AUG 101: Augsburg Seminar

An Introduction to the Augsburg Learning Community

Spring 2004

 

 

 

Linked to REL 100  Search for Meaning: Christian Vocation & the Search for Meaning

 

Faculty Instructor:  Joan Griffin, Professor of English/Director of General Education

Office:             Memorial 220          

Phone:           330-1045     

e-mail:           griffin@augsburg.edu       

Office Hours: TBA

 

 

Goals (transition - integration - reflection)

 

• To make a successful transition to being a college student
• To participate as an active citizen in the city
• To become a part of the Augsburg learning community

·      To become acquainted with a variety of people, cultures and organizations in the city

• To build community through shared experiences, working toward a common goal
• To link the classroom to the world
• To become sensitive to difference
• To become a responsible, reflective learner

 

Description

 

The Augsburg Seminar is a required, “student-success” seminar. It provides first-year students, peer leaders, faculty, and staff an opportunity to get to know each other by forming a “learning community” around an introductory course or course pair. Each section of AUG 101 meets once per week (twice in week 1) and is linked to one, two, or three other academic courses within the general education curriculum or a specific major.

 

AUG 101 spends about half of the nine sessions looking at student-success topics, such as how to use library and IT resources. The other meetings are devoted to dialogue, field trips, or other means of exploring connections to the linked course(s). “Passport” activities assist students in becoming aware of and engaging in the life of the campus and the surrounding communities.

 

Augsburg College is one of 13 colleges in the nation (out of 113 that applied) to be selected by the Council of Independent Colleges to work on a project for improving campus-community relationships. In this program, students will have the opportunity to venture into the Twin Cities. As a part of their coursework, students will be introduced to a variety of community leaders and important community organizations. Goals for this experience include:

 

-To increase student's participation and understanding of the city through

community service-learning.

-To increase connections between course concepts and community service

experiences.

-To experience active citizenship.....how to learn about a problem and how

to actively participate in a possible solution.

-To build stronger community partnerships for better connections between

the college and the community and increased student learning.

-To increase cultural awareness and social/economic/historical

understanding of the diverse community of which Augsburg is a part.

 

Requirements

 

Successful completion of AUG 101 is a prerequisite for graduation and requires that you:

1.   Attend all seminar meetings (each absence results in a deduction of 15 points from your total grade; one absence may be made up with instructor approval).

2.   Complete passport activities (as detailed in the Passport to the Augsburg Experience)..”

3. Reflective Essay on the Passport

4. Complete the library exercise and any additional reflections as assigned.

5. Attend two convocations

 

The success of the seminar depends on your willingness to participate in our “learning community.” This means arriving on time and actively engaging in the seminar each week. In addition, you are strongly encouraged to meet at least once (individually) with your Augsburg Seminar instructor to discuss your progress in the linked course and other areas of your new academic life.

Schedule

 

Session         Date                           Topic                                                              Assignment             

 

1                           Monday, January 12 Welcome to Augsburg College

 

2                           Monday, January 19 Martin Luther King Convocation                                 

Meet in classroom at 12:45. If you

come later, look for us at the back

of Foss Chapel.

 

2:30 - ? We will go to the service learning site associated with

            REL 100 (A later session will be cancelled)

 

3                  Monday, January 26           Exploring the Neighborhood : A Context

                                                                        for Learning

                                                                        (May shift with another session, depending on

                                                            weather—wear a coat and walking shoes)

 

4                  Monday, February 2            Bibliographic Instruction *                                  

                        * May be switched with some other week’s activities                                                            

                                                                                               

5.                 Monday, February 9 Inventory: Reflections on Augsburg So Far/

                                                            Study Skill issues     

6.     Monday, February 16: Take a break, BUT

Tuesday, February 18 BALTALDEN CONVOCATION

                                                            10: a.m. FossChapel—Let’s meet outside

                                                            the chapel at 9:50 a.m.

                                                                                               

7 Monday, February 23    Health & Wellness Presentation

 

8      Monday, March 1 Augsburg Heritage/History

           

                                                                                               

9      Monday, March 8  Group advising overview 

 

Grading system

 

Attendance                                                   90 pts.          (10 per session)

Passport activities                                      100 pts.        (10 per activity)

Library assignment                                     10 pts.

Reflections                                                   100 pts.

Total                                                               300 points (280 = needed to pass course