SYA 4941
and SYA5933
Group
Related Internship Program (GRIP)
Summer C 2008
Class:
Wednesdays 5:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. in Turlington 2303
|
Instructor: |
Monika
Ardelt, Ph.D. |
|
Office: |
3350
Turlington |
|
Phone: |
392-0251
ext. 247 |
|
E-mail: |
ardelt@soc.ufl.edu |
|
Office
Hours: |
W 3:00 -
4:45 p.m. and by appointment |
|
WWW: |
http://web.soc.ufl.edu/faculty/ardelt.htm |
Course
Content
“One thing I know: The
only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have
sought and
found how to serve.”
(Albert Schweitzer)
This
course provides an opportunity to reflect
on, discuss,
and learn from your internship/service learning experiences
in a group-related setting. In addition, we will use this
class
and your internship experience to reflect on the greater picture, or
“what’s it
all about.” We will discuss the meaning of life from a sociological,
philosophical, and spiritual perspective. Although, according to Max
Weber, sociology
(and science in general) cannot provide an answer to this question, it
can help
us to examine the philosophical and spiritual answers through the
sociological
lens.
In What’s It
All About? Philosophy and the Meaning of Life,
Julian Baggini approaches the question
of the meaning and purpose of life from a philosophical and secular
perspective. In contrast, Bo Lozoff in It’s
a Meaningful Life: It Just Takes Practice represents the spiritual
point of
view and also directly addresses the question of service-learning. We
will read,
write about, and discuss both books in the first half of Summer C.
In the second half of Summer C, you will read
Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel
and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in
Objectives
1.
Integrate
your course-based training in sociology with an internship/service
learning experience.
2.
Reflect on, discuss, and learn from
your
internship/service learning experience in a group setting.
3.
Clarify
our personal
maps of reality in writing and class discussions. The goal is for each
of us to
explicitly become aware of our deepest presuppositions and values. What
gives
our lives meaning and purpose? Do these values and beliefs lead us in
the
direction we want to go? Are they likely to help humankind and the
world?
4.
Learn to
listen
attentively and appreciatively to classmates in order to understand
their
points of view regarding the meaning and purpose of life. Help them
clarify
their points of view and be open to their attempts to understand and
clarify
yours.
Required
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. What’s
it all about? Philosophy and the meaning of life.
Ehrenreich,
Barbara. 2002. Nickel
and dimed: On (not) getting by in
Lozoff, Bo.
2000. It’s a
meaningful life. It just takes practice.
The above books
are
available for purchase at Goerings
Textbooks,
Plus read
one spiritual book of your choice. Suggested books:
Dalai,
Lama and Howard C. Cutler. 1998. The art of
happiness: A handbook for living.
Kabat-Zinn,
Jon. 2005. Wherever you go, there you
are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life.
Macdonald, Copthorne. (1993). Toward wisdom: Finding our way to inner peace, love and
happiness.
Tolle,
Eckhart. 2004. The power of NOW: A guide to spiritual enlightenment.
Tolle,
Eckhart. 2006. A new earth: Awakening to
your life’s purpose.
Recommended
Maimon,
Elaine P., Janice H. Peritz, and Kathleen
Blake Yancey. 2007. A writer’s resource.
A handbook for writing and research. 2nd Edition.
Requirements
Attendance:
We will meet nine times during Summer C. We will meet six times during
Summer A
and three times during Summer B. Attendance of class is required
because
non-attendance by several students at a time will destroy the dynamic
of the
class. You will earn one point
for each class that you attend for the full class period.
You will receive partial credit for classes that you attend for parts
of the
class period.
Discussion
Activities:
During Summer B, you will be asked to discuss Nickel and dimed and the spiritual book of your choice
and to reply to at
least 3 postings of your fellow
students, using the “Discussions” tool in E-Learning (see
below for
accessing E-Learning). You will earn one
point for your own discussion contribution if you write at least
300 words
and one point for your replies to
fellow students if the replies add up to at least 300 words.
Internship/Service
Learning Project: You are
expected to spend at least three hours per
week (after receiving the appropriate training) at your internship/service
learning site (or a
minimum of 30 volunteer hours during
Summer C). As your internship/service
learning experience, you
should assist and/or be a companion to another human being in need.
