participation/homework grade for the course.

Be sure that each homework assignment is dated and done on a clean page.

You will have in-class QUIZZES as noted in the daily assignments, which are designed to measure your mastery of assigned materials. These quizzes may be objective (multiple-choice, fill in the blank, identification, etc.), or analytical (asking for written responses). They will be administered at the beginning of class. Anyone arriving late will be ineligible to take the test. There will be no make-up tests. A test missed for any reason will be counted as a "zero." The 2 lowest scores will be dropped; the average of the remaining tests will count 15% of your final grade. If you miss a test because you must participate in a bona fide school-sponsored activity, the missed test will be counted as one of the dropped scores. If you must miss more than 2 such activities, then your average will be based on the number of quizzes taken. If you are unsure if an activity qualifies you to miss a quiz, then you must check with your instructor no later than the class before the quiz. Note that it is to your advantage to take as many of the quizzes as possible so that you may have the opportunity to drop the lowest scores, and thus improve your chances of a better grade.

There will be two major tests during the semester and a final examination. The dates of these tests are listed on the syllabus. Please note that tests may be scheduled for the entire block of time on a Tuesday OR take place over 2 days - one day spent on objective answers and a second day for essay questions. You are expected to take each examination when it is offered. Normally, no make-ups for examinations are allowed. An examination not taken for any reason other than serious personal illness or a major family emergency will be counted as a "zero." Excuses for absences fall under the Queens College Honor Code. The day and time of the final exam will be announced later in the semester. The final exam in CORE 120 will be cumulative; that is, it will cover material from the beginning to the end of the semester.

X. Grades. Your final course grade will be computed as follows:

            Class Participation and Homework                         15%
            Quizzes                                                                  15%
            Tests                                                                      20% each
            Final Exam                                                             30%

The grading scale for CORE 120 is as follows: