Core 110—The Human Experience

Valparaiso University, Fall 2020

8:40AM-9:30AM Online Hybrid

Instructor: Zubaidah Albaro Core Lab: valpo.edu/valpocore/core-lab/

Office: ASB 372 Core Website: valpo.edu/valpocore/

E-mail: zubaidah.albaro@valpo.edu Library guide: https://libguides.valpo.edu/valpocore

Phone: 219-464-6643 Writing Center: www.valpo.edu/writingcenter/
Office Hours: MWF 9:45AM-3:45PM Facebook: facebook.com/valpocore/
T& TR 8:00AM-3:00PM

Valparaiso University Mission Statement​: Valparaiso University, a community of learning

dedicated to excellence and grounded in the Lutheran tradition of scholarship, freedom, and
faith, prepares students to lead and serve in both church and society.
Valparaiso University Vision Statement​: Valparaiso University will be renowned worldwide
for preparing women and men who are highly sought for their knowledge, character, integrity,
and wisdom.

Fall 2020 Class Policies

Statement on Core workload: ​Whether your Core section is asynchronous, synchronous,

online, face-to-face, or a hybrid of these, students should expect that the workload will entail 150
minutes of instructional time plus 300 minutes of student preparation/homework per week.
Instructional time may consist of video lectures, Perusal, Blackboard or Zoom discussions,
consultations with instructors, and other activities. Core Lab requirements are in addition to this
and are delineated below.

CORE 110—The Human Experience: Empathy and Dialogue

Description:
The primary goal of this course is the exploration of the human experience, particularly as it
relates to the development of empathy and dialogue. Students will examine the themes through
reading and writing assignments, discussion, and Core Lab events. We will begin with an
exploration of the self we bring to college and the contexts in which we find ourselves. We will

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explore how texts are similarly situated in particular contexts. Our focus on empathy and
dialogue will help us bridge the gap between ourselves and others as we learn to appreciate new
perspectives. Academic writing, as we will stress, participates in a conversation that we can join.
Another aim of the course is to welcome and initiate new students into this university community
and academic life generally by putting them in dialogue with great teachers, great texts and with
each other to explore as a community some of the most essential aspects of what it means to be
human.
First-year students need particular skills to enter into the academic world and become successful
students in the fullest sense. The Valpo Core is designed to help students develop necessary
academic skills such as argumentative writing, close reading and critical thinking. Additionally
students will work to develop their discussion skills (both leading and participating) as well as
presentation skills. Great opportunities also exist in the course for students to become more adept
at retrieving, evaluating, and managing information, as they connect to the rest of the world
through our electronic information services.

Student Learning Objectives:

The following ​University-wide Student Learning Objectives​ (USLOs) will be addressed in the
Valparaiso Core Program. Students will:
USLO 2: Solve both conceptual and applied problems by integrating broad-based knowledge,
evidence-based reasoning, and information literacy.
USLO 3: Practice experiential, interdisciplinary, and collaborative learning in both academic
and co-curricular pursuits.
USLO 4: Communicate effectively in oral, written, and digital forms in increasingly complex
contexts.
USLO 5: Engage in cross-cultural dialogue and experiences with the requisite knowledge to
succeed in a diverse, global community.
USLO 6: Develop character, integrity, and wisdom as they discern their vocations and
prepare to lead ethically and to serve church and society.

The Valparaiso Core Program will also address these ​General Education Student Learning
Objectives:
1. Students will demonstrate recognition and understanding of cultural differences
encountered in texts and articulate connections that may transcend them.
2. Students will show an understanding and basic appreciation of the affective
dimension of a text.

The Valparaiso Core Program serves as the foundation of the University Writing Program and
addresses the USLO 2 and 4 listed above in particular with the following specific goals for
first-year writing and information literacy courses for both Core and Christ College:

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 ● To develop a writing process that includes brainstorming, planning, drafting, using
sources effectively, revising comprehensively, editing, proofreading, reviewing peers’
writing, and receiving feedback reflectively
● To write clear, compelling, thesis-driven arguments in proofread prose that reflects
standards for written communication adapted for particular audiences, purposes,
genres, and situations
● To use critical reading to generate and synthesize ideas, language, and structure for
writing

In Core 110, students will engage the above goals and objectives in these daily tasks:
● Read a diverse range of texts, attending especially to relationships between assertion
and evidence, to patterns of organization, and to how these features function in
different genres for audiences and situations
● Use methods such as interpretations, synthesis, response, critique and design/redesign
to compose evidence-based prose that integrates the writer’s ideas with those from
appropriate sources
● Engage in small and large group discussions based on students’ close reading of the
texts and outside experiences
● Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising,
rewriting, rereading, and editing.

