RES-ECON 394LI: Life is Full of Choices

Example syllabus only – exact content subject to change. Please see your instructor’s syllabus for the current term for your specific course’s guidelines

Course Description & Learning Objectives

Students will reflect on and integrate their collegiate learning and experiences to date by completing the following activities: develop a personal reflective portfolio, inventory and identify skills attained as an undergraduate, update professional materials such as resume, cover letter and networking profiles; and explore career options. Students will participate in weekly activities in a team-based-learning environment that foster engagement and peer feedback.

This 1 credit course, in combination with two of your required upper-level courses (see below), fulfills the General Education Integrative Experience (IE) requirement for majors within the Department of Resource Economics:

RES-ECON 394LI is designed to provide you with numerous opportunities to reflect on and integrate your learning from your General Education courses, major courses, co-curricular activities, employment and other poignant experiences. As such, this course will address all three of the University’s Integrative Experience learning criteria.

Criterion 1: “Students will reflect on and integrate their learning and experience from the broad exposure in their General Education courses and the focus in their major."

Criterion 2: "Students will practice General Education learning objectives at a more advanced level.”

Criterion 3: "A shared learning experience for applying students' prior learning to new situations, challenging questions, and real-world problems."

Res-Econ 394LI also meets a multitude of departmental learning outcomes and experiential goals. Please see included learning objectives and refer to Canvas for the course philosophy.

Course Expectations & Overview by Date

This grid provides a timeline and point breakdown for assignments. Always see Canvas for details including assignment and submission instructions.

Participation Points & Attendance Policy

• Because this is an interactive, team-based learning course, 40 out of 100 points are based on class attendance and engagement. This averages out to approximately 3.1 points per class for students enrolled by class 1 or 3.4 points per class for students who join after class 1 (but during the add/drop window). Regular participation will result in an easy boost to your grade. However, frequent absences will have the ability to quickly impact your grade for the worse.
• Canvas attendance management will issue you 40 points upon your first recorded class attendance. This number will then automatically adjust as future classes are attended or missed. Click on attendance in Canvas to view your personal history at any time.
• To honor the University’s class absence policy equitably and efficiently:
  • You will be granted up to 1 excused absence without penalty or question for the following circumstances: religious observance, athletics conflicts, field trips, personal health and wellbeing, family illness or death and/or other unforeseen or extenuating circumstances beyond your control. (Excused absences are not designed for: oversleeping, missed transportation, general forgetfulness or calendar confusion, extended weekend or travel plans, or other such activities.)
  • You are responsible for submitting an excused absence request via email to @email prior to class start time. Please indicate that you will be using your 1 excused class absence. Once approved, you will see “-“ or a null symbol appear in lieu of attendance points, meaning this class will not factor into your attendance total.
  • You do not need to divulge your personal circumstances other than to note that it falls into one or more of the aforementioned categories. I reserve the right to deny late requests.
  • You are expected to be judicious in your application of this policy. Plan for all known conflicts at the beginning of the semester and use the excused absence when it is most needed.
• Students with 4 unexcused absences (a 31% absence rate) or more over the course of the semester will receive an automatic grade of “F,” as attendance is a necessary part of the learning experience in this course.
• Absent students can still submit work via Canvas (typically within a weeklong window). As such, no other “make-up” work will be issued.
• Keep in mind that any absence will likely impact your team. Be in communication with your team about peer reviewed work, missed activities/information, and upcoming assignments.
• Please consult with the instructor proactively if you are experiencing a significant participation challenge.

Team Management

Students will have the initial opportunity to self-select their team members (typically classes 1-2). Absent students will need to engage pro-actively with peers (typically via Canvas discussion feature) to find a team. The instructor reserves the right to alter teams as needed to meet desired group sizes. Furthermore, the instructor will use discretion to rearrange group membership, redistribute duties, and/or remove inactive individuals (i.e, attendance F policy) from teams when necessary. Students will be notified of any such changes via email. Students are responsible for reading email in a timely manner, seeking clarification when needed, and adjusting work accordingly.

