ILS 400 – Meiklejohn Senior Capstone Seminar



ILS 400Senior Capstone SeminarEducation, Leadership & Character1:00–3:30 p.m. Wednesdays Instructor: Dr. Cathy MiddlecampOffice: 207 Meiklejohn House Phone: 262-8661 or 263-5647E-mail: chmiddle@wisc.eduOffice hours: Before class or by appointmentEducation, Leadership, & CharacterThe first theme, Education, looks at how we can best educate ourselves to be prepared for the world in which we will live as citizens, persons, and in interpersonal relationship. William Butler Yeats eloquently noted that such an education is neither passively received nor easily contained when he wrote: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”The second theme, Leadership, is both a matter of external acts and the internal reflections that must precede and later evaluate those actions. Leadership is not mere management, nor is it all about charisma. The contemporary Paul Woodruff writes, “Reverence, not justice, is the virtue that separates leaders from tyrants…”Leadership requires effectiveness in inspiring and coordinating people for a purpose, and thus is intimately bound up with the third theme, Character. Most people do not consider true leaders those whose integrity is questionable to them.Together, these three themes constitute core elements of vocation or calling, one’s profession (“professing”). As Marian Wright Edelman says, “Service is the rent we pay for living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.”Seminar Goals In the tradition of the Meiklejohn Experimental College, the primary goal of the capstone seminar is to provide an intensive and sustained opportunity for graduating seniors to step back and reflect about the challenges of leadership, character, and moving into the professions and adult life in general. Through the various means provided in the seminar, participants will be able to discuss together and integrate what they have learned in Integrated Liberal Studies with what they have explored in their majors and all undergraduate work. We hope the capstone will be a “Meiklejohnian” experience of dialog and learning from one another and our speakers. As a capstone experience, the secondary goal is to provide occasions to deepen your skills in a number of directly relevant areas as preparation for graduate school or career. These include: effective written communication skills, oral communication and formal presentation skills, computing and multi-media skills as relevant or desired, teamwork capacities, the ability to analyze and constructively critique others’ work, and the “bedrock” capability to reflect deeply, individually, and in a group.Seminar OverviewPart I. Education, Leadership, & CharacterThis part will introduce you to the course, to each other, and to the life and work of Alexander Meiklejohn. As you may know, Meiklejohn was the founder of the UW-Madison Experimental College (the precursor to the Integrated Liberal Studies Program) and is the namesake of our Meiklejohn House. With the lenses of Education, Leadership, and Character, we will evaluate Meiklejohn’s actions against his and our own ideals of education, leadership, and character. Our discussions will also lead us to the work of ILS Professor Emeritus Charles Anderson and current UW-Madison History Professor William Cronon. Part II. The Experimental College: Student-led sessions.We will ask ourselves and one another that pivotal philosophical question, “For what, how, and why shall we live?”? Socrates says, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Meiklejohn believed the task of a liberal education was to prepare independent thinkers who could work together in the world, “thinking independently together.” He believed the liberal arts education uniquely prepares one for life. Looking back at our ILS and undergraduate education, and forward through the lenses of these authors, we will try to formulate our own answers to how, why and for what purposes we shall live. This part will offer you the opportunity to put into practice the student-initiated educational approach of The Experimental College. You will select readings related to contemporary issues or classical themes. The can include works from the Ex College formal curriculum, the ILS curriculum, or books and readings on topics from contemporary “big questions” such as climate change, food, water and energy use, sustainability, and global health. Each week. a different group will lead a seminar, honoring the late-night spirited discussions of the ancient Greeks held by Ex College students. To accomplish this smoothly and well, you need to carefully plan your group activity with your instructor. Here is the timeline:At least 10 days before leading the class:Meet with your instructor. At that meeting, submit a class plan that includes: (1) the topics that you wish your classmates to learn more about, (2) the ideas that you wish your classmates to consider, (3) participatory exercises that engage your classmates in the issues, and (4) other activities in specific time segments. Possibilities include: case studies, debates, interviews, role-playing, games, or other activities of your choice.At least a week before your