Please note: The current syllabus for this course is on Blackboard.
Enrolled students should go to http://prometheus.siena.edu/prometheus to log on to the course.
Below is a sample syllabus from an earlier semester.

Course description
Course requirements: Readings / Attendance / Written and oral work / Computer use
Grading system
Academic Honesty
Office Hours
Students with Disabilities
Class schedule with assignments
     Week of   Sept. 10    Sept. 17     Sept. 24    Oct. 1     Oct. 8    Oct. 15     Oct. 22    Oct. 29
                       Nov. 5     Nov. 12      Nov. 19     Nov. 26     Dec. 3      Dec. 10
Study Guide for Examination #1
Instructions for Formal Writing Assignments
Instructions for report on campus lecture
Instructions for report on field trip

A. Course Description:

The Foundations Sequence is a two-semester, writing-intensive course taken sequentially by first year students. It is designed to provide a foundation for the academic and intellectual life. Faculty and students meet in small, interactive classes to explore classical and contemporary works together. Themes for the first semester are Nature, Society, and the Person, and for the second semester, Secular Worldviews, Religious Worldviews, and The American Experience. Students will remain with the same faculty member for both semesters and are expected to complete the Sequence by the end of their first year. The successful completion of FOUN100 is required prior to enrollment in FOUN105. (College catalog description)

Classes in Foundations are structured to emphasize discussion of important issues from a variety of perspectives. To encourage out of class exchanges, there is a common set of readings for all students. These readings, both classic and contemporary, are drawn from various disciplines. As a foundational course, the sequence emphasizes those abilities crucial to success in academic life: careful reading, note taking, constructive discussion, and writing. In order to reinforce the notion that education in the widest sense occurs as much outside of the classroom as within, field trips to various cultural and artistic sites are part of the program.

B. Course Requirements:

1. Readings: The following texts should be purchased at the bookstore:

Boyle, T. Coraghessan. The Tortilla Curtain. (to be read over the summer)
Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak!
Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Manual of Style, 3^rd Edition.
Plato, The Trial and Death of Socrates
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Discourse on the Origin of Inequality.

The following required readings are found in the Foundations Sequence Reader:

Francis of Assisi, "The Canticle of Brother Sun"
________, "The Wolf of Gubbio"
Freud, Sigmund. Selection from Civilization and its Discontents.
Hardin, Garrett. "The Tragedy of the Commons"
Maslow, Abraham. "A Theory of Human Motivation"
Ritzer, George. Selection from The McDonaldization of Society
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Selection from On the Social Contract
Union of Concerned Scientists, "Briefing Paper: The Global Environmental Crisis"
White, Lynn. "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis."

Additional readings will be given as handouts or placed on reserve in the library.

2. Class attendance is required. You may take up to three absences without incurring an automatic penalty. These absences are meant to cover illness, family emergencies, college-related activities like intercollegiate athletic games, and the like. I strongly suggest that you take no more absences than are absolutely necessary.

Absence from two or more weeks of class is considered excessive and may lead to a grade of U for the course or a major reduction of the final grade. At the very least, two or more weeks of absences will lead to loss of half of the points that would otherwise be awarded for classroom participation. Conversely, you will receive bonus points for perfect attendance.

Ordinarily there will be no excused absences, except if you have to miss an in-class examination—these absences must be excused and documentation of the reason for the absence must be provided.

Some exceptions to the above policy may be possible if I have been informed of extraordinary circumstances (e.g., prolonged illness and emergencies) by the Office of Academic Affairs.

You are expected to arrive on time and to remain in class for the full period. Electronic communication devices must be turned off during the class period.

Note that you are responsible for all materials that you have missed because of an absence. This includes any announcements made or handouts distributed.

3. Written and oral work: Your grade will be determined on the basis of your performance on the following:

The “formal” papers will involve the writing of at least two drafts, each of which will receive evaluative comments from the instructor on both content and form. At least one of these paper projects will also include peer evaluation and feedback.

The shorter papers will be essays related to the on-campus lecture, field trip (see next paragraph), and various readings from the semester. These will also be graded.

Overall participation includes attendance and attention, bringing materials to class, the ability to pass basic quizzes on the readings, completion of some informal writing assignments, participation in a field trip (Oct. 20), and attendance at one on-campus lecture or presentation. (Priority point programs may not be used to fulfill this requirement.)

Instructions and due dates for all reading and writing assignments can be found on this online syllabus under Class Schedule.

4. Computer Use: All writing assignments must be done with the use of a computer unless I tell you otherwise.

I will use e-mail to send announcements and information about the course. I expect you to read your e-mail regularly, especially on the days before class. If you would like to receive e-mail at an address other than your Siena student account (e.g., an aol.com account), please ask me for instructions on how to forward Siena mail.

Many course materials are available online at http://www.siena.edu/foundations.

I use a point system to determine grades. Letter grades are computed according to the following scale.

For an expanded explanation of my grading system, please click here.

D. Academic Honesty:

All students are expected to uphold the standards of academic honesty. This means that all academic work, on examinations, quizzes, and papers, must be your own. Plagiarism is the handing in of any work that is not your own as if it were. This includes submitting a paper written in part or whole by someone else, as well as using or quoting in your paper someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit. Permitting someone else to use your work in this way or doing their work for them is also plagiarism, as is using the same material for more than one course without express permission from all instructors. Guidelines are spelled out in the statement "Academic Integrity and the Siena Student," which is published by the Office of Academic Affairs. It is available on the Siena College Academic Advising website at the address http://www.siena.edu/advising. See also the chapter on Documentation in Hacker’s A Pocket Style Manual. Penalties for cheating or plagiarism can range from failing an assignment to failing the course, or in an extreme case, dismissal from the College.

E. Consultation:

My office is in Clare Center, located on the north end of the campus (behind the townhouses and Colbeth Hall). Office hours for the Fall Semester are:

Mondays 10:00 A.M.-12:00 noon, 2:45-3:45 P.M.
Wednesdays 10:00 A.M.-12 noon

During these hours, I am available to meet with you about any matters relating to the course. There is no need to make an appointment if you are coming at these times, though you may do so if you prefer. If you wish to see me at other times, I do ask you to make an appointment. I prefer that you ordinarily call my office number (783-2924) for academic business, but feel free to call me at home (friary and Hennepin Hall, 783-4175) if something urgent arises.

F. Students With Disabilities:

Students with disabilities should register with Colleen Sanders at the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities in Siena Hall 111. I will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

CLASS SCHEDULE:

FSR refers to the Foundations Sequence Reader
This schedule may be modified as the semester progresses.

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