Grading

Your grade will be determined based on a 100-point system using the following minimum thresholds: A = 94, A- = 90, B+ = 87, B = 83 B- = 80, C+ = 77, C = 73, C- = 70, D+ = 65, D = 60 and F < 60.

• You may look in Canvas at any time to see the points you have accrued toward this total.
• Work must be submitted on time to receive full credit. Late submission windows, with deductions, are built into Canvas. Note, late submissions are likely to complicate the completion of future tasks and are not recommended. Presentations must occur during designated classes. (Occasional exceptions made with advance instructor consent for significant extenuating circumstances.)
• There is no final exam or assignment for this course.
• Class participation is required and makes up large part of your final grade (see above attendance policy).

Support

Your success in this class is important to me. If there are aspects of the course that prevent you from learning or make you feel excluded, please let me know as soon as possible and we’ll develop strategies together.

Dept. of Resource Economics Undergraduate Student Learning Objectives & Experiential Goals

Statements

Accommodation Statement

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all students. If you have a documented physical, psychological, or learning disability on file with Disability Services (DS), you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations to help you succeed in this course. If you have a documented disability that requires an accommodation, please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester so that we may make appropriate arrangements. For further information, please visit: https://www.umass.edu/disability/

Academic Honesty Statement

Since the integrity of the academic enterprise of any institution of higher education requires honesty in scholarship and research, academic honesty is required of all students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating dishonesty. Appropriate sanctions may be imposed on any student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Instructors should take reasonable steps to address academic misconduct. Any person who has reason to believe that a student has committed academic dishonesty should bring such information to the attention of the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. Instances of academic dishonesty not related to a specific course should be brought to the attention of the appropriate department Head or Chair. Since students are expected to be familiar with this policy and the commonly accepted standards of academic integrity, ignorance of such standards is not normally sufficient evidence of lack of intent http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty/.

ResEcon 394LI assumes that all work submitted by students will be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups. Students should not have another person/entity do the writing of any substantive portion of an assignment for them, which includes hiring a person or a company to write assignments and using artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. All assignments in this course focus on self-reflection and personal growth, therefore necessitating that content is self-driven and created.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement

The Department of Resource Economics, as is the larger University, is committed to fostering inclusive learning environments. This course is designed to support the needs of all students and honor the diversity of identities, backgrounds and experiences of all learners via thoughtful dialogue, readings, and assignments. Students are asked to help foster inclusion through their words and actions, to hold one another accountable to these ideals whenever possible, and to consult the instructor if there are related questions, concerns, or improvements that can be made including ways in which the instructor’s methods may fall short of these goals.

Title IX Statement

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits gender- based discrimination in educational settings that receive federal funds, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students, free from all forms of discrimination, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and retaliation. This includes interactions in person or online through digital platforms and social media. Title IX also protects against discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, or related conditions, including recovery. There are resources here on campus to support you. A summary of the available Title IX resources (confidential and non-confidential) can be found at the following link: https://www.umass.edu/titleix/resources. You do not need to make a formal report to access them. If you need immediate support, you are not alone. Free and confidential support is available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week / 365 days a year at the SASA Hotline 413-545-0800. For purposes of Title IX reporting, I am a considered a “responsible employee” at UMass (https://www.umass.edu/titleix/about). That means that if you tell me about a situation involving sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and retaliation, I must share that information with the Title IX Coordinator. Making a report to the Title IX Coordinator is my legal obligation, meets the University's goal of providing members of our community with supportive resources they might need, and enables the University to obtain a more accurate picture of the extent of sexual violence in our community. It will be completely up to you to determine if and how you want to work with the Title IX Coordinator's office. You will not be in trouble for reporting to me that you have experienced any of these situations, and the law prohibits retaliation against anyone who participates in the Title IX process.