Syllabus Winter 2017 (Corrected)

BA 385: BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

10:00 11:50 T/Th Room NH 375 Section 004 CRN
40365

Instructor: Darryl Mleynek

SBA Adjunct Faculty
Email: mleynek@pdx.edu
Office Hours: KMC 660 CUB10: Tuesdays from 12:00 - 2:00 and by appointment.
SBA Course Description

Course Description: Study and critical analysis of the role of business in its
environment with special references to the interrelationships of legal, technological,
economic, political, and social forces with the business enterprise and to the legal and
ethical obligations of the business enterprise with its owners, employees, consumers,
and society. Prerequisite: BA 301

Textbook:
1. Carroll, Archie B., and Ann K. Buchholtz. Business and Society: Ethics,
Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management. 9th ed. ISBN-13: 978-1-305-03921-6
(print). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2015. Note: (a) book
includes cases in the back and (b) access codes are not required for
these sections.
The cost of this textbook: The PSU Bookstore custom edition sells for $135.75.
This edition has a soft-cover and is unbound; you will need a 3-ring binder for it.
Check online for less expensive options at Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-305-
03921-6 (print). Also, check for textbooks at other online sources. To better
understand the price of textbooks, see College Textbook Prices Increasing Faster .
. . .
2. Any standard book of English grammar and usage or online access to such
information.
3. You may be required to also rent a film and pay a small fee for one case study for
the term paper.

Instructors Goals: Learning about business as it relates to the environmentincluding

our society, government, and its various stakeholdersis one of the more important,
fascinating, and exciting aspects of the business world since it deals with fundamental
issues of life, including those that involve ethics, the responsibilities of business to
society, and businesses obligations to its stakeholders as well as to its shareholders. Part
of what makes the study of business in its environment fascinating and exciting is
business many manifest failures to fulfill its role in society. My intent is to teach a
rigorous course (i.e., one characterized by strict standards while being exacting and
thorough) that will help you . . .

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1. To master the subject-matter of this coursebusiness in its environmentthat
requires knowing the issues over which business, government, and society
struggle;

2. To understand the importance of stakeholder, ethical, quality, and environmental

issues to organizational sustainability within the context of a business functions;

3. To discover the real-life excitement that occurs in businesses as they grapple with
complex stakeholder, ethical, quality, and environmental issues;

4. To recognize when one is in a situation that requires an ethical response;

5. To understand a fundamental fact of operations-quality leadershipencompassing

stakeholder management, moral leadership, and environmental leadershipwhich
is that each must be systematically implemented;

6. To learn the analytical and critical thinking skills necessary to case study analysis
and, by extension, to real-world situations.

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Underlying Assumptions:

For businesses to achieve organizational sustainability (i.e., to survive over

time), their leadership must understand the role of business within society, and
they must understand and fulfill their obligations to society. To do less is to
place the business at risk.

Businesses whose leadership does not understand the first assumption and who
fail to lead the businesses they manage so as to fulfill their societal obligations
will predictably, however successful their businesses may appear over the
short-term, suffer severe losses or fail over the long term.

Ethical business practices (along with operations-quality leadership,

stakeholder management, and environmental leadership) must be incorporated
into the companys strategic plan and must be implemented by using well-
defined systematic processes.

Course Objective:
To fully understand the following definition: Organizational sustainability is
achieved by embedding operations-quality leadership into the development of
strategy, its implementation, and its maintenance. The approach uses systematic
processes that produce excellence in organizational performance and that lead to
the implementation and maintenance of stakeholder management, moral
leadership, and environmental leadership. This approach to organizational
sustainability is based upon achieving excellence in organizational performance in
accordance with the principle of obliquity. By-products (i.e., incidental outcomes)
of this approach include a high level of competitiveness and above average returns
on investment (ROI).
Course requirements:
1. Assignments. To respect due dates and to read or watch assigned materials
and case studies prior to class in order to be well prepared for class discussion.
Missing a due date will adversely affect your learning. You are responsible for
all assignments, whether covered in class or not.
2. Class Participation. To participate actively in class discussionssometimes
as part of a team. I will strive to make discussions open, non-threatening,
learning experiences in which together we seek out the relevant questions and
supportable answers, learning in the process to discern which questions and
answers are better and why. This requirement requires you to attend class with
no (or nearly no) absences.