presentation: Bring or email copies to class members copies of all readings that your group assigns. Meet with your instructor to discuss the group’s approach to the topic. In both parts of the seminar, we will strive to be mindful that our capstone course resides in a larger university and global context. To the greatest extent possible, as a class we will be mindful of the resources we consume and the waste we produce, challenging ourselves and each other to find ways to “promote environmental sustainability on and off campus.”Required Readings Adam R. Nelson, Education for Democracy: The Meaning of Alexander Meiklejohn, 1872-1964.A book on leadership of your own choosing. Several articles provided by the instructor.Part II of the seminar will require the additional readings selected by each group. These may include books, plays, short stories, speeches, a section of a larger work, poetry, artwork, short film clips, or articles. List of assignments and due dates from the DropBoxLate policyAll assignments are due at 8:00 pm. You may request an extension, but you need to do this via email by 6:00 pm Saturday, the day before the assignment is due. Earlier is even better. Your instructor will try to be reasonable in accommodating your needs, but please realize in some cases this may not be possible.What constitutes late?The time stamp in the Learn@UW DropBox is the determining factor. 8:01 pm is late.Penalty for late submissions: You will receive a maximum of 75% of the credit if the assignment is submitted by noon the next day. After this, no further credit will be awarded.Capstone Seminar Requirements: Attendance This capstone seminar aims to facilitate ample dialogue and reflection with one another. For this reason, attendance at each session is expected of all. Missing a session without an approved excuse will result in a final grade one letter grade lower than the combined result of your other work. For example, if you have an AB and miss a session without prior excuse, your final grade will be a B. We have a lot to accomplish each week, and our seminar depends on your contribution. We also will occasionally have speakers, all of whom are extremely busy people with multiple professional obligations. On-time attendance is expected. Weekly self-report (520 points)This capstone also aims to reward you for spending time out of class in ways that promote your intellectual development. How? By awarding you credit for time-on-task. Filling out the weekly self-report means:Deciding on “what counts.”Recording what you do when you do it. Monitoring the time spent to the nearest 10 minutes.Reflecting on how you spent your time each week (on the back page of the report).Judging by students in previous capstone courses, this is a surprisingly difficult task! Your instructor will spend some time with you to help you avoid the potholes.The Midterm (300 points) Meiklejohn believed that education was a group process; its success comes from what we invest in it. The midterm, described in a separate handout, was designed with this in mind.Leading a class (200 points)Scheme, dream, research, prepare and then prepare some more. Then kick back, relax, and lead your students through a 2-hour class. Use a variety of activities to engage them. The process is described in a separate handout as well.Final Paper (300 points)Civic Engagement (Option A)Meiklejohn believed in active engagement with the world. We suggest that our seminar offers a time to reflect on engagement in a special way, and therefore will offer the opportunity to any students interested in engaging in a service learning project. This requires 15-20 hours of volunteer time. Submit a final essay that integrates your service experience with Meiklejohn’s ideals and those of our readings that are directly appropriate (leadership readings, Anderson, Cronon, and others). Address these questions: What did I learn about my own educational approach, leadership capabilities, ethics, character, and sense of purpose, from my service experience? What in my ILS and undergraduate educational experience prepared me for my efforts there? How did this semester’s readings come to bear on this experience? What do I now know that I still have to learn, as a result of this experience? Length: 9-10 pages, 1” margins and double-spaced.Due: Draft #1 of paper due in Dropbox on Sunday, November 23, at 8 pm. Draft #2 due in Dropbox on Sunday, December 7, at 8 pm.Personal Reflection (Option B)While further research is not required, the final paper will be expected to integrate appropriate references to the readings and speakers this semester, and to those thinkers whose work you found especially valuable in your prior coursework in ILS and in your major. Properly cite your references. Your final paper should have four components: A personal reflection on your educational and intellectual journey and how these journeys have prepared you for what you wish to do as a profession in life, An evaluation of what lifelong educational needs remain to guide you on that path. Who do you need to take along with you on your adult journey, to continue to inform you, as you develop.A theory of leadership A sense of personal