Getting Grounded: Geology & Art
Fall 2004
Getting Grounded is a Core program, which
presumes that you are a first-year college student, or this is your first year
at The Evergreen State College. Our expectations of you will be high and you
should plan on devoting 40 hours per week to this course. This program was designed to introduce you
to the fundamentals of physical geology, drawing and ceramics, and selected
topics in art history and humanities. You
are not expected to have any previous experience in these fields but we are
prepared to accommodate students with a wide range of expertise.
By
the end of this program, we expect that you will have demonstrated proficiency
in and/or knowledge of:
•
An appreciation of the relationship between science and art;
• Basic skills in
observing and recording geologic information in the field and lab;
• Fundamental drawing
and ceramics skills and the use of these media to convey ideas;
• The ability to
effectively critique your own and other others’ work;
•
Skills for working effectively in groups;
•
An ability to communicate clearly through writing and speaking;
•
Scientific methods for creative problem solving;
•
Critical thinking as demonstrated through written work and discussions.
Mastery
of these topics will be demonstrated through discussions, group activities,
study questions and other written work, participation in the labs, studio work,
quizzes and exams. The quality of work, level of understanding, effort and
extent of improvement all will be important in evaluation.
We
agree to enter into a learning community with you and the other students and
to:
• Prepare for, participate in, and guide
learning from lectures, laboratories, field trips, discussions of the texts,
workshops, studio work;
•
Read, evaluate, and return your work with reasonable dispatch;
•
Respond to students’ questions and concerns about the material, pace, and/or organization
of the program;
•
Be available at least one hour per week for individual student concerns;
•
Keep students informed about their progress and notify students by the end of
the fifth of the term if her/his work is not satisfactory;
•
Be aware of our own needs as scholars and as human beings, reserving the right
to reevaluate and adjust the pace of the program should it be deemed necessary
to achieve personal and program goals;
•
Provide for a written evaluation of each student’s work at the end of each term
following the guidelines of section 7.620 in the Faculty Handbook.
We
expect a high degree of personal commitment from you—to your own learning, to
group work, and to the class as a whole.
The basic assumption of this program is that learning results from a
continuing process of rational discourse.
You have opportunities to learn about a variety of subjects and your
responsibilities are to maximize your learning from the program, maximize the
learning of your classmates, and apply what you have learned.
1.
Carefully read all written material
passed out in class. We spend a
great deal of time anticipating your questions and developing handouts to
assist your learning–Read them! If you have questions or something is
unclear, ask!
2. Come on time to all lectures, seminars,
field trips, studio sessions and laboratories—with any assigned readings,
problem sets, written work, or projects completed. This class is structured around interactive discussions. Your presence is crucial, both for yourself
and for your classmates. Furthermore,
it is rude, selfish and insensitive to expect others to wait for you to show up. If you miss class sessions call us and let
us know the reason for your absence.
Otherwise we will assume you are goofing off. We recognize that “Life Happens” and that, from time to time,
emergencies may arise...usually we can work something out.
3.
Turn in all required assignments on
time. You should not expect the faculty to read or comment on work received
late.
4.
Discuss any problems or issues with the
involved parties as soon as possible.
During this program, you may experience problems that affect your
understanding and progress. If another
student is involved, discuss the situation with him/her. If you can not reach a mutually agreeable
resolution, or if the faculty are involved, please come and talk with us
ASAP. It is much easier to resolve
these situations early instead of letting them grow and fester.
5.
Show a positive, cooperative attitude
towards the faculty, other students, and the program as a whole—this is of
primary importance in this program.
We will depend on students working together and helping one
another. Those who understand are
encouraged to help those who don’t.
Share what you know in such a way so as not to belittle others for not
knowing.
6.
Maintain a portfolio of all your work
neatly organized by topic, including writing assignments, field notebooks,
art work and exams that we return to you.
7.
Participate fully and cooperatively in
group-activities, including workshops, labs, and study groups. Inform us promptly of difficulties,
confusions, or problems with any aspect of the program.
8.
Write a detailed, thoughtful
self-evaluation that reflects achievement in the program at the end of the
term. This self-evaluation is intended
to be a reflective exercise, and may become the basis of your final evaluation
by the faculty.
9. Write a thoughtful faculty evaluation at the end of the term and
deliver it to us, or to our program secretaries by the time of the evaluation
conference at the end of the term.
Evergreen is based on mutual evaluation and this is an important
component of your education. We will
not award credit until you have turned in both a self- and faculty evaluation.
Credit
will be awarded for participating in and completing the entire body of work for
the program at an acceptable level of demonstrated competency. Evaluations of your work will be based upon
attendance, participation in discussions and group work, written work, projects
and performance on quizzes and examinations.
The quality of your work, the level of your understanding, and the
extent of your improvement will all be reflected in your evaluation. A comment about promptness or lateness of
work will be included in your evaluation.
All work must be completed by the end of the term.
Each
student who regularly attends and participates in all program activities, who
satisfactorily completes the exams and all assignments, and who turns in self-
and faculty evaluations—all with acceptable content and quality—can
expect to receive full credit. Any
student whose work appears not to be meeting standards for credit will be so
informed by the faculty in writing by the end of the fifth or sixth week
of the term with suggestions for improvement.
However, students who do not receive a written mid-term warning may be
denied credit based on unsatisfactory performance after the fifth week.
Any
student who plagiarizes material through failure to attribute and acknowledge
sources or through failure to acknowledge joint authorship, or who cheats on
quizzes or exams is liable to lose all credit for the quarter. Any
student who uses drugs or alcohol during program activities or attends program
activities under the influence of drugs or alcohol is liable to lose all credit
for the quarter and/or be expelled from the College.
Satisfactory
completion of all the course work is expected for full credit. In rare cases, partial credit will be
awarded for partial completion of the course work. Incompletes generally
will not be granted. They will be
considered only in very extenuating circumstances. Incompletes may be given in case of illness, but a physician’s
written notification will be required.
Such incompletes must be completed by the 1st week of the
subsequent quarter.
STUDENT CONDUCT
Students will be
expected to be considerate of others in the program, and respectful of others,
even when disagreements arise.
Violations of Evergreen’s Social Contract, as outlined in your Student Handbook, may result in the college taking
action. This program is designed to
include frequent and extensive field trips. In order to have a successful
academic experience field trip all
students must purport themselves in a mature manner. Specifically, absolutely no use of alcohol or drugs will be allowed on any field
trip. Use of either of these
substances, which is against the College rules, as well as several State laws,
will result in the expulsion of the students involved from the program and
possibly from the College. This
behavior may also jeopardize all of the students in the program, in that future
field trips may be canceled.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
Evergreen
has a long-standing policy that conflicts should, if at all possible, be
resolved through respectful, face-to-face discourse. Students agree to the following steps should a conflict arise
within another student. Step 1. Inform the other person that a problem
exists and initiate an open discussion.
Step 2. Should no satisfactory
resolution be obtained, the student shall inform the faculty, who will initiate
dialogue with the involved students.
Step 3. If step 2 is not
successful, a neutral third party will be asked to mediate and seek resolution
within the program. Step 4. If step 3 is unsuccessful, the neutral third
party will ask the responsible Academic Dean to intervene. Should a student have a conflict with the
faculty, including disagreement over the content of his or her evaluation, he
or she should follow steps 2 through 4 above as appropriate.
By
your continued enrollment in this program, you hereby acknowledge, accept and
agree to the conditions outlined herein.