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3. Dual-Tracks for the Case Study Analysis Assignment: All students are
required to become proficient in the understanding and use of the case study
analysis template that will be provided to you. As well, all students are
required to prepare case studies for class discussion and presentations using
this case study analysis template. The skills necessary for developing an
analytical approach will be learned through class lecture and discussion.
Students may choose either of the following two tracks for this assignment.
a. Track A: Case Study Analysis Term Paper. Track A is the default
assignment: To write one approximately 10 to 14-page (or more), typed case
study analysis/term paper presenting a single case to be assigned later. You
will be sent instructions in the third week of the term regarding this
assignment. If you wish to obtain feedback regarding your understanding of
the concepts in the case study analysis template prior to writing the term
paper, you may turn in a written case study analysis on Case 15: Nike &
Sweatshops, using the prescribed format. This voluntary assignment is not
required. The voluntary case study will be graded Pass/Fail, based upon
whether a good-faith effort was made. See the Assignment Table of this
Syllabus for due dates for the term paper and the voluntary paper. If the
case study analysis term paper is not handed in on the due date, then by
default the student must take the Track B exam described below, which will
be given on the day the term paper is due.
b. Track B: An Alternativethe Analytical Methodological Exam instead
of a Term Paper. The Case Study Analysis/Term Paper is a major
commitment. It is difficult and time-consuming. Alternatively, students may
take the Analytical Methodology Exam regarding the concepts and
methodology used in the case study analysis template rather than write the
Case Study Analysis/Term Paper. This Analytical Methodology Exam will
require the student to demonstrate their mastery of analytical methodology.
In recognition of the greater difficulty and time commitment for Track A,
those who choose the easier, less time-consuming Track B alternative will
not receive a grade higher than a B+ for the course, regardless of the grade
received for the exam. See the Assignment Table of this Syllabus for due
dates.
4. Exams. To pass a midterm and a final exam (true/false, completion, matching,
and multiple-choice questions). The final will be cumulative, including all
lectures and all assignments. All assignments includes assigned textbook
chapters, case studies, films, news articles, and TV, YouTube, and TEDTalks
programs. It does not include recommended readings, but for a fuller
understanding of the course you are encouraged to read them.

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5. Name Cards. During every class, including during exams, each student is
required to display on their desk a card with their name printed in large, bold,
dark letters.

Grading policy: The final course grade will be an average of the following items,
skewed somewhat toward the end of the course whenever marked improvement is
apparent.
Track A Track B Extra Credit: Up to 1/3rd of a grade
25% Midterm Exam level can be earned through active
25%
Earning an A: Students who wish to
40% Case Study Analysis/Term Paper or an Exam 37%
earn a grade of A must excel in
35% Final Exam 38%
their work and must choose Track A

Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

1 1/10/17 (1) Introduction Syllabus

a. Why is business-as-usual No assigned Lecture
ending? reading. Outline
b. Creating Moral Architects. Read. Ctrl-Click Case Study
Before class, read: Fisman, on hyperlink. Analysis
Ray, and Adam Galinsky. Can Will be discussed Template
You Train Business School in class.
Students To Be Ethical? Slate,
9/04/12. Read. Ctrl-Click
c. Kristof, Nicholas. When Crime on hyperlink.
Pays: J&J Drug Risperdal. NY Will be discussed
Times, 9/17/15. in class.
No assigned
(1) The Baldrige Criteria reading.
(2) Case Study 1: The Great Read the
Recession / Lesser Depression1 Students
Lecture Outline
section.

