What are your thoughts about this college course?

[someguy0105]

Hey everyone, I'm registering for my first year of college next fall (planning on a music major, performance or education) and one thing I have to do is take an "AugSem", a freshman seminar paired with one or two course. I need to register my top four AugSem choices.

The iTerm counts as an AugSem, but if I apply for it, it has to be my first choice.The only other AugSem I'm interested in is the music major one which is described as "A course pairing for music majors, including music, music performance, music education, music business, and music therapy." This include a basic music theory and ear training course. Which are prerequisites for other music course.

Other than being a unique experience, the iTerm will fulfill the requirements for these course.
-ENG 101/ENG 111, Developmental or Effective Writing)
-HIS 101, Western Civilization (Liberal Arts Foundation in Humanities)
-SOC 121, Intro to Human Society (Liberal Arts Foundation in Social Sciences)

I guess what I'm asking is if it seems like something you think I should apply for. I just don't want to paint myself into a corner by not taking the AugSem that corresponds with my planned major.

"The i-Term theme for Fall 2010 is Fate of the Earth 101. It brings together 50 energized students who are unafraid to tackle challenging questions. Along with four professors from three different scholarly fields (English, History, Sociology) and staff from TRIO, Information Technology, and Lindell Library, we will learn and act together to bring positive change to our local communities, and to become more intelligent and thoughtful listeners and thinkers."

http://www.augsburg.edu/integratedterm/

[MakiSupaStar]

What the hell are you talking about?

[Pilgrim]

I've worked in higher ed for 30 years and nothing you wrote made sense to me.

Try again without all the jargon. Remember, without the ability to communicate effectively, your education is useless.

Better yet, go talk with your advisor. What we think doesn't matter.

[doctorjazz]

Um... ok. That's a little weird.

That said, the Fate of the Earth course sounds horrifically boring, at least to me anyway. I certainly wouldn't want to commit myself to a period of extensive study on that, anyhow. Para mi, I'd go for the one in the discipline I'm most interested in studying anyway, with the added bonus of it knocking out a few required courses in your degree program.

[geeza]

It sounds like you could use a course in "Developmental or Effective Writing". Maybe you shouldn't be doing anything that would allow you to skip that.

[IconBasser]

Originally Posted by geeza

It sounds like you could use a course in "Developmental or Effective Writing". Maybe you shouldn't be doing anything that would allow you to skip that.

the man speaks truth. /thread

[MJ5150]

Go for it.

-Mike

[karrot-x]

Damn hippies.

[MatticusMania]

Take a course on carrots.

[Kosko]

Sounds like you'll already be doing plenty of music education in the major itself. I'd go for the iTerm, sounds like a fun opportunity to get a lot out of the way.

[Pilgrim]

"It brings together 50 energized students who are unafraid to tackle challenging questions."

I still don't understand anything about the question, but if hot girls will be involved, I vote for that one.

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

"It brings together 50 energized students who are unafraid to tackle challenging questions."

I still don't understand anything about the question, but if hot girls will be involved, I vote for that one.

Could you imagine the fun that could be had if it was you and 49 energized sexy asian college student chicks?

Uh, I need to go and excuse myself now.

[baalroo]

Originally Posted by geeza

It sounds like you could use a course in "Developmental or Effective Writing". Maybe you shouldn't be doing anything that would allow you to skip that.

this

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by geeza

It sounds like you could use a course in "Developmental or Effective Writing". Maybe you shouldn't be doing anything that would allow you to skip that.

It's not the OP's fault. His verbiage is straight from his college's website.

Here's a reasonable priority list:

First, take care of the standard course sequence for your major. Take substantive courses with real meat on the bones, not fluff courses for non-majors. Make sure you get everything done at the right time so you don't end up on the five year plan if you can avoid it. Fulfilling a requirement isn't enough. You need to figure out soon how you do with the subject matter, and also get a solid foundation so you can be a successful teacher if that becomes your career path.

Second, if you major in performance, carve out enough space in your schedule for practicing and preparation for auditions.

Third, if that iFun course looks like fun, take it. According to the website, it's not graded, so it won't be particularly difficult, and it might be a good chance to make some friends.

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by fdeck

It's not the OP's fault. His verbiage is straight from his college's website.

That's why he needs to talk with his advisor, not us. He'd get more help quoting verbatim from a Physics text.

Absent the hot chicks, of course.

[LiquidMidnight]

I read this thread yesterday when it was first posted and didn't have a clue what the OP was talking about. I'm glad that I wasn't cognitively deficient and that others don't understand it either.

I perused the website a little bit, and what I could get out of it is that it's some sort of pseudo-graduate seminar type Sudbury Education Model social action research deal-e-o that combines a couple classes allowing students to tackle some sort of problem. It sounds like it would be cool and would allow students to be positive change agents, but honestly, the website needs to spell out exactly what the i-Term is in simple language rather than using a bunch of pretentious adjectives and fluffy language that dances around the point. I don't know who put the i-Term and website together, but if it's professors, they should know better. That type of dancing around the point wouldn't pass muster for a peer-reviewed journal committee, so it shouldn't be used to describe a class or program.

[MakiSupaStar]

What's an iTerm?