Instructor: Dr. Daniel W. Skubik, PhD JD MDiv
Office: J266 /
Voice: 951.343.4288 / Fax: 951.343.4520
Web: http://www.calbaptist.edu/dskubik
E-Mail: dskubik@calbaptist.edu
Honors Seminar II
Constructing Reality: Braiding
Math, Music & Art
Hon 150 (Main Campus)
Tuesdays,
California Baptist University
Spring Semester, 2007
This seminar is the second in a series of eight CBU Honors Program seminars that will investigate ideas systematically, progressively and in interdisciplinary fashion. All eight seminars of any single cycle will be thematically linked, so that students will have the opportunity for intensive, focused study from historical, philosophical, religious, sociological, political, literary, economic and scientific/technological perspectives.
The guiding theme for our cycle, and so for this seminar, is “reality.” By the end of the semester, students should grasp the fundamental associations of the term “reality” across the academic disciplines; understand the development and use of categories of thought generated by the theme of reality; and be able to demonstrate how to identify and analyze the presence or absence of reality discourse in primary and secondary academic materials and literary works.
As developing scholars in the CBU Honors Program, students will
· learn how academic disciplines organize around key generative ideas;
· begin and develop personal academic journaling;
· appreciate the broad impact of reality across the disciplines;
· learn what academic research and research writing requires; and
· become sensitive to diverse disciplinary perspectives.
More specifically with regard to this seminar on constructing reality, students will be introduced to and begin investigating foundational dimensions of reality that link mathematics, music and art. Particular focus will be given key terms such as intelligence, spontaneous organization, and cross- and self-referencing aspects and tensions in reality discourse.
Required Texts
Douglas R. Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (Basic Books, 1999/1979). [Twentieth-anniversary edition recommended, but any printing will suffice.]
Website pages for online viewing
and hardcopy handouts will be referenced throughout the term, contents of which
you also will be responsible.
Class Readings & Discussion Schedule
|
Week #1 |
Introduction to course, requirements and
expectations |
|
Week #2 |
Discussion of chapters I-II (33-63) |
|
Week #3 |
Discussion of chapters III-IV (64-126) |
|
Week #4 |
Discussion of chapters V-VI (127-180) |
|
Week #5 |
Discussion of chapters VII-VIII (181-245) |
|
Week #6 |
No
face-to-face class meeting |
|
Week #7 |
Discussion of chapters IX-X (246-336) |
|
Week #8 |
Discussion of chapters XI-XII (337-405) |
|
Week # 9 |
Discussion of chapters XIII-XIV (406-464) |
|
Week #10 |
Spring
Break |
|
Week #11 |
Discussion of chapters XV-XVI (465-558) |
Week #12 |
Discussion of chapters XVII-XVIII (559-640) |
|
Week #13 |
Discussion of chapters XIX-XX (641-742) |
|
Week #14 |
Group Presentations |
|
Week #15 |
Group Presentations |
|
Week #16 |
Final Exam Period (as set by University) |
Assessment & Grading Scale
|
Group Research Project = 50% |
90 - 100 = A range (90-94 = A-) |
|
Individual Critique Essay = 20% |
80 - 89 = B range (80-83 = B- / 87-89 = B+) |
|
Journal submissions = 20% (10 x 2% each) |
70 - 79 = C range (70-73 = C- / 77-79 = C+) |
|
Discussion/Participation in Class = 10% |
60 - 69 = D range (60-63 = D- / 67-69 = D+) |
|
|
0 - 59 = F |
Individual
Critique Essay
In consultation with the instructor, students are to select a topic or theme for development into an individual critique essay. The essay should run ~2000-2400 words (~6-8 pages), and focus on one or two strands of thought (such as math and art, or intelligence and spontaneous organization, or AI and entropy) covered during the term. The paper can be submitted at any time for marking, but must be submitted no later than the final exam period on Tuesday, May 1st. Early submission is encouraged and bonus points will be awarded: if submitted no later than the beginning of class on Tuesday, Apr 24th, the essay will earn 5% bonus points; if submitted no later than the beginning of class on Mar 27th, the essay will earn 10% bonus points.
Group
Research Project
In consultation with the instructor, students are to select a topic or theme for development into a major project (content marked at 40%) for presentation (marked at 10%) to the class during one of the concluding weeks (Apr 17th and 24th), as noted in the syllabus. Topics can range across a wide spectrum of course concerns, but the final product must grapple with at least one empirical (data-rich) module and one theoretical (modeling) module in developing answers to key questions raised in the project's investigations. Groups comprise two to three students whose work will be graded as a whole, each student sharing the same content grade for a single, end product. (N.B. To earn the group’s presentation percentage, a group member must attend the presentation session, irrespective of role in presentation.)
One hardcopy or digital version of the final project-cum-presentation should be handed/emailed to the instructor at/before the beginning the evening of the scheduled presentation. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Assignment to one evening for presentation of project will be done first by calling for volunteers, then by lottery. It is initially assumed there will be the need for at least two presentations each of the two evenings set in the syllabus.
Individual projects will be considered under appropriate circumstances, but group work is most strongly encouraged.
Journal Submissions
Students
should begin compiling an electronic journal related to this class. This means
that one should be journaling (that is, preparing substantive written entries in
some digital format that can be transmitted to the instructor via email) each
designated week, irrespective of whether the student actually attended that
week’s session.
A
substantive entry is ~200 words (minimum, lengthier entries are welcome) summarizing
and reacting to some key points from a particular week’s readings and class
discussions, perhaps relating to some real world case or event, some recently
read piece of academic literature, or simply related ideas provoked by life.
These entries can form a series of reflections, so linking entries along the
way one to another like an intellectual diary, or can be independent musings
week-by-week.
To be considered timely, any entry should be received in the
instructor’s email inbox (dskubik@calbaptist.edu)
either as plain text within the body of the email or as a Word attachment) no earlier than Tuesday at 9:30pm (end
of class) and no later than midnight
of the subsequent Sunday of each class session for which credit is sought.
Thus, for example, a journal entry for Week 2—when we meet on Tuesday, January
23rd—is due no earlier than the end of that class period and no
later than
Discussion/Participation
Although speaking in class, publicly putting and defending a position, can be daunting, you are strongly encouraged to learn to think through your own and others' experiences and insights within the context of our discussions. In short, you are encouraged to demonstrate your internalization of our material for application in the real world. In this context, you are not being evaluated for reaching “right” conclusions, but for demonstrating your facility in forming arguments for any conclusions put, given the material we will cover in class.
To give direct incentive to so engage, 10% of your mark for the course will be comprised of our assessment of your classroom participation during the semester.
CBU
Statement on Academic Dishonesty
Faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) have been asked to include the following statement in all our syllabi. Do speak with your instructor if at any time you have questions or concerns about this statement and its meaning for or application in your classes.
Academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, copying, and other forms) will be reported to the Dean of Students. Judicial sanctions for offense [sic] are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the seriousness of the violation, prior violations and other factors. Judicial sanctions may include, but are not limited to, loss of a letter grade or failure in the course in which the offense occurred, suspension, and/or dismissal from the University. A detailed discussion of academic dishonesty is located in the Student Handbook.
[Source: 2006-2007 Undergraduate Catalog, at p.80]
Caveat
This syllabus is composed in good faith, with a schedule of readings, assignments and discussions which will guide us throughout the term. Still, the instructor reserves the right to make adjustments to this schedule as deemed necessary for the overall enterprise of the seminar. Any changes will be communicated as far in advance as feasible, and you are responsible for knowing if and when any changes have been made.