2 1/17/17 (1) Case Study 1: (continued from Lecture

Thursday) Outline & 4
Read the
Addenda
(2) The Biggest Corporate Implosions. Addendum.
Ever.
(3) Eskow, Richard. Now We Know: Assigned

1 Italics are used to indicate that a lecture topic is not covered in the textbook. They are also
used for emphasis, instructions or for publishers of articles, films, and TV programs.

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Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

J.P. Morgan Chase is Worse than reading. Ctrl-

Enron. Common Dreams, Click on
1/12/14. hyperlink.

(4) Economic Mobility/the

1%/Securitization. Read the 3
Addenda.
(5) An Analytical Model:
Understanding it. Peruse Case
Study Analysis
Template.
(1) The Crisis of Credit Visualized.
YouTube. 0:11:11 hrs. Watch Highly
prior to film below. recommended.
Ctrl-Click on
(2) Before class, watch the film, hyperlink.
Inside Job. Avail-
able from Amazon or Netflix DVD Assigned
or possibly from other sources viewing. Ctrl-
online. 1:48:00 hrs Click on
hyperlink.
Will be discussed
(3) Mishkin, Frederic. The
in class. Take
Economists Reply to Inside Job.
notes on film.
Financial Times, 10/08/10. See
also comments below article. Recommended
reading. Ctrl-
(4) Capitalism/Socialism/Democracy Click on
hyperlink.
Read the
Students
Lecture Outline
section.

3 1/24/17 (1) Capitalism/Socialism/Democracy Lecture

(continued) Assigned Outline
(2) Court Documents Reveal Banks reading. Term Paper
Stole . . . Ctrl-Click Instructions
Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing, hyperlink.
8/12/13. Read the
(3) Adam Smith: What he actually Students
wrote. Lecture Outline
section.
(1) The Business and Society Ch. 1, pp 2 - 25
Relationship
Read Students

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Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

(2) Competing Values in the U.S. & Outline.

Globally
Highly
(3) Beauchamp, Zach. White Riot. Recommended
Vox, 9/19/16. Ctrl-Click on reading.
hyperlink. Case 1: pp.
(4) Case 2: Wal-Mart: Merchant of 569-578.
Doom

4 1/31/17 (1) Learning Cycles Creating Read Students Lecture

Systematic Processes Outline. Outline
(2) Corporate Citizenship Ch. 2, pp 27-
46, &
(3) The Economists: Stimulus vs. pp 55-
Austerity 56
Read Students
(1) The Stakeholder Approach Outline.
(2) The Clarkson Principles
Ch. 3, pp 64
(3) Business Ethics Fundamentals 90
Read Students
(4) Before class watch TV interview
Outline.
with David Stockman on Moyers &
Co. 56:47 minutes. Ch. 7, pp 176-
187 &
(5) Case 3: Chiquita: A Dilemma
209-
211
Assigned
Viewing. Ctrl-
Click on
hyperlink.
Cs. 17, pp 615-
617

5 2/07/17 (1) The Moral Organization Read Students Lecture

(2) Personal & Organizational Outline. Outline
Ethics Ch. 8, pp 219- Midterm Exam
231 & Review
(3) Adam Smith: Mercantilism vs. 255 Outline
Capitalism No Assigned
(4) Corporate Governance: Reading.

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Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

Foundational Issues Ch. 4, pp 96-

(5) Voluntary Analysis Due (Nike & 122
Sweatshops)
Will be discussed
If handed in, it will be graded in class Week 6.
Pass/Fail. Recommended
(6) How Did Economists Get It So Reading.
Wrong. Click on
Krugman, Paul. New York Times, hyperlink.
9/06/09. Ch 5 (not in
(1) Strategic Management & textbook)
Sustainability Review prior to
class.
(2) Review for Midterm Exam

