POLS 381—Democracy & Citizenship

POLS 382—Public Achievement

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Term: Spring, 2005

Instructor: Tony Filipovitch, 106d Morris Hall, (507) 389-5035, 388-2264 (home)

Office Hours: My office hours are posted here

NOTE: Supporting material for this course is available from MSU’s D2L site. Links to ACT Forms and Mini Grant forms are here, too.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSES

1. Motivation: Students should develop an increased sense of civic responsibility and want to be more involved in public activity.

2. Empowerment: Students should feel more powerful and effective. They should become more optimistic about their potential to influence public events.

3. Skill: Students should improve their political skills and be more able to influence public affairs.

4. Understanding: Students should better understand and appreciate democracy and related concepts.

BOOKS TO PURCHASE

Gastill, John. 1993. Democracy in Small Groups. Philadelphia, PA: New Society.

Morse, Suzanne. 2004. Smart Communities. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

GRADING

You will receive a separate grade for POLS 381 and for POLS 382.

Grades will likely follow these percentages of the total points.

A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60 - 69 F = below 60

REQUIREMENTS

Pols 381 Democracy & Citizenship	Points	Pols 382 Public Achievement	Points
Class Attendance & Participation 10 pts for Participation 10 pts. for Communication 15 pts. for Group Participation/Teamwork	35	Attendance at 15 DMMS Events (14 PA Team Meetings + 1 other)	75
Assignment 1—Classroom Discipline Plan	25	Good PA Coaching Practice	50
Assignment 2—Power Point Presentation	25	13 PA Reports in Journal	65
Journal Assignments (10 @ 1.5)	15	Email Paragraph on team	10
TOTALS	100		200

RELEVANT TO BOTH COURSES

PAIRED COURSES

You cannot take Pols 381 without simultaneously taking Pols 382.

JOURNAL WRITING

Each course requires writing assignments which you are to combine in a journal.

We will divide the class into two groups with different due dates for the first collection.

Required Details:

· All writing assignments should be typed/word processed.

· Write your name clearly on the front cover. If you use a dark color binder your name must be easily legible.

· Only the type of journal binder shown by the professor will be accepted.

· Pages must be bound together. No loose pages accepted.

· Reading Summaries and PA Reports should be separated by a divider.

· Each piece of writing should be labeled, noting the date completed, whether the entry is for PA or DC, and the title of the entry (Session # for PA, week’s topic for DC)

· Length: Write a minimum of 600 words (one page single spaced, two pages double spaced) for each Reading Summary and PA Report.

· Include the Journal Cover Sheet as the first page of your journal.

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Pols 381 Democracy & Citizenship

CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION

All students should come to class and try to join in discussion. I will keep a record noting not just attendance, but also participation and teamwork. Informed discussion of the readings in class will be particularly noted.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

Assignment 1—Classroom Discipline Plan (25 pts.)

1. Using the resources available in the course and online create a classroom discipline plan that reflects your skills and personality. Your plan should reflect not only your academic skills but also the skills, beliefs, goals, and personality that make you a whole and unique person.

2. The majority of the grade for this assignment will be determined by evidence of effort, but attention should be paid to the details and professional appearance and construction. Your Peer Group will aid you in this endeavor and you will aid your Peer Group.

3. Your class Peer Group also serves as your Peer Edit Group; your peers will provide you positive feedback to help you focus your thoughts and produce a better product. Your Peer Edit Group will not grade your product nor will their comments influence your grade, but you should use them as a resource to produce a better product. You will also Peer Edit the plans of your Peer Edit Group.

4. There is no required format for your plan; it may be a bulleted list, a checklist, a report form or prose, depending on your personal preference and style. There are many public domain examples and samples of discipline plans on the internet – explore! The focus of this assignment is not format; it is your reaction and reflection on discipline in a classroom setting. Your plan must be at least 2 typed pages (12 font, Arial or courier font, double spaced) and must address how you will manage and/or positively influence:
1. Disruptive students
2. Non-participative students
3. Bored students or students who have lost focus after a prolonged break

5. Your plan must also be peer reviewed from your Peer Group using this rubric:

	Many Problems	Some Problems	Few Problems	Nearly Perfect
Typos/ Misspellings
Addresses Topic Areas
Clear and Concise
Easy To Read
Appropriate # Pages

PEER REVIEWERS MUST INITIAL THIS RUBRIC IN EACH REVIEWED AREA

Write comments on the paper itself and on the back of this form

6. When your plan has been written, peer reviewed and revised, attach the draft and this completed Peer Review Rubric to the finished plan. These three documents constitute the final first assignment submission.
7. Be prepared to give a brief (2-3 minutes) overview of your plan highlights /reaction at the offsite discipline plan forum – this is an opportunity to both share and learn!

Assignment 2—Power Point Presentation (25 pts.)

1. Using the resources available in the course and online create a PowerPoint presentation that reflects the skills, achievements and personality of your Peer Group.