Examples of
internship/volunteering opportunities are nursing homes, assisted
living
facilities, homeless shelters, shelters for troubled and runaway teens,
and
soup kitchens. Make sure that your internship/service
learning experience consists of
actual contacts with people in need rather than more distant
administrative
work. Examples for service learning opportunities
can be found here
and at the
Reflection Journal: For 10 weeks, you will write at least three
pages (i.e., a minimum of 70 lines) for a
reflection “journal”. Each
reflection journal entry is worth 3 points for a total of 30% of
your final grade. To get full credit, you need to submit at least 70
lines of
text per reflection journal entry (names and headings do not count as
lines of
text). Reflections should be typed and double-spaced (Times New Roman or
equivalent font in size 11 or 12) and should contain a heading that
identifies the student and the class topic. At least one page of this
“journal”
must be devoted to a discussion of the readings for the coming class
and/or
reflections about class discussion of the readings for the previous
week. The
remaining portion of the “journal” should be devoted to a detailed
description
of your internship/service
learning experience
during the past week and the application of one of the mindfulness
practices
introduced in class followed by an analysis of the experience,
particularly
with regard to the current class topic and the assigned readings. End
by
reflecting on the relevance of the internship/service
learning experience,
the mindfulness practice, and/or the course content for your personal
or
professional life.
For each reflection journal entry, use the
following subheadings:
(a) Discussion of the readings AND/OR
reflections on class discussion
of the previous week’s readings
(b) Description of internship/service
learning experience from the
previous week and your application of one of the mindfulness practices
given in
class
(c) Analysis of the internship/service
learning experience
(d) Application of the readings, the
internship/service learning
experience, AND/OR the mindfulness practice to your personal or
professional
life.
The following are guidelines for writing the
description of your internship/service
learning experience:
1. Write down the date, time, and location of the service learning experience.
2. Describe the environment (does not need to be repeated if the environment does not change in subsequent visits).
3. Describe all persons in detail, i.e., age, gender, race, physical appearance, etc. (does not need to be repeated if the same persons are encountered in subsequent visits).
4. Make sure that all persons remain anonymous, i.e., use only pseudonyms as names.
5. Describe your service learning experience in chronological order and in as much detail as possible.
6. Include any information that you think would be noteworthy.
You can submit all your reflection journal
entries via E-Learning,
but I invite you to submit the first four reflection journal entries as
a hard
copy at the end of the class (starting with the second class meeting)
so that I
can give you written feed-back on your reflections. Reflection journal
entries
#5 - #10 should be submitted through E-Learning after the file has been
saved either as a
Word document (*.doc) or as a rich text format (*.rtf) file. I will not be able to download, read, and
grade any
other file format.
To submit your MS Word file or *.rtf file in
E-Learning, go to the
Important: Before you log in to E-Learning for the
first time on
your computer, you should perform a browser and Java check to make sure
that
both are compatible with E-Learning. To do so, go to the
After you have successfully logged into E-Learning, click on the link for our course. To submit
a
reflection journal entry via E-Learning, click on the “Assignments”
tab in the tool bar and then on the link of the reflection journal
entry you
want to submit. The Submission screen for that reflection journal entry
appears.
Submitting a reflection journal entry
involves
two steps:
(1)
Upload
the file from your
computer to E-Learning:
·
To
locate the file, click on “Add Attachments” to open the “File
Browser” window.
·
Click
on “My Computer” to open the “Upload
Files from Your
Computer” window.
·
Click
on “Browse” to open your computer’s browser.
·
Select
the file you want to upload by double-clicking on it (or click
on the file and then click “Open”).
·
You
are returned
to the “Upload Files from Your Computer” window. Click on “OK”.
·
The
Submission screen for that reflection journal entry appears again.
You will see a hyperlink for your reflection journal file. You can
click on the
hyperlink to make sure that it is the correct file.
(2)
Submit
the file for grading.
·
Click
on “Submit”. A screen appears asking you “Are you sure you want
to submit this assignment?” Click on “OK”.
·
The
submission confirmation screen appears. Click on “OK”.
If you want to revise and resubmit your
reflection
journal entry before the due date, click on “Assignments” in the tool
bar,
click on the “Submitted” tab, and then on the “Take Submission Back to
Inbox”
icon in the top right corner. This will move the reflection journal
entry back
to the “Inbox” and you can click on the reflection journal entry and
repeat the
above steps to submit a revised version of your reflection journal
entry.
Before you do this, however, you should click on the “Remove” icon to
remove
the old version of your reflection journal entry first.
To view your submitted reflection journal
entries, click on “Assignments” in the tool bar and then click on the
“Submitted” tab. All reflection journal entries you have submitted and
resubmitted, and reflection journal entries for which you have missed
the
cutoff date will be listed. Once reflection journal entries are graded,
however, they are moved to the “Graded” tab. To view your grades, click
on
“Assignments” in the toolbar and then on the “Graded” tab or click on
“My
Grades” in the toolbar.
