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The mission of the Core Program in the Liberal Arts through its developmentally related courses is to engage all College of Arts and Sciences students in a shared experience of thinking critically and integratively about perennial human concerns and their diverse cultural and historical expressions, thereby furthering the University’s mission of educating persons to lead noble lives, pursue productive careers, and become responsible citizens in a global context.

Core 122 is the second of four courses in the Core Program in the Liberal Arts and is taken in the second semester of the freshman year. Building on examples of noble lives from the first semester, this course will explore what it means to apply those lessons in the American context. In particular, students will experience what it means to be an active and responsible citizen in the modern world. Core 122’s Defining Questions: What are the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship? How have the definition and cultural meaning of citizenship changed over time? How have the economic, technological and globalizing transitions of the modern era challenged the practice of citizenship? How can we sustain and remain active American citizens in a rapidly changing and expanding society?

In Core 122, students will focus on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the American context and apply theories about citizenship to modern situations. Designed to produce informed, responsible and active citizens, this course also will expose students to a variety of readings and exercises that will encourage them to examine critically the contemporary issues facing the nation.

· By graduation, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the need for social and civic responsibility.

· By graduation, students will have engaged in community service and will be able to explain the impact of Queens’ service projects.

· By graduation, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of key American issues.

· By graduation, students will be able to understand a problem, generate ideas, and plan for solutions.

The goal of the first unit of the course is to ensure that students will understand the historical concept of modernity and be able to demonstrate an understanding of the need for social and civic responsibility in the modern world. To be active citizens, students must understand how and why the American political system was created and how early Americans understood the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. To accomplish this goal, students will learn about (1) the basic ideas that led to American independence; (2) the essential components of the American political system and how it works; and (3) the limits of American citizenship in the revolutionary era. Student success in achieving these goals will be measured by an exam at the end of the first unit and by a Citizenship Test at the end of the semester.

The goal of the second unit of the course is to ensure that students will be able to apply concepts learned in Unit One about American citizenship and civic responsibility to a modern topic. Building on the materials studied in Unit One and armed with a thorough understanding of the responsibilities of active citizenship, students will explore active citizenship and rights in specific contexts designed by their section professors. These units will last 8 weeks and will focus on one of the following topics:

Student success in achieving these goals will be measured by tests during or at the end of this unit, performance in the Citizen’s Forum, and performance on the cumulative final exam.

The professors and meeting times for the course and for Unit Two are as follows:

Professor	Unit	Section & Time	Contact Information	Email
Prof. Jennifer Easterwood	Education	015 12:00-12:50	Walker 210 Ex. 2261	easterwj@queens.edu
Prof. Araminta Johnston	Education	003, 007 9:00-9:50, 10:00-10:50	Watkins 212 Ex. 2584	johnston@queens.edu
Prof. Teneal Pardue	Education	012 11:00-11:50	Walker 06 Ex. 2566	parduet@queens.edu
Prof. Greg Pillar	Food	004 9:00-9:50	Walker 119 Ex. 2260	pillarg@queens.edu
Prof. Dorothy McGavran	Food	014 12:00-12:50	Watkins 204 Ex. 2319	mcgavrad@queens.edu
Prof. Melinda Harper	Food	006 10:00-10:50	McEwen 17 Ex. 2441	harperm@queens.edu
Prof. Jessica Braswell	Food	005 10:00-10:50	Walker 111 Ex. 2485	braswellj@queens.edu
Prof. Karen Neal	Food	012 11:00-11:50	McEwen 16 Ex. 2250	nealk@queens.edu
Prof. Suzanne Cooper-Guasco	Media	009 11:00-11:50	Watkins 203 Ex. 2490	guascosc@queens.edu
Prof. Richard Goode	Media	001 9:00-9:50	McEwen 210 Ex. 2206	gooder@queens.edu
Prof. Craig Renfroe	Media	013 12:00-12:50	McEwen 212 Ex. 2488	renfroec@queens.edu
Prof. Kent Rhodes	Environment	002 9:00-9:50	Walker 205 Ex. 2410	rhodesk@queens.edu
Prof. Emily Seelbinder	Environment	008 10:00-10:50	McEwen 214 Ex. 2381	seelbine@queens.edu
Prof. Carrie DeJaco	Environment	010 11:00-11:50	Walker 313 Ex. 2842	dejacoc@queens.edu

Through preparation for and participation in Core 122’s signature event, The Citizens’ Forum, students will improve their critical and creative thinking skills by demonstrating their ability to understand a problem, generate ideas, and plan for solutions. Students will demonstrate their success in mastering these skills by producing a research paper on one of the issues generated by the topics in Unit Two.

All readings are available in the course notebook or through Everett Library’s electronic reserve.

Additional books for the mid-semester topic units may be required. Check your professor’s topic syllabus. Buy these books at the beginning of the semester; the bookstore returns books at mid-semester.

You are expected to attend every class. It may, of course, be necessary to miss class for some unforeseen reason; therefore, each student will be allowed a total of THREE ABSENCES without penalty. We do not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences. A student who misses a class for a University-related event (athletes, choir members, etc.) may have a fourth absence without penalty. Should you exceed this limit for any reason, your final average will be reduced 1 point (on a 100 point scale) for each additional class missed. Finally, late arrival to class will count as ½ an absence.

It is YOUR responsibility to make up any work done in class or due during an absence AND to find out if any additional work was assigned for the next class meeting.

Active class participation is expected from each student. Not only are you expected to come to class, you are also expected to be well prepared for class and to participate fully and energetically. ALL CELL PHONES MUST BE OFF DURING CLASS AND NO TEXT MESSAGING WILL BE TOLERATED.

* This exam will be cumulative. Do NOT make travel plans that conflict with the final exam; no make-ups will be given.

Quizzes and other in-class assignments during the semester will be counted toward your overall "participation" grade. Individual professors will handle quizzes differently.

Your professor will use your Queens University email address for any email correspondence. Please check this address regularly.

As stated in the Honor Code Handbook, “Queens University of Charlotte is firmly committed to principles of honor and prides itself on the spirit of trust that exists among all of its members” (2). Accordingly, all of the professors at the University expect all of their students to abide by the Honor Code. Below is a selection of behaviors and activities that would be considered a violation of the University’s Honor Code:

· “Stealing and/or possessing without authorization any property or services from another person, group of people or the University” (10).

· “Unauthorized use of the computer systems, computer access codes, disks or files, or accessing restricted areas of computer services” (10).

· Disorderly conduct including “disturbing the peace, [and] disrupting lawful, orderly activities of others” (11).

· Providing false information to university officials. That is, lying to a university official, which includes professors, staff, and administrators.

· AND, particularly relevant to a course in which students must write a research paper, plagiarism.

The Queens University of Charlotte Honor Code handbook defines plagiarism as "the intentional or unintentional act of using the work and/or ideas of others without appropriate acknowledgment. Included in the act of plagiarism are failing to cite and document sources; using false citations of sources; claiming papers that have been written by others as your own; and using unintentional incorrect citations and documentation. This list is not all-inclusive, so talk with your professors if you are unsure."

Grading Policy: Your grade in the course will be based on the following factors:

Participation & Homework                                                      15%
Exam 1                                                                                   15%
Unit Two                                                                                 20%
Service Learning Project                                                          10%
Citizens Forum Project & Paper                                               20%
Final Exam                                                                              20%