6 2/14/17 (1) Midterm Exam No scantron Lecture

needed. Outline
Read Students
(1) Cognitive Biases in Decision- Outline.
Making Read Students
(2) Embedded Sustainability in Outline.
Organizations Read Students
(3) Operations-Quality Leadership & Outline.
Sustainability Read Students
(4) Obliquity, Profit & Quality Outline.
(5) Case 4: Nike & Sweatshops Cs. 15, pp 601-
609

7 2/21/17 (1) Return of Midterm Exam & Lecture

Comments Assigned Outline
(2) Sweatshop Deadly Fashion A viewing. Ctrl-
Documentary. Watch at least the Click on
1st & 5th episodes. 0:22:30. hyperlink.
(3) Big Banks Rewriting Rules Assigned
Interview with John Reed & Byron viewing. Ctlr-
Dorgan on Moyers & Co., 1/27/12. Click on
0:48:00. hyperlink.
(4) Toxic Loans . . . Weigh on Global 0:56:47 minutes.
Growth. Peter Eavis. New York Recommended
Times, 2/03/16. Reading.
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2017 Winter Quarter Page 9

Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

Ctrl-Click on
(5) The Things I Carried Back. John hyperlink.
F. Burns, New York Times,
Assigned
4/11/15.
reading. Ctrl-
(6) Inequality is Now Killing Middle Click on
America. hyperlink.
Joseph Stiglitz. The Guardian,
Recommended
12/08/15.
reading. Click
Reprinted from Project Syndicate.
on hyperlink.
(7) Austerity in the Eurozone: Kill or
Cure?5/09/14
Recommended
Recommended Reading.
reading. Click
Wolf, Martin. Financial Times,
on hyperlink.
5/23/13.
Read Students
(1) Citizens United vs. Federal
Outline.
Election Commission
Recommended
a. Everything You Need to Know
reading. Click
about Super PACS and Dark
on hyperlink.
Money. Prokop, Andrew. Vox,
2/09/15. 0:06:25 minutes.
Highly
b. How Billionaire Oligarchs Are
Recommended
Becoming Their Own Political
reading. Ctrl-
Parties. Rutenberg, Jim. New
Click on
York Times, 10/17/14.
hyperlink.
(2) Decline of the Middleclass: Flaws
Read Students
in Capitalism?
Outline.
a. Americas Middle Class Falling
Assigned
Behind, CNNs Global Public
Viewing.
Square with Fareed Zakaria and
Click on
David Leonhardt, 0:06:25 min.
hyperlink. Then
Scroll down & click on
scroll down and
interview.
click on
b. Thomas Pikettys Capital, interview.
Summarized in Four
Assigned
Paragraphs. Economist,
Reading. Ctrl-
5/04/15.
Click on
c. Why Inequality Matters. Bill hyperlink.
Gates on Thomas Pikettys
Recommended
book, Capital in the 21st
Reading. Click
Century. GatesNotes,
on hyperlink.
10/13/14. An excellent

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Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

summary.
(3) Business Influence on Government
Policy Ch 12, pp 364-
368

8 2/28/17 (1) Track A: Case Study Analysis/ 5th Case Study Track A
Term Paper Due Due when class students are
begins dismissed after
(2) Track B: Analytical
handing in
Methodology Exam Full period for
papers.
exam.
(1) When Laws are Unethical.
a. Letter from Birmingham Lecture
Jail. Martin Luther King, Jr., Assigned Outline
4/16/63. reading. Click
on hyperlink.
b. History of Lynchings in the
South Documents Nearly Assigned
4,000 Names, Campbell reading.
Robertson. New York Times, Click on
2/10/15. hyperlink.
c. Lynching in America:
Confronting the Legacy of
Racial Terror. Equal Justice Recommended
Initiative. 2/10/15. reading. Ctrl-
d. The Perverse Incentives of Click on link.
Private Prisons, Democracy
in America Blog, The Assigned
Economist. 8/24/10. reading. Ctrl-
e. Private Prisons Profit Click on
from . . ., Chris Kerkham. hyperlink.
Huffington Post. 6/07/2012.
Recommended
(f) Serving Life for This?
reading. Click
Nicholas Kristof. New York
on hyperlink.
Times; 11/13/13.
Assigned
(2) Business Ethics & Technology.
reading. Click
on hyperlink.
(3) Ethical Issues in the Global Arena
Ch 9, pp 266-
(4) Deming: A System of Profound
267 &
Knowledge.
279-
(5) Before class, watch the film The 286
Corporation. Available from Ch 10, pp 295-