Term Paper:
There will be one term paper that is due on July 30 during regular
class time
and is worth 44% of your final grade. The term paper should be based on
your internship/service
learning project and your reflection journal and include references to
the four
books you have read in class. It should be between 8-15 pages long. You will present a summary
of your term paper during the class meeting on July 30 or August 6. Detailed instructions for the term paper can
be found here.
Cheating: I define copying parts or all of an author’s
or
another student’s work or allowing another student to copy parts or all
of your
work as cheating.
WARNING: Students who are caught
cheating in this way will fail the class immediately!
Exams:
There are no exams in this course.
Accommodations for Students with
Disabilities: Students
requesting
classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students
Office.
The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student
who must
then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting
accommodation.
Grading
|
Requirement
Class attendance On-line discussions Reflection journal entries Class presentation of research Term paper |
% of
Final Grade
8%
8%
30%
10%
44% |
Plus one extra credit point
for students who attend all nine classes for the full class period.
We will not grade on a curve, i.e. your grade
will depend on your
absolute performance, not your performance compared to other students.
The points that you will earn can be
translated into letter-grades as
follows:
|
90.0 - 100.0 = A |
70.0 - <77.5
= C |
Tentative Class Schedule
05/14 – Introduction to GRIP
Baggini, Julian. 2007. “Introduction”
Pp. 1-4 in What’s It All About?
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “Introduction: Let’s
not miss the meaning of life.” Pp. 1-10 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
05/21
– Where Can We Find
the Meaning of Life?
Baggini, Julian. 2007. “Looking
for the blueprint” Pp. 5-22 in What’s It
All About? Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Baggini, Julian. 2007. “Living life forwards”
Pp. 23-39 in What’s It All About?
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “Creating a personal
spiritual practice.” Pp. 13-24 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On developing
spiritual awareness: Spirituality is not optional.” Pp. 35-48 in It’s a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Classic breath-centered
meditation
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On the process of
change: You can do hard.” Pp. 49-58 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Vow practice
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On facing fears and
challenges: It’s not the top, it’s the climb.” Pp. 59-66 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Facing fears
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #1; submit during class as a hard copy or through E-Learning before class.
05/28
– Practicing “Selfless”
Service and Compassionate Love in an Unpredictable World
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “More things in
heaven and earth” Pp. 40-57 in What’s It
All About? Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “Here to help” Pp.
58-71 in What’s It All About? Philosophy
and the Meaning of Life.
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On developing
equanimity: The coal miner’s faith.” Pp. 67-72 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: “Anything that can happen”
mantra
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On humility or defeat:
Lucky breaks and fractures.” Pp. 73-81 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Mantras for everyday life
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On prayer: Our cosmic
safety net.” Pp. 82-91 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Prayer
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On kindness and
compassion: It always gets back to kindness.” Pp. 106-114 in It’s a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Setting the stage for a life
of lovingkindness
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “Practicing service.”
Pp. 117-126 in It’s a Meaningful Life.
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On citizenship as
service: Becoming civilized.” Pp. 127-134 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Civilizing your world
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #2; submit during class as a hard copy or through E-Learning before class.
06/04
– The Greater Good and
the Pursuit of Happiness
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “The greater good”
Pp. 72-88 in What’s It All About?
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “As long as you’re
happy” Pp. 89-105 in What’s It All About?
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On happiness and joy:
Waking up from the American dream.” Pp. 25-34 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Clarifying your motivation
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On pride and false
self-esteem: Take off the bumper stickers.” Pp. 92-99 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: A prayer of humility
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On true self-esteem:
But enough about me.” Pp. 100-105 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: An exercise in seeing
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On the importance of
deeper values: Chicken Little was right.” Pp. 135-141 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Values exercise
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On simple living: The
big activism.” Pp. 142-150 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Living simply
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On materialism: A
house too small may be a blessing.” Pp. 151-159 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Sacred reading
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On television, movies,
and music: What are we thinking?” Pp. 160-167 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: A television vow
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #3; submit during class as a hard copy or through E-Learning before class.
06/11 – What
Should We Strive Toward in Life?
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “Becoming a
contender” Pp. 106-123 in What’s It All
About? Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “Carpe diem” Pp.
124-139 in What’s It All About?
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On finding one’s
calling: The Gospel of following bliss.” Pp. 168-174 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Stopping
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On meaningful work:
Mistaken identity.” Pp. 175-184 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Work/life vision quest
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On individualism: One
for all, all for one.” Pp. 185-192 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: The breath of life
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On being able: Fix
your La-Z-Boy.” Pp. 219-227 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Working with your hands
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On the value of
failure: Success by failure.” Pp. 228-236 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: A day of silence
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #4; submit during class as a hard copy or through E-Learning before class.