REQUIRED TEXTS to be purchased by students:

● Reading Critically, Writing Well (11​th​ Student Edition). ​Axelrod, Cooper & Warriner.
Bedford Saint Martin's (MPS) MacMillan, ISBN: 9781319032753
​ wame Anthony Appiah. N
● Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. K ​ orton
(2007). ISBN: 9780393329339
● The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors,
and the Collision of Two Cultures.​ ​Fadiman​. ​Farrar, Straus and Giroux (1997/2012),
ISBN: 9780374533403
● Additional materials: Please have a dedicated folder or binder just for Core materials, and a
dedicated notebook for reading notes and class notes.
Contact your instructor about a limited supply of books in the Core Lending Library if you
have financial need. Several copies of these texts are also on reserve at the Christopher
Center library.

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Full list of course texts and activities.​ *​Texts marked with an asterisk will be provided by
instructor.

Unit 1: Self in Context

Texts: *​Trout: “The Empathy Gap”
*Turkle: “The Empathy Diaries” , “The Flight From Conversation”
RECLAIMING CONVERSATION: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age”
Reading Critically, Writing Well (RCWW)

Activities: Writing Assignment 1 (WA 1)

Core Lab planning
Core Keynote address (Core Lab online video assignment)

Unit 2: Texts in Cross-Cultural Conversation

Texts: Reading Critically, Writing Well (RCWW)
Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers ​(Appiah)
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her
American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures​ (Fadiman)

Activities: Midterm Exam

Writing Assignment 2 (WA 2)
Individual Writing conferences on (WA 2)
Core Lab film ​Wit​ (dir. Mike Nichols)

Unit 3: Texts across Time

Texts: Reading Critically, Writing Well (RCWW)
*​“Birmingham City Ordinances” (1951)
*​“Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen” (April 12, 1963)
*​“Letter from Birmingham Jail” (King)

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 Activities: Information Literacy session with librarian
Writing Assignment 3 (WA 3)
Individual Writing Conferences on (WA3)
Core Lab dialogue/interview project due
Core Lab presentations
Final Exam

Core Policies
Paper Drafts:
All Core papers that are designated as part of the Writing Program Process or are labeled as
formal Writing Assignments must be turned in with all assigned drafts. ​No papers will be
accepted which are submitted only in their final form. Any paper submitted without drafts
will receive a zero until the required process is completed.1st and 2nd drafts will not be
graded but will receive feedback. Only the final draft will be graded if multiple drafts were
submitted and students followed the required writing process.

Online Writing Portfolio:

Please note that Writing Assignment 2 (WA 2) will be uploaded to an online writing portfolio
after the final draft is completed.
Instructions for Uploading Assignment for Writing Program Assessment
1. Open the Blackboard Portfolio site for your cohort. If you are a first-year student this
fall, the site should be Blackboard Writing Portfolio 2020-2024. If you are a sophomore,
junior, or senior, you will be in a portfolio dated when you entered VU (check your list of
BB courses). Each student at Valpo should be enrolled in a Writing Portfolio site. If you
do not have a Writing Portfolio site listed among your Blackboard courses,
email ​Kelly.Belanger@valpo.edu​. Please double check before emailing!
2. Once on the Blackboard Writing Portfolio site for your cohort, look on the left column
for a link that says Upload Core 110 Assignment.
3. Click and upload your Core 110 WA 2 final draft. ​Upload Word Documents only!
4. If you upload a document you did not intend to, simply submit the correct document. If
you use up your three attempts, contact your instructor.

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Core Lab Events​:
Core Lab is your opportunity to design part of this course! All Core 110 students will attend
Core lab events during the Fall 2020 semester, three required and five of your own choosing.
Please see the Core Lab flyer! ​University events are listed on the Core Lab Calendar:
www.valpo.edu/valpocore/core-lab/
Note: The link above has the Spring’s Core lab worksheet, so please do not use it, and use the
worksheet provided to you on blackboard under Course tools and resources/ Core lab reflections
and interview/ 5 planned events.
The Core Lab is designed to help you explore events outside of class that connect with our
themes in the classroom. These offerings will also serve the purpose of helping first-year
students become aware of and connected to campus life. You will discuss your Core Lab plans
with your professor and present on your Core Lab experience at the end of the semester. Core
Lab consists of ​three required events, including an interview project​,​ five additional events​,
and reflections on all eight events. ​We hope you take full advantage of the opportunity to shape
your own Core Lab in ways that are meaningful to you!
Three required Core Lab activities​:
❖ Core Keynote video “Cultivating Narrative Empathy” with Dr. Renu Juneja
❖ Core Lab film ​Wit (​ dir. Mike Nichols)
❖ Dialogue/Interview Project
Five additional events of your own choosing:​ ​see the website
www.valpo.edu/valpocore/core-lab/
A plan of the Five additional events of your own choosing along with your interview plan are
due on blackboard​ no later than Midnight of Mon. Aug.31.​ To submit plan, go to Course tools
and resources/ Core lab reflections and Interview/ find 5 planned events, download the
worksheet, fill out first part (Plan your dialogue/ Interview project) and the second page (fill in
the details about the five events you are choosing), Save the worksheet on your computer, then
attach it and submit.