character informed by standards you make clear. Will it be Plato or Aristotle, Rousseau or Kant, Nietzsche or Freud, Emerson or Shakespeare, Dante or Leonardo da Vinci? Your call. Length: 9-10 pages, 1” margins and double-spaced. Due: Draft #1 of final paper due in Dropbox on Sunday, November 23, at 8 pm. Draft #2 due in Dropbox on Sunday, December 8, at 7 pm. Additional directions will be provided. No form of academic dishonesty will be tolerated. Plagiarism and other such instances will result in failure of the course and a letter sent to the Dean of Students. For information on what constitutes academic misconduct according to the University of Wisconsin Administrative Code, see PolicyYour final grade is based on: Your attendance. Unexcused absences = a drop in a letter grade.Your weekly self-reports The 3 short essays (2 drafts each) that you writeThe midterm: your class presentation and paperCo-leading a Meiklejohn seminar for the classYour final paperPart I. Education, Leadership & CharacterWeek 1: Answers that lie in the questions September 3, 2014 Introductions Discussion about the capstone seminar approach and seminar expectations. A sneak peek at Alexander Meiklejohn.What we can learn from questions and the process of asking themContents of your folder for this courseWhat’s the difference between a dean, a provost, and a chair?Prepare interview questions and decide format of interview for next weekDebrief at close of class.Assignment for next week:Start reading Education for Democracy, by Adam NelsonFor next week’s interview, learn about Steve Cramer, the VP for Teaching & Learning writing the essay on your intellectual journey (draft #1)This should be a personal reflection on your educational and intellectual journey and how these journeys are (or aren’t!) preparing you for your chosen profession. (2 pages, double-spaced). Draft #1 due in Dropbox on Sunday, September 14, at 8:00 pm.Week 2: Not too big; Not too small September 10, 20141:30 Interview with Professor Steve Cramer, VP for Teaching & LearningMeet at 1:00 in room Room 67 BascomWhat’s the difference between a dean, a provost, and a chair?(continued)To consider: Alexander Meiklejohn strongly believed in spirited discussion as a learning approach, and in free speech. We want everyone to speak and have an atmosphere of sufficient trust and respect to speak freely.What is an intellectual journey? A discussion of your thoughts so far.What did you include in your weekly report? Was keeping track of your time easy, hard, or possibly some of both?Prepare interview questions and decide format of interview for next weekDebrief at close of class.Assignment for next week:Keep working on your essay on your intellectual journey (draft #1). Draft #1 due in Dropbox on Sunday, September 14, at 8:00 pm.Continue reading Education for Democracy, by Adam NelsonRead: Charles W. Anderson, Purpose: What do we expect a university to do? From Prescribing the Life of the Mind, 1993.Read: Charles W. Anderson, Living Philosophically and Living Well. From A Deeper Freedom, 2002.Visit ls.wisc.edu/scholz.html to learn about Dean Karl Scholz.Week 3: Facing one another (and ourselves)September 17, 2014Meet in 101 South Hall (Dean’s conference room)1:30 Interview with Professor Karl Scholz, Dean, College of Letters & ScienceHow can you engage your classmates in learning? A sneak peek of Part II of the seminar (think Goldilocks).Who is a moral exemplar for you today? Answer this question today in terms of family and friends. What standards are you using to select this person? Plan how you would like to engage with Professor Adam Nelson next week.Debrief at close of class.Assignment for next week:Finish Draft #2 of the essay on your intellectual journey.Draft #2 due in Dropbox on Sunday, September 21, 8:00 pm. Use the feedback from your instructor (and any other feedback as well) as you write this draft.Start writing your essay on a moral exemplar (draft #1) Who is a moral exemplar for you today? What standards are you using to select? More generally, what are the moral standards we use today to assess the character of those whom we work, study, and live? Pick a person that you do not know personally (= do not pick a family member, relative, or friend). For example, pick a spiritual leader, a star, an athlete, a poet, a writer, or a public figure. The person you select should mean something to you personally. Explain this meaning to your readers. Draft #1 due in Dropbox on Sunday, September 28, 8:00 pm.Finish reading Education for Democracy, including afterward, by Adam NelsonWeek 4, Meet Meiklejohn (and his biographer)September 24, 20131:30 Class visit by Professor Adam Nelson, Author of Education for DemocracyReview the midterm instructions (handout)A Closer Look at Alexander Meiklejohn by the author of your text.Critically assess Meiklejohn as a leader, his educational approaches, and his collegiality or networking abilities in a university setting: as Dean at Brown, President at Amherst and founder of the UW-Madison Experimental College (precursor to ILS).Examine Meiklejohn’s ideals and practice of education, leadership, and living a life of character.Whom did you select as a moral