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Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

Netflix or free from Movies Found 304

Online. Read Students
Outline.
2:25 hours. Will
be discussed in
class.

9 3/07/17 (1) The Methodology of Science & Read Students Lecture

The Demon-Haunted World Outline. Outline
(2) The Natural Environment as
Stakeholder Ch 15, pp 437-
450
(3) Nucitelli, Dana. A remarkably pp 455-
accurate global warming 458
Prediction, made in 1972. The Assigned
Guardian, 3/19/14. reading.
(4) McKibben, Bill. Global Ctrl-Click on
Warmings Terrifying New Math, hyperlink.
Rolling Stone, 7/19/12. Assigned
(5) 2014 National Climate Assessment reading.
with the U.S. Global Change Click on
Research Program. Click on hyperlink.
Explore Highlights. Then, read Study website.
Overview and Report Findings Click on
by clicking through their entries. hyperlink. You
Finally, browse the section on do not need to
Regions. read the whole
(6) New Studies Suggest Many Report. Even
Coastal Cities Eventually To Be so, the
Abandoned with Antarctic Ice assignment is
Collapse, Romm, Joe. Think lengthy.
Progress, 5/13/14. Assigned
(7) Climate Changes Bottom Line. reading.
Burt Click on
Helm, New York Times. 1/31/15. hyperlink.

(1) McKibben, Bill. A World at War,

New Republic, 8/15/16.
Recommended
(2) Climate Change: Some reading. Click on
Concluding Thoughts hyperlink.

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BA 385: Business Environment

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Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

(3) Business & Community Assigned

Stakeholders reading.
Click on
(4) Employee Stakeholders & hyperlink.
Wkplace Issues
Ch 16, pp 478-
485 &
462-
467
Ch 17, pp 490-
511

10 3/14/17 (1) Return of Case Study Analyses/ Lecture

Term Papers (Track A) & the Outline
Analytical Methodology Exam
(Tack B). Read Addendum.
(2) Overview: 2014 National Climate
Assessment. Assigned
(3) The Business Logic of viewing. Ctrl-
Sustainability, Ray Anderson. Click on
Ted Talks, 2/09. 0:17:50 length hyperlink.
(4) Paul Hawken. We have to
squeeze into our ecological Assigned
footprint a just and meaningful viewing. Ctrl-
society. Skoll World Forum for Click on
Social Entrepreneurship. 0:15:55 hyperlink.
length
(5) The Deep State Hiding in Plain
Sight on Moyers & Company, Assigned
2/21/14. 0:26:46 length viewing. Ctrl-
Click on
(6) "Why I am leaving Goldman
hyperlink.
Sachs," Greg Smith. New York
Times, 3/14/12. Assigned
reading. Click
(7) Cooperrider, David. The Power of
on hyperlink.
Resilience: 2013. Tedx at
UNPlaza, YouTube. 0:25:03 Recommended
minutes in length. viewing.

(1) Course Review for Final Exam

(2) Student Evaluations Online Review prior to

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Week Date Lecture(s) Assignments Handout(s),

Etc.

class.

Final 3/21/17 AM Class (004) Tu 10:1512:05

NH 375
Exam 3/20/17
s PM Class (006) Mon 10:1512:05
CH 283

Why Few or No PowerPoint Slides will be Used in Class.

