Course Number:  IPE 1013, Section 001
Meeting Times:  M,W,F,  12:30 - 1:20 PM
Meeting Place:  101 Gould Hall
 

In this course you will engage in learning activities designed to help you understand how different academic disciplines frame and answer questions, and you will work on developing an outlook on the mall that integrates these diverse approaches.

This course serves as the introduction to a new 5-course minor entitled Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Environment (IPE).  For further information on the minor please consult the IPE web site, or ask one of the instructors.  It also satisfies the Gen. Ed. Social Science (Core Area III) requirement.
  

4.  Course Schedule

The course will be divided into five units:

1. Introduction and Overview
2. The Mall as a Physical Structure
3. The Mall as an Economic Center
4. The Mall as a Cultural and Moral Phenomenon
5. Work on Final Presentations

The Schedule page on this web site shows the dates for each unit, the faculty member who will lead it, and the due dates for course work.  Prior to each unit, the Schedule will be updated to show the topics for the classes in that unit.  The Schedule will also contain links to page assignments from the reading packet or to materials from the WWW.
 

5.  Course Readings

Some of the readings for this course will be available in course packets.  Prior to each unit the packet for that unit will be available for purchase at King Kopy, on the corner of Lindsey and Jenkins (listed under IPE 1013/1, Dr. Trachtenberg). Course packets will also be available at the Bizzell Library Reserve Desk (listed under IPE 1013/1, Dr. Trachtenberg), and at the IPE Resource Center (see below).  Prior to each unit the schedule of reading assignments for that unit will be posted on the Readings page in this web site.

Some of the readings are WWW sites.  You will be able to access them from the Readings page.  Although you are only required to read the web pages indicated, we encourage you to explore the sites further to learn more about the issues.
  

6.  Course Work

This course will involve both individual work and group projects.  Individual work counts for 70% of your grade; group work counts for 30% (the precise breakdown is listed in the table below).

In the third week of the course you will be assigned to a small group you will work with for the rest of the semester.  Your group will have a faculty advisor, who will help you with your work, and answer questions about the course.  Your faculty advisor will grade all of your work for the class (except for the Unit 1 Assignment).

For Unit 1, your assignment will be to visit a local shopping location, and to record your observations on several specific questions (2 pp.).

For Units 2 - 4, your work will be based on a group project in which you apply the concepts and methods presented in each unit to a case study.  Your group will be assigned a local shopping location to study over the term; during Units 2 - 4 you will build up your understanding of your particular case.  Early in each unit you will be given an individual assignment relevant to the group project.  The assignment (2-3 pp.) will cover some of the basic concepts presented in class and the readings, and will also ask you to apply these concepts to your group's case.  During the unit your group will discuss your ideas, both in and out of class, and develop its findings.  On the last day of each unit your group will present its findings to other groups, in a 10 minute presentation supported by a poster.  Your will receive a grade for your own work on your individual assignment, and the grade for the work of the group as a whole on its presentation.

For the last several weeks of the semester, your group will work on a final presentation of its case study.  In this presentation your group will sythesize its findings from Units 2 - 4 into an integrated analysis of the shopping location you have studied.  As with the unit presentations, you will have an individual assignment (3-5 pp.) that contributes to the group project, and the group will together develop a 20 minute presentation (supported by posters) of the conclusions you reach together.  You will receive a grade for your individual assignment, and the group's grade for the presention.

The final exam will have two elements.  First, you will discuss the final presentation made by one of the other groups in the class.  Second, you will discuss the ideas presented over the course as a whole.

More detailed descriptions of the various assignments will be posted on the Assignments page on this web site during the term--click on the links in the table below to see them.
 

7. Course Web site

8.  Other Information

Seating.  After your group has been formed in the third week of class your seat will be assigned, in order to facilitate group discussions.

Grading.  Except fot the Unit 1 Assignment, all your work will be graded by your faculty advisor.  You will receive letter grades (which might include a plus or minus).  At the end of the semester your scores on all the assignments will be averaged together according to the weights listed above.  At this time any plus or minus will be dropped.  You can keep track of your scores and your APPROXIMATE cumulative grade during the term on the Grades page on this web site.  It will be your responsibility to bring any errors in the record of your grades to the instructors' attention.

Late Work.  Late work will only be accepted if arranged in advance with your faculty advisor, and only on the basis of a substantial and demonstrable hardship (e.g. a verified medical, family, or job-related emergency).  In keeping with the university's policy on religious observance, you should inform your faculty advisor if an assignment is due on a day you will miss class for a religious observance, in order to arrange for an alternate due date.

Attendance.  Full attendance is expected, and students will be unable to do well without attending class.  Attendance here includes paying attention.  Your mere physical presence is not enough--we expect you to take part in the activities of the class.  If you are close to the borderline for a higher mark, your final grade can be rounded up on the basis of our evaluation of your attendance.

Cell phones.  Please turn off cell phones before you come to class.  If you must be available for a call, set your phone to signal you silently, and take the call in the hallway.

Academic Misconduct.  We will rigorously enforce the University's policies on academic misconduct.  In written work you must cite all the sources you consult.  However, respect for academic conduct is consistent with fully participating in groups.  Honesty simply demands that you acknowledge help you receive from other members of your group--in or out of class--on your own written work.  In fact we urge you to discuss the issues of the course outside of class--but you must do your written work on your own, and must cite any assistance you receive from others.  Please ask us if you have any questions about academic conduct in general, or about specific situations that might arise during this course.

Reasonable Accommodation.  Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact us personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure his or her full participation and facilitate his or her educational opportunities.
  

9.  IPE Resource Center

To support the IPE minor, and your work in this course, there is a Resource Center located in room 434 in the Energy Center (two floors above the Geology Library).  Click here for the hours it is open.  The Resource Center contains the course readings, plus a collection of books, videos, and other materials on various environmental issues.  There is also a computer with internet access.  You may use this to get help from the student assistant on navigating the web.

The Resource Center will be open at the hours listed above.  You may use materials in the reading room at the Center, or borrow them briefly for xeroxing at the Geology Library nearby.