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Grading:
The grading scale that will be utilized is as follows: A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, B+ = 87-89, B=
83-86, B- = 80-82, C+ = 77-79, C = 73-76, C- = 70-72, D+ = 67-69, D = 63-66, D- = 60-62, F =
59 and below.
Writing Assignment One (Personal Narrative) 10%
Writing Assignment Two (Cross-Cultural Perspectives) 15%
Writing Assignment Three (King across Time) 20%
Writing Process 10%
(Prewriting, drafts, peer reviews, Writing center visits, and writing conferences)
Core Lab 10%
Midterm Exam 10%
Final Exam 10%
Participation 15%
(Complete and on time homework submissions, Inclusive and engaged(blackboard
asynchronous) discussion practices in and outside of class, leading discussions,
presentations, group work) _______
100%

Starfish:
We care about your success! This course is part of a student success project between our
institution and Starfish Retention Solutions. Throughout the term, you may receive emails from
Starfish® regarding your course grades or academic performance. Please pay attention to these
and consider taking the recommended actions. They are sent to help you be successful! In
addition, your instructor may: (1) request that you schedule an appointment by going to Starfish,
or (2) recommend that you contact a specific campus resource, such as tutoring or counseling.
You may also be contacted directly by one of these services.
Judith L. Beumer Writing Center: ​www.valpo.edu/writingcenter/​We encourage you to make
use of the Writing Center located on the lower level of the Christopher Center. It is free for
undergraduate and graduate students. The Writing Center offers individual peer consultations
and workshops on writing to support your growth as a writer. Make an appointment at any time
by going to ​valpo.mywconline.com​. The sessions provide strategies and guidance on writing
assignments from any discipline, at any stage in the writing process, and for writers at all skill
levels. Their goal is for you to become a credible, more confident writer who is able to make the
best choices in any writing situation.

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Library Support Services:
Prof. Andrea Bastian is the librarian assigned to work with the Valpo Core program. While all
librarians are available to help you, she is the librarian best able to help you navigate information
resources for academic research or additional reading listed on the library research guide for
Core. Please contact Prof. Bastian if you need additional help finding sources for your Core
writing assignments ​andrea.bastian@valpo.edu​.

Attendance Policy:
All Core students are expected to be present for all synchronous class periods.​ Asynchronous
sections may have an attendance policy that reflects maintaining the schedule.​ If a student misses
three classes in a row, or 4 hours of class overall, a notice will be sent to students and advisors
through the Starfish system. Please let your instructor know if you have to be absent due to other
Valparaiso University commitments such as music, athletics, etc. The specific absence policy
for this class is​: ​Typically, having 3 absences is acceptable; a fourth absence is considered
excessive.

There are no make-ups of midterm, final exams, or quizzes except in cases of documented
emergency or other excused event (e.g., participation as an athlete in a VU athletic event) and
with prior permission from the instructor or notification as soon as possible. In such cases, the
make-up must be completed in a timely manner.

Being absent, whether excused or not. does not change the due dates for homework, writing
assignments, or tests unless circumstances warrant an exception.

It is your responsibility to check the syllabus, your email, and/or blackboard for Assignments.

Students who are ill should not attend class and will be given the opportunity to make up
assignments. In cases of illness and/or quarantine, please stay in close contact with your
instructor to coordinate work and due dates.

Homework Expectations:
According to university policy, students should expect up to 300 minutes of homework per week
for a class that meets 150 minutes a week. Please note that Core Lab requirements are in addition
to this. ​It’s a good idea to set aside specific homework time for every class and stick to that
schedule. ​This will help you keep on top of your workload and set good habits right away. In
addition, being well prepared and engaged helps create a vibrant class atmosphere.
15% of your grade will be assessed to reflect your preparation for class (homework, occasional
pop quizzes), your participation in activities and discussion, and your engagement with the

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content and people in our class. It is your responsibility to check Blackboard for assignments and
your VU email account for announcements.
Note that ​Core is a four-credit course, but we hold our discussions asynchronously only during
three class hours a week. You receive an additional credit (the 4​th​ credit) for Core Lab
requirements and responsibilities, which will be spread out over the semester. Please see the
Core lab section above and the planning flyer you will receive from your instructor.