06/18 – Universal Connectedness
and Individual
Souls
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “Lose your self”
Pp. 140-157 in What’s It All About?
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “The threat of
meaninglessness” Pp. 158-173 in What’s It
All About? Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “Of which reason
knows nothing” Pp. 174-184 in What’s It
All About? Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Baggini,
Julian. 2007. “Conclusion” Pp.
185-188 in What’s It All About?
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On marriage and
relationships: … the other tastes salt.” Pp. 193-202 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Daily marriage vows
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On dealing with anger:
The fortress of anger.” Pp. 203-211 in It’s
a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Working with anger
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On the essential
elements of child-raising: A Mensch is a Mensch, big or small.” Pp.
212-218 in It’s a Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Taking inventory
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On reality checking:
Honest truth and honest fiction.” Pp. 237-245 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Talking circle – opening
honesty to truth
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On judging and
judgmentalism: A time to speak.” Pp. 246-253 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Talking circle – Discerning
versus judging
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “On compassion for the
unfortunate: Every mother’s child.” Pp. 254-262 in It’s a
Meaningful Life.
A Practice: Radical goodwill
Lozoff,
Bo. 2000. “Afterword: Keeping it
simple.” Pp. 263-267 in It’s a Meaningful
Life.
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #5; submit through E-Learning before class.
06/25 – BREAK WEEK!
07/02
– No class meeting: Work on Internship/Service
Learning
Project
Ehrenreich, Barbara. 2002. “Introduction:
Getting ready.” Pp. 1-10 in Nickel
and dimed: On (not)
getting by in
Ehrenreich, Barbara. 2002. “Serving in
Read the first quarter of the spiritual book of your choice.
Required Action (between 6/19 and 7/02 at 5 p.m.)
On E-Learning, discuss how personal spiritual development might be related to the pursuit of social justice and the relief of human suffering based on Nickel and dimed and the spiritual book of your choice (at least 300 words). Reply to at least 3 postings of your fellow students (at least 300 words total).
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #6; submit through E-Learning before 5 p.m.
07/09
– No class meeting: Work on Internship/Service
Learning Project
Ehrenreich,
Barbara. 2002. “Scrubbing in
Read the second quarter of the spiritual book of your choice.
Required Action (between 7/03 and 7/09 at 5 p.m.)
Try to practice kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and genuine goodwill toward others in your everyday life and discuss your experiences and the reaction of others in some detail on E-Learning. Also discuss how your experiences are related to Nickel and dimed and the spiritual book of your choice (at least 300 words). Reply to at least 3 postings of your fellow students (at least 300 words total).
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #7; submit through E-Learning before 5 p.m.
07/16
– No class meeting: Work on Internship/Service
Learning
Project
Ehrenreich, Barbara. 2002. “Selling in
Read the third quarter of the spiritual book of your choice.
Required Action (between 7/10 and 7/16 at 5 p.m.)
On E-Learning, try to explain the paradox that personal and societal change first necessitates an acceptance of reality as it is. Use Nickel and dimed and the spiritual book of your choice as your inspiration. How does an acceptance of the present reality promote inner and outer peace (at least 300 words)? Reply to at least 3 postings of your fellow students (at least 300 words total).
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #8; submit through E-Learning before 5 p.m.
07/23 – Taking Stock: What
Have We Learned So Far?
and Discussion of Term Paper Preparations: Challenges and Difficulties
Ehrenreich, Barbara. 2002. “Evaluation.” Pp.
193-end in Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in
Read the final quarter of the spiritual book of your choice.
Required Action (between 7/17 and 7/23 at 5 p.m.)
On E-Learning, discuss how (and if) your sense of purpose and meaning in life has changed as a result of taking this course (at least 300 words). Reply to at least 3 postings of your fellow students (at least 300 words total).
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #9; submit through E-Learning before 5 p.m.
07/30 -
Class Presentations of Term Papers
Required Submission
Reflection journal entry #10; submit through E-Learning before 5 p.m.
Term papers are due as a hard copy during class
time!
Maimon,
Elaine P., Janice H. Peritz, and
Kathleen Blake Yancey. 2007. A Writer’s Resource. A Handbook for
Writing and
Research. 2nd Edition.
08/06
- Class Presentations
of Term Papers
Maimon,
Elaine P., Janice H. Peritz, and
Kathleen Blake Yancey. 2007. A Writer’s Resource. A Handbook for
Writing and
Research. 2nd Edition.