IST2055-1OL-WI14 - African American Social Ethics

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Course Synopsis

Books for the Course

See Taylor Library's list of online book sellers for purchasing options.

Course Objectives

1) To familiarize students with the complexity of historical and contemporary moral and ethical issues in African American life.

2) To equip students with the ability for meta-ethical reflection. 

3) To encourage critical, courageous, ethically-informed praxis that seeks to bring about a more just social order.

Evaluation

Final Grades for the course will be determined by the quality of completed assignments within the following rubric:

Class Assignments

1)    (5%) Preparation & Etiquette is vital to accomplishing the course objectives. Students are to read the assigned material and response postings ought to reflect thoughtful and respectful engagement with readings and classmates.

2)    (20%) Reading Questions Eight (8) of this class' ten (10) weeks will include reading assignments (weeks 6 and 10 are the only exceptions) accompanied by reading questions. Reading questions are meant to structure and deepen engagement with the reading materials and each student is responsible for completing five (5) of the eight (8) sets of reading questions during the quarter.

3)    (20%) Class Presentation Each student is to post one (1) 2-4 page paper reviewing and critically engaging class readings. This presentation will help to frame class discussions for the assigned week. Presentation weeks to be assigned.

4)    (20%) Response to Class Presentations: Each week students are to participate twice in discussions responding to class presentations.  

5)    (20%) Midterm Week 6 will feature a midterm examination and discussion of the material covered to this point.

6)    (20%) Final Paper Each student is to write and submit a 6-8 page paper final paper. Guidelines to be provided.

Grading Rubric

In general, if you complete all of the assignments adequately and with “average” performance, you will earn a grade of “C”. Work that is “very good earns a grade of “B”, and excellent/outstanding work earns a grade of “A”. Grades of “D” are earned by students producing “poor” work.

A – Outstanding comprehension and analysis of class material; adds a helpful and relevant (to the readings) voice to class conversations; communicates respectfully with classmates; no major issues in writing assignments (Hint: the Writing Lab may be very helpful in earning an “A”).

B – Very Good comprehension and analysis of class material; adds a helpful and relevant (to the readings) voice to class conversation; communicates respectfully with classmates; major grammatical and punctuation issues in writing.

C – Adequate comprehension and analysis of class material; sometimes adds a helpful and relevant (to the readings) voice to class conversation; communicates respectfully with classmates; writing is difficult to comprehend.

D – Poor comprehension and analysis of class material; little to no helpful or relevant additions to class conversations; frequently cuts-off classmates; written assignments are late, incomplete, and difficult to comprehend.

F – Student did not complete more than half of class assignments.

Percentage Grading System

In addition to the rubric above, final grades will be more precisely determined according to the following percentage system.

A:   95%-105%

A-: 90-94

B+: 85%-89%

B:   80%-84%

C+: 75%-79%

C:   70%-74%

***If at any point during the quarter you feel that you have received an unfair grade please do not hesitate to communicate this to the instructor.***

Policies and Services

Incompletes:  If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant:  All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate.  All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Accommodations:  Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs.   Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations.  The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. 

Writing Lab:  Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments.  Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. 

Inclusive Language:  It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community. 

Degree Learning Goals

This course shall address the following degree learning goals: MDiv (1.2, 1.3, 2.2, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5, 4.3), MTS (1,3), MA (1,2) MAPSC (1,2), MASC (1)

Our weekly conversations are structured following the guidelines below:

1. By Wednesday, if you signed up to facilitate conversation this week, attach your paper to a reply below to initiate the conversation. Papers for the week should address the question framed in the conversation assignment for that week.
2. By Friday, each student (except presenters) must read and respond to at least one of the papers presented.
3. By Sunday, each student (except presenters) needs to participate in the conversation at least one more time.
4. Presenters are responsible for following the responses to their paper and participating in the conversation at least twice.

Each comment should respond to either the paper presented or a classmates' comment in a thoughtful and respectful way.