2. The presentation must be at least 7 slides in length but not more than 10 minutes in presentation time and should include:

1. Concerns felt at the start of the course and how those concerns were resolved
2. What the group learned about itself as a result of the course
3. Specific examples of how the group members feel more prepared to excel
4. Examples of new skills the group members feel they gained through the process
5. An overview of the job types each group member will pursue

3. The majority of the grade for this assignment will be determined by the completeness of your presentation, but attention should be paid to the details, aesthetics and professional appearance and construction, as well as the professionalism (spoken, dress, etc) exhibited during the presentation by the group members.

4. Above all, your presentation should reflect the unique personality of your peer group and the insights you gained by going through this process. Have fun with this assignment and let your talents shine!

5. Your presentation will be graded based on this rubric:

	Many Problems	Some Problems	Few Problems	Nearly Perfect
CONTENT
Typos
Relevant Material
Misspellings
Addresses Topic Areas
Clear and Concise
Holds Reader Interest
APPEARANCE
Creative/Unique
Easy To Read
Attractive Appearance
Appears Professional
PRESENTERS
Smooth and Polished
Articulate Presenters
Confident
Well Groomed

Journal Assignments (10 @ 1.5 pts. each)

1. Based on your experiences and reactions to your mentor group work, write a journal in class each week. While there are 11 opportunities for completing journal entries, only 10 are required and only 10 will be graded.

2. Your journal should reflect not only your perceptions and what you taught or assisted in teaching/providing, but your synthesis of what you have learned as a result of the experience in class. This assignment is designed to help you focus, crystallize and distill your experiences to make them more meaningful for you.

3. The grade for this assignment will be determined by the effort, completeness and reflection of your journals – there is no minimum amount of verbiage required of each entry. What is required is that you look into yourself and weigh the decisions and actions you made and ask yourself two simple questions: “Did the experience turn out as I thought it would?” and “What would I have done differently?”

4. While the grade is based on your effort, attention should be paid to the details and professional appearance and construction. This is your journal; it is a reflection of your skills, personality and your pride in who and what you do.

Pols 382 Public Achievement

ATTENDANCE AT TEN DMMS EVENTS

You must attend and participate in the 14 PA Meetings, unless excused. You must be on time and prepared for your PA meetings. You must let the professor know as soon as possible if you must be absent. Absences happen only very rarely if at all. Your PA students will be depending on you and the professor and mentors may not be able to effectively arrange for a substitution.

GOOD PA COACHING PRACTICE

The professor and your mentor will visit your team meetings nearly every week. We will be trying to discuss what we observe with you in order to be helpful. We presume that if you meet with your team and give your best effort you will get the points for good coaching practice.

· Your grade does NOT depend on the success of your PA team in accomplishing any particular goals. We recognize that your efforts are important, but are only part of the equation.

• Conduct yourself in a professional manner. Observe all school rules. Act like the adult authority in the group. Beware of trying to be a friend. Do not tolerate flirting, teasing, inappropriate language.
• You must be reliable, prepared, active and show initiative.
• You must follow directions and respond to feedback.
• Your team should write in the weekly log reports.

PUBLIC ACHIEVEMENT REPORTS IN THE JOURNAL (600 words each)

PA Team Reports

Your writing should address all of these four areas in identified sections.

1)     Experiences /Descriptions
What did you (and/or your team) experience? What happened? What did you do?

2)     Reflections /Evaluations
What is the meaning of the experiences? Evaluate: Did the experience turn out as I thought it would? What would I have done differently? How do you (and/or your team) feel?

3)     Connections/Generalizations
What are you/your team thinking and learning about democratic citizenship? Use core concepts. Mention your reading for PA or the more academic reading for Democracy and Citizenship.

4)     Applications/Experiments/Strategies
What are your plans and strategies? What skills are you and your team developing?

EMAIL PARAGRAPHS FOR PA NEWS AND WEBSITE (due date to be announced)

By the end of the term submit a short assessment of your PA team. You may write this or have your team write it with your supervision. These should be well written paragraphs of 150 -250 words. These should tell a public audience about the mission and activities of the team. These will be posted on our PA website and send home in the school newsletter to families. You may write these or help your team to do so..

ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS
The professor is here to help students learn. All students are encouraged to visit with the professor if they need help. Students with disabilities are particularly invited to meet with the professor to discuss any special instructional needs they may have, or to contact the office of Disability Services.

PA SCHEDULING

On most Thursdays we will go to Dakota Meadows Middle School for PA.

First shift/8th grade: team meetings 1:20-2:00 pm, coaches’ meeting 2:00 to about 2:30.

Second shift/7th grade: team meetings 2:05-2:55 pm, coaches’ meeting 3:00 to about 3:30.

Course Calendar

Date	Journal Topic	Topic	Group Activity	Homework
1/18		Introduction	Group Goal Setting	Morse, vii-xxi Gastil, 3-14
1/25	“How can I combine teaching, learning, & leadership?”	Critical Analysis	Fear in a Hat	Morse, Ch. 1 Classroom Management http://712educators.about.com/od/discipline/tp/?once=true& (while you’re at it, check out the entire site)
2/1	“What kind of teacher do I want to be—inspirational, a thought leader, thought provoking, one who unlocks doors?”	Community Change (Morse, Ch. 1)	Power (Gastil, pp. 171ff.)	Time management: