YOUR STORY - Syllabus
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The first year seminar course 'Your Story' focuses on developing storytelling and listening skills through individual and peer interactions, structured around a 'challenge by choice' philosophy. Students will engage in both soft skills, like effective communication, and hard skills, such as writing and reflection, while creating personalized outcomes each quarter. The course employs a non-traditional pedagogy, prioritizing student-centered activities and peer feedback across four thematic quarters.
YOUR STORY - Syllabus
- 1. First Year Experience Bring YOUR Aspirations FYS 121-012 | Class Number - 5161 Ahi First Year Seminar: YOUR STORY 01/14/20 - 05/08/20 T/Th - 11:10 AM-12:25 PM Communication - Room 246 “The story of your life is not your life. It is YOUR STORY.” - John Brown, Novelist First Year Seminar 121 Spring 2020 | Credit Hours - 3 Instructor Chad Williamson 813.293.8969 chad.williamson@nau.edu Office Hours - by appointment Peer Facilitator Adalynn Mills 973-216-0003 akm358@nau.edu
- 2. “When a story is shared, the audience feels the story. Our whole brain is activated and meaning is extracted. The meaning of the story comes from the personal connection the audience feels when they’re listening to the story. And when a story is well told, they’re able to feel connected not just to the story, but to the storyteller.” - Dr. Jennifer Aaker, The Power of Story Course Purpose The purpose of YOUR STORY is to build individual capacity for meaningful storytelling and intentional listening. Challenges Human experience is deeply rooted in story...both telling and listening. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is an energy that each student will embrace through the process of capacity building for storytelling. Students will enter into a “challenge by choice” philosophy, which requires a stretch mindset to stay in between comfort and panic. It’s much like stretching a rubber band. We will collectively untangle stories to provide more clarity and meaning. Rubber has some strange elastic properties. It is a polymer – that means that the rubber molecules are made of long chains of atoms. When a rubber band is unstretched (relaxed state) the molecule chains are all twisted up (Figure 1(a)). As the rubber is stretched they begin to untangle themselves as shown in Figure 1(b).
- 3. Skills There is an abundance of language around “soft” skills and “hard” skills. Although soft skills are not so soft, it’s important to understand the official definitions as it relates to this course and the ability to build both. Soft 1. personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people. Hard 1. teachable and measurable abilities, such as writing, reading, math or ability to use computer programs. Tangible soft skills of this course will require intentional listening and reflection to become a better storyteller. Hard skills will include effective writing and oral communication with the foundation of qualitative reasoning. Course Grading Work turned in on time = 100% Work turned in late = 50% Work not turned in at all = 0 *All “outputs” on the schedule are graded assignments Attendance In a First Year Seminar course, attendance is not optional...it is required. So, all you have to do is show up to receive credit. If you must miss class, please communicate with the instructor or peer facilitator through email in a timely manner with a credible reason for absence.
- 4. Course Outcomes This is Your Story. Every student will create their own outcomes per quarter and will be provided with essential questions to navigate outcomes for each specific quarter. Documenting outcomes is difficult and could be very different for each student. At the beginning of each quarter, the instructor will provide an overview for that time period and students will create a long-term outcome brief (250 words or less). At the beginning of each class, the instructor will introduce the daily activity and every student will create a short-term outcome statement in 12 words or less. This is a student-centered approach. Logic Model Instructor Facilitation → Student Centered → Peer Feedback Input Activity Output Outcome Impact Quarter #1 Per Instructor Who Per Student Per Peer Quarter #2 Per Instructor Why Per Student Per Peer Quarter #3 Per Instructor Where Per Student Per Peer Quarter #4 Per Instructor How Per Student Per Peer Teaching Style - Facilitation Pedagogy is a word used frequently in the academic world...here’s the official definition: 1. the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept. The pedagogy of this course is anti-lecture. Students will be challenged as individuals, in groups, and as a collective. Daily activities will be the driving force behind learning outcomes and impact.
- 5. Course Structure 1st Quarter - Who? ● Weeks 1-4 ● Classes 1-8 2nd Quarter - Why? ● Weeks 5-8 ● Classes 9-16 Midterm - Individual Pitch Deck 3rd Quarter - Where? ● Weeks 9-12 ● Classes 17-24 4th Quarter - How? ● Weeks 13-16 ● Classes 25-32 Final - Individual Trailer and/or Documentary Well?