While many classes at PSU incorporate Microsoft PowerPoint presentation software slides,
I will use few or none in this class. From a pedagogical standpoint, there is considerable
controversy about the value of PowerPoint, especially when the course is composed of
difficult or controversial concepts as this one is. My decision is based upon what I believe
is sound pedagogy. See the following articles, books, and pamphlets for further
information:
Barnes, Jason. Edward Tufte: A Necessary Evil: Edward Tufte and Making the
Best of a Necessary Evil. thejuryexpert.com. 11/29/11.
Burke, Deirdre, and Alan Apperley. PowerPoint and Pedagogy. Learning and
Teaching Projects 2003/2004. University of Wolverhampton, Learning and Teaching
Projects 2003/2004, pp. 77 82.
Clark, Jennifer. PowerPoint and Pedagogy: Maintaining Student Interest in
University Lectures. redOrbit.com, 3/11/08.
Levasseur, David G., and J. Kanan Sawyer. Pedagogy Meets PowerPoint: A
Research Review of the Effects of Computer-Generated Slides in the Classroom.
The Review of Communication, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2006, pp. 101-123
Meissler, Daniel. Edward Tufte on PowerPoint and Superior Alternatives.
danielmeissler.com. 1/15/11.
Tufte, Edward R. The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within.
Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press, LLC, 2006. 197 pp.
Tufte, Edward R. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Cheshire,
Connecticut: Graphics Press, LLC, 1983 (1998 16th Printing).
The Work of Edward Tuft and Graphic Press. A blog site. Search PowerPoint for
multiple citations; e.g., Lousy PowerPoint presentations: The fault of PP users?
and How to make presentations: techniques, handouts, display technologies.
Finally: Armstrong, Ken. PowerPoint Justice: When Prosecutors Slide around the
Law. The Marshall Project, 12/23/14. In Washington State in 2014, an appeals
court threw out a murder conviction based on shoddy work by the defense. But the

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court also took the prosecutor to task for something even stranger: a bad
PowerPoint presentation.
PSUs Policy on Academic Misconduct.
Infractions of PSUs policy on Academic Dishonesty may result in failure of an
assignment, whether an exam or term paper. While I trust each of you explicitly, I will
enforce this policy. Following is an excerpt from that policy:
1) Academic Misconduct, see 577-031-0136. Academic Misconduct is defined as
fraud, deceit, or unauthorized use of materials prohibited or inappropriate in
the context of the academic assignment.
This includes, but is not limited to:
o (a) cheating,
o (b) fraud,
o (c) plagiarism, such as word for word copying, using borrowed words or phrases
from original text into new patterns without attribution, or paraphrasing another
writers ideas;
o (d) the buying or selling of all or any portion of course assignments and research
papers;
o (e) performing academic assignments (including tests and examinations) in
another persons stead;
o (f) unauthorized disclosure or receipt of academic information;
o (g) falsification of research data; and
o (h) unauthorized collaboration;
o (i) using the same paper or data for several assignments or courses without
proper documentation;
o (j) unauthorized alteration of student records; and
o (k) academic sabotage, including destroying or obstructing another students
work.

See also PSU Procedures for Complaints of Academic Misconduct, Section 577-031-
0142.

If at any time, you have a question regarding these requirements, write or speak to me
immediately. Understanding this policy is your responsibility. Claiming that you did not
understand is not an acceptable excuse.

Restorative Justice. In addition to traditional retributive justice, I may use the

process of restorative justice regarding individuals engaging in academic
dishonesty in my class.

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A CLASSROOM COVENANT2:

I PROMISE:

1. To be fully prepared and to stay on task. I will not wing it or engage in

self-serving stories or irrelevant musings. If I do not know the answer to a
question, I will say so and suggest how we might find it.

3. To be conscious of how much I ask of students. I will not burden

students with assignments that add minimal value or carry unreasonable
standards, while also balancing this endeavor against short-changing
students about what they need to know for a successful career in business.