Online Expectations:
It’s important to me to maintain an atmosphere in which every voice is heard and respected. In
other words, as we learn about empathy and dialogue, let’s make it a centerpiece of our
classroom practice.
When we are meeting online as a class, please note the following expectations:
● Make sure you have supplies needed daily to contribute to your Remote Learning classes. Those
include, but are not limited to, a laptop, a reliable connection to the internet, books, workbooks,
pencils, power cord, headphones, charger and other items commonly used in Remote Learning

● Participate in synchronous and asynchronous class activities in a polite and respectable manner;

● Zoom Participation: ​Resist the ​Urge​,

Please remain engaged during our Zoom meetings! While on Zoom, you will probably be tempted at
some point to check your email, text, work on other classwork, play games, check the news, etcetera.
I get it; I do these things from time to time myself. Without demanding perfection of each other,
there are steps we can all take to make our Zoom gatherings better. The following guidelines are to
ensure the most ​engaging​, ​interactive​, ​productive​ learning environment possible:

1. Do yourself a favor and close out any unnecessary files, applications, etc. at the beginning of class.
Consider the class like a professional situation in which texting, browsing, chatting, etc. are not
appropriate unless directly related to what we are doing.
2. Keep your mic muted when not speaking.
3. ​Students will keep their cameras on unless told otherwise. If this is not possible, notify your
instructor.
4. I don’t love calling on students in class, but in Zoom, I make an exception. Be prepared to
answer if called on.
5. ​Students will engage in class and in discussion as much as is expected in the face-to-face
classroom.
4. If you need to temporarily leave the meeting for a good reason, please do so. (You don’t need to
ask my permission.)
5. Full Synchronous class meetings will be set to automatically record. ​Be aware that all chat
transcripts, including private chats, are recorded as well!
6. Have fun with Zoom’s features. React. Use the chat feed to question, respond, and drop in links
to resources/ relevant content.

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University Policies & Resources
Emergencies:
VU’s Emergency Notification System (ENS) uses multiple forms of communication, including
e-mail, building alarms, outdoor sirens, message boards, computer alerts, Twitter, and public
address messaging. Please review the specific procedures for this class found in Blackboard.
Remember: “Siren inside, GO outside; Siren outside, GO inside.” To evacuate, gather your
personal belonging quickly and proceed to the nearest exit. Do not use the elevator. To shelter in
place, move away from the windows and stay low to the ground; lock or barricade the door if
there is a threat of violence.

Academic Calendar & Final Exam Schedule:

Final Exams are required and must be given in their assigned time slot unless an exception has
been provided by the Dean’s office. Visit the Registrar’s website for the latest information:
https://www.valpo.edu/registrar/calendar/
Final Exam for this course:​ Friday Nov.20th ​11:30AM-1:10PM.

Honor Code:
● All participants in Core 110 will uphold the Valparaiso University Honor Code.
● Valparaiso University’s Honor Code​ - ​http://www.valpo.edu/student/honorcouncil/
o “I have neither given or received, nor have I tolerated others’ use of unauthorized
aid.”
The basic guidelines for this class are as follows:
● Students will work entirely on their own when taking exams or quizzes.
During exams or quizzes, no phones are allowed to be out for any reason.
● Students’ writing for every assignment will be entirely their own.
Collaborative brainstorming on ideas, concepts, examples, evidence, and
the like is encouraged, but all writing must be the student’s own writing.
● Students are required to write out (or type) the Honor Code on all
assignments and tests and sign it with their signature (not typed).
● Students are required to clarify Honor Code parameters for all assignments
if they are unsure.
Authorized aid for the purpose of this class is defined as the following: your own
personal knowledge on all exams and your own writing on all written work. In
other words, you are to do your own work at all times. Copying any text verbatim
from a book or article, except for cited quotations, constitutes plagiarism and is a
violation of the Honor Code. Similarly, copying and pasting text from web sites

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 into your papers or presentations, except for cited quotations, constitutes
plagiarism and is a violation of the Honor Code. This means you should pay
careful attention on each writing or presentation assignment to cite properly any
sources you use. Copying answers, in whole or in part, from a classmate’s test or
using a book, note sheet, cell phone, or other wireless device during an exam is
also a violation of the Honor Code.
This does not mean, however, that you may not have help in editing and revising
your written work. In addition to meeting with your instructor, you are authorized
and encouraged to take your writing assignments to the Writing Center. You may
follow any of the suggestions you receive at the Writing Center. You may also
allow fellow classmates to review your writing and offer suggestions on ways to
improve it. Just keep in mind at all times that the actual writing is to remain your
own.

