Course description

Instructor: John Holte

Office: Olin 307
Telephone: x7465
Office hours: 10:30 TR, 1:30 MF, and whenever my office door is open
My schedule
E-mail: holte@gac.edu   (There is no "j" in my email address.)
My homepage: http://www.gustavus.edu/~holte/

Class meetings

• 9:00-9:50 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday in Olin 319
• Regular attendance, both physical and mental, is required.

Textbooks

• The Everyday Writer 3/e (2005) by Andrea Lunsford, Bedford/St. Martin's.
  This handbook will serve you through all your years at Gustavus.
• The Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update by Meadows, Randers, and Meadows, Chelsea Green, 2004.
• The Foundation Trilogy   (Foundation (1951), Foundation and Empire (1952), Second Foundation (1953)) by Isaac Asimov, various editions.
• Teach Yourself VISUALLY Excel 2007 by Nancy C. Muir, Wiley, 2007.

Course web site

Bookmark this web site: http://www.gustavus.edu/~holte/courses/FTS-2007/
Information about assignments, quizzes, projects, etc. will be added to this site throughout the semester.

Computers and calculators

• Microsoft Office 2007, including Excel 2007, is available on the computers in Olin 326. In addition, we may use other software, such as Maple and Vensim.
• You should have a scientific calculator to use in and out of class.

FTS components

All first-year students are required to enroll in a first-term seminar. As a first-term seminar, this course emphasizes the following essential components of a liberal arts education: critical thinking, writing, speaking, and recognizing and exploring questions of value. In addition, your first-term seminar instructor will serve as your first-year academic advisor. These aspect of the FTS will be woven into the following course components.
• Writing
  Writing components include: a benchmark writing assignment, a Nobel conference report, a research report, and many small assignments, including technical writing exercises, and a written report on a group project.
• Critical thinking plus
  • This seminar, Forecasting via Mathematical Modeling, presents powerful techniques for thinking about complex issues.
  • Students will learn critical thinking and creative thinking through problem solving and critiquing of models.
  • Thinking will be required in computer labs, in-class exercises, homework, and exams/quizzes.
• Speaking, exploration of values, advising
  • Class members will engage in classroom discussions and lead some discussions.
  • They will make formal presentations on their group projects.
  • They will also make a number of less formal presentations.
  • I view advising as involving an introduction to the academic life. Accordingly, students will be asked to participate in sessions that further this goal.

Grading

Individual assignments will be given a letter grade, a descriptive evaluation, or a point value (out of 100%). For the seminar as a whole, I'll make a holistic judgment of the quality of your work and effort, counting the above major components roughly equally.

Academic honesty

• The Gustavus Adolphus College Academic Bulletin states in part: "The faculty of Gustavus Adolphus College expects all students to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty... In all academic exercises, examinations, papers, and reports, students shall submit their own work. Footnotes or some other acceptable form of citation must accompany any use of another's words or ideas." The complete statement may be found at: http://www.gac.edu/oncampus/academics/general_catalog/current/acainfo.cfm .
• The following code will be written in full and signed on every examination and graded paper:
  "On my honor, I pledge that I have not given, received, or tolerated others' use of unauthorized aid in completing this work."
• "By enrolling classes at Gustavus, you have taken up membership in a worldwide community of scholars, and like any community, Academia has ethical standards to which you are expected to adhere. You are expected to learn and follow the principles of honesty and integrity that apply in academic life. Among those standards are that you faithfully represent your own work, acknowledge any borrowing from the work of others, avoid falsifying data or sources, be respectful of other scholars' efforts and not interfere with their access to resources (e.g., by misappropriating or damaging library materials), do a fair share of the work in group efforts, give others the benefit of your informed opinions and observations in discussion, and be respectful of others' values, knowledge, and feelings while developing your own.... Regrettably, serious and deliberate violations of ethics may incur serious penalties.... If you are in doubt about whether your work conforms to ethical standards, please inquire--you are, after all, a learner." --John Rezmerski, Advising and Registration Manual 1995-96, pp. 60-61.
• A first violation of the academic honesty policy will result in a zero grade on the paper in question and a report to the office of the Dean of the Faculty. A second case will result in a failing grade for the course.

Disability services

The College Catalog states:
"Section 507 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) work together to ensure 'reasonable accommodation' and non-discrimination for students with disabilities in higher education. A student who has a physical, psychiatric/emotional, medical, learning, or attentional disability that may have an effect of the student's ability to complete assigned course work should contact the Disability Services Coordinator in the Advising Center, who will review the concerns and decide with the student what accommodations are necessary."
The Disability Services Coordinator Laurie Bickett (x6286) can provide further information.