4. To convey my excitement about this subject and its importance. I will

notby word, action, or body languagesuggest I am inconvenienced or
bored by the teaching task at hand or by the students enrolled in my class.

5. To listen attentively and positively to students. I will avoid anticipating

what students may be saying to me or the class, and I will not simply look for
the errors in their facts, logic, analysis, conclusions, or explanations, while
also balancing that concern against their need to understand the use of
rigorous analysis and logic.

6. To connect the topics I discuss to business in its environment. I will

avoid conveying that my course should take precedence over other courses.
And, I will teach not just concepts and theories, but how the concepts and
theories operate within businesses and relate to other disciplines, current
events, and leadership issues.

7. To be open to students comments and observations. I believe there is

merit in other ways of seeing an issue.

8. To provide useful and timely feedback. On assignments, I will attempt to

avoid feedback that is late, terse, and only evaluative. Instead, I will seek
every opportunity to provide developmental feedback.

9. To encourage students to share their questions, experiences, and

insights. I will invite questions, and I will push for comments that are more
than a regurgitation of what I have presented in class or what students have
read in a textbook.

2 Adapted from an article by Mark E. Haskins, Your Turn: A Classroom Covenant. BizED:
The Leading Voice of Business Education, 2/26/15.

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10. To start and stop class punctually. I will avoid disrespecting others
time. If I do begin to run over the end time for the class, students should feel
free to remind me of the time and, if necessary, to leave.

11. To affirm and encourage students. I intend to avoid embarrassing,

denigrating or discouraging students by word or action.

A RECIPROCAL PROMISE THAT WILL IMPROVE OUTCOMES:

If students and I are to create an effective and enjoyable learning experience, we

must all have an active and well understood role to play. I believe students benefit
from knowing what I expect of themthere should be no ambiguity. In their role, I
hope students will promise with few or no exceptions . . .

1. To be preparedfor each class and each graded event.

2. To be supportive of their classmates comments by listening to them

attentively and by encouraging them.

3. To accept personal responsibility for learning. This may require

initiative and attentiveness and will at times require hard study and
sometimes memorizing. Personal responsibility also requires understanding
the link between time and effort spent on the course and the grade received,
and also understanding I can ethically only give a student the grade earned.
Similarly, I understand that legitimately not all students will achieve high
grades for many reasonspersonal problems, limited time available due to
jobs and other courses, illnesses, etc. I will make no judgments about
students based on the grades they earn. I am willing to believe they are doing
their best work given their circumstances.

4. To stay on task during class. While it is difficult to always be attentive,

students should strive to be attentive and to re-focus whenever they find their
attentiveness slipping. Questions should be relevant to the topic being
discussed in class.

5. To be bold. Students should push for articulating and defending a well-

reasoned view, and provide good-faith responses when in class. Asking
questions about what one does not understand is essential to learning. It is
also a kindness to some of your classmates who may find it difficult to speak in
class.

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6. To be respectful to classmates, the instructor, and the university.

Build on the comments and contributions of classmates. When providing
feedback to the instructor, do so conscientiously and professionally, letting me
know what I have done well and also what I could do more effectively.
Approach feedback with a balanced perspective. Trust that the approach,
course design, and methodology I use in this course will produce learning
results. If after some period of time this does not seem to you to be true,
discuss your concerns with me.

7. To do more than memorize facts or theories. The highest form of

learning involves internalizing knowledge, which follows from articulating
memorized facts and theories, by putting them into your own words, and by
being prepared to explain what has been learned to others. Internalized
knowledge is characterized by being able to work with the knowledge. I
generally refer to this internalization of knowledge as integrated learning.

8. To regularly reflect on class insights in order to clarify and cement

lessons learned.

8. To look for connectionsto other courses, current events, and prior

experiences.

9. To refrain from cheating.

10. To attend classes and be on time, insofar as possible. It is a courtesy to

me, the instructor, if you notify me that you will not be attending a class or
will be late to class.

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