exemplar? Why? Is this person a leader, a follower, or both? Explain.Prepare interview questions and decide format of interview for next weekDebrief at close of class.Assignment for next week:1. Finish your essay on a moral exemplar (draft #2), using the feedback from your instructor. Draft #2 due in Dropbox on Sunday, October 5, 8:00 pm. 2. Select a book on leadership – your choice! Start reading it.3. Visit to learn about Professor Mike Vanden Heuvel.Week 5: How Shall We Learn, Live and Lead? October 1, 20141:15 Interview with Professor Mike Vanden Heuvel, ILS Chair, Theater and DramaRead a selection from your moral exemplar essay to the class. Select your team for the midterm.Plan how you would like to engage with Professor Basil Tikoff next week.Debrief at close of class.Assignment for next week:Write the first draft of a 2-page essay (double-spaced) in which you develop a serious, carefully constructed argument for your specific philosophy of the purpose and approach of a liberal arts higher education, a philosophy that can be universalized (that is, agreed to by others in addition to you). Address the issue of whether there are some core values that a liberal arts education ought to teach.Draft #1 due in Dropbox on Sunday, October 12, 8:00 pm.1. Read: Michael Hinden, “The Integrated Liberal Studies Program” in Stephen H. Dill (ed.), Integrated Studies: Challenges to the College Curriculum2. Read: Bill Cronon, “Only Connect”3. Visit to learn about Professor Basil Tikoff.Week 6, The idea and purpose of a liberal arts educationOctober 8, 20141:30 Interview with Professor Basil Tikoff, an ILS faculty memberWhat does the liberal arts curriculum lead us toward today? What is the purpose of the university and of liberal education? What is ethical leadership?What are the qualities of a liberally educated person? Did you observe any of these qualities in the people you interviewed? The history of the ILS Program from its roots in Meiklejohn’s Experimental College to the present. Discussion: what civic engagement means for your generation and what the salient political/economic/societal issues are.Debrief at close of class.Assignment for next week:Bring your leadership book to class (having read it)Think, work, and reflect on what issues you would like to engage your classmates in for the seminar you lead in Part II of the course. Come to class with two ideas. Remember Goldilocks.Finish your essay on a liberal arts education, using feedback from your instructor.Draft #2 due in Dropbox on Sunday, October 19, 8:00 pm.Prepare for the midterm with your team.Visit to learn about Professor Emerita Kathi Sell.Week 7, Putting Meiklejohn’s Ideas into PracticeOctober 15, 20141:30 Class visit by Dr. Kathi Sell, ILS professor emeritaBring the leadership book you selected and read. Critique the book, taking time to explain your views to Kathi Sell and to your classmates.What are your strengths (and weaknesses) as a leader?What are Meiklejohn’s strengths (and weaknesses) as a leader?What are your two ideas for leading a Meiklejohn seminar in December? Talk about these with your classmates.How do you exercise leadership (and followership) when working in a team? What strategies are useful as you prepare for a public presentation?Debrief at close of class.Assignment for next week:Continue preparing for midterm with your team.Week 8, The Case for Hiring Alexander Meiklejohn – team timeOctober 22, 2014This class will be spent working with your team. Review: What strategies are useful as you prepare for a public presentation?Debrief at close of class.Slide show is due in Dropbox on Sunday, October 26, 8:00 pm Week 9, The Case for Hiring Alexander MeiklejohnOctober 29, 2014MIDTERM GROUP PRESENTATIONS Plan on 30-45 minutes each (depending on number of presentations) immediately followed by at least10 minutes of class discussion from opposing group perspectives. Debrief at close of class.Midterm paper is due in Dropbox on Sunday, November 2, 8:00 pmPart II The Experimental College: Student-led sessions.In the spirit of Meiklejohn’s student-led discussions in the UW Experimental College, each week students will lead class on a topic of their choice. These sessions are expected to be interactive and to provide multiple activities for participation by your classmates. Week 10, Team work timeNovember 5, 2014Regroup!Debrief at close of class.Week 11, Team work timeNovember 12, 2014Debrief at close of class.Week 12, Team work timeNovember 19, 2014 Distribute readings/activities for Teams #1 and #2Both teams give a sneak preview of their class.Debrief at close of class.No Weekly self-report for week #13.Draft #1 for final paper due in Dropbox on Sunday, November 23, at 8 pm.Week 13, Individual conferences (THANKSGIVING, no class)November 26, 2014Distribute readings/activities for GROUP #1Debrief at close of class.Draft #2 for final paper due in Dropbox on Sunday, December 7, at 8 pm.Week 14, (Team #1 – Topic to be announced)December 3, 2014Team #1 leads the classDebrief at close of classWeek 15, (Team #2 – Topic to be announced)December 10, 2014Team #2 leads the classDebrief at close of class! ................
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