Access and Accommodations Resource Center:

The Access & Accommodations Resource Center (AARC) is the campus office that works with
students to provide access and accommodations in cases of diagnosed mental or emotional health
issues, attentional or learning disabilities, vision or hearing limitations, chronic diseases, or
allergies. ​Resources will be identified and shared for students with disabilities or those who
experience difficulties regarding remote delivery of courses. ​You can contact the office
at ​aarc@valpo.edu​ or ​219.464.5206​. Students who need, or think they may need,
accommodations due to a diagnosis, or who think they have a diagnosis, are invited to contact
AARC to arrange a confidential discussion with the AARC office. Further, students who are
registered with AARC are required to contact their professor(s) if they wish to exercise the
accommodations outlined in their letter from the AARC.

University Counseling Center:

The University Counseling Center is located on the Northwest side of Alumni Hall. This is a
wonderful resource that is available to all VU students. Students may use the counseling center
to enhance their current functioning or wellbeing as well as receive help with any issues they are
facing. Individual counseling is available free of charge for full-time undergraduate, graduate or
law students. Intake appointments can be arranged by going in person to the Counseling Center
in Alumni Hall or by calling ​219-464-5002​.

Diversity & Inclusion:

Valparaiso University aspires to be a welcoming community, one built on participation, mutual
respect, freedom, faith, competency, positive regard, and inclusion. We see difference as a
strength and reason for celebration. As such, we do not tolerate language or behavior that

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demeans members of our classrooms based on age, ethnicity, race, color, religion, sexual
orientation, gender identity, biological sex, disabilities (visible and invisible), socio-economic
status, and national origin. Instead we commit ourselves to the values of diversity and
nondiscrimination, conducting our classroom as “a learning community where students are
encouraged to question, to engage, to challenge, to explore, and ultimately, to embark on a
rewarding personal and professional journey. This can be done only in an environment where
diversity is honored and respected. Diversity of thought. Diversity of background. Diversity of
faith." (President Mark Heckler)

Title IX Support:
Valparaiso University strives to provide an environment free of discrimination, harassment, and
sexual misconduct (sexual harassment, sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, and
stalking). If you have been the victim of sexual misconduct, we encourage you to report the
incident. If you report the incident to a University faculty member or instructor, she or he must
notify the University’s Title IX Coordinator about the basic facts of the incident. Disclosures to
University faculty or instructors of sexual misconduct incidents are not confidential under Title
IX. Confidential support services available on campus include: Sexual Assault Awareness &
Facilitative Education Office “SAAFE” (219-464-6789), Counseling Center (219-464-5002),
University Pastors (219-464-5093), and Student Health Center (219- 464-5060). For more
information, visit http://www.valpo.edu/titleix/.

Academic Support Services:

To get help in this course, the best place to start is to work with your instructor during office
hours and ask your professor if there are any Help Sessions or department-level tutoring offered
for this course. The next step is to use the Academic Success Center (ASC) online directory
(valpo.edu/academicsuccess) or contact the ASC (academic.success@valpo.edu) to help point
you in the right direction for academic support resources for this course. Valpo’s learning centers
(Writing Center, Language Resource Center, [Hesse Learning Resource & Assessment Center]
and Academic Success Center) offer a variety of programs and services that provide group and
individual learning assistance for many subject areas.

Student Athletes:
Student athletes are excused from class for university-sponsored competitions; however, an
excused absence does not excuse students from completing course work missed during
absences. The manner in which work will be made up is at the discretion of instructors, and
students are responsible for obtaining any class notes or other course material missed due to
absences prior to subsequent exams or deadlines for graded assignments.

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To receive accommodations that ensure athletes are not penalized for excused absences for
university athletic events, student athletes must contact instructors on or before the first day of
class to provide a written list of upcoming games or meets. They are expected to highlight the
athletic competitions that will conflict with the class and provide contact information for coaches
and academic counselors in athletics. The purpose of this information is to help faculty members
enter into a network of support with coaches and counselors to promote student athlete success in
the classroom.

Class Cancellation Method:

Notifications of class cancellations will be made through Blackboard with as much advance
notice as possible. It will be both posted on Blackboard and sent to your Valpo e-mail address. If
you don’t check your Valpo e-mail account regularly or have it set-up to be forwarded to your
preferred e-mail account, you may not get the message. Please check Blackboard and your Valpo
e-mail (or the e-mail address it forwards to) before coming to class.

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