| 1. |
Contacting
Professor Cousineau –
The easiest way is by email (click here).
If you would like to write down her email address you
may find it in the syllabus (click here).
If you wish to speak with her during office hours, go to
the Academic Technology Center, Room 234, or telephone
her at extension 7304 (from off campus: 617-928-7304).
Her office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 5
p.m. and Friday from 2 to 3 p.m. She is often in
her office at other times.
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| 2. |
Study
hours each week –
Please keep in mind that the relationship between hours
in class and hours of study is the opposite of what it
was in high school. In college the average student
spends 15 to 18 hours a week in classes. That's a lot
less than in high school. And yet college is a lot
harder than high school. This is because college
students have to do a lot of work on their own. The
general rule is that, if you want to get an A, you
should spend three hours studying for every hour in class (except for lab sciences or studio classes,
where more of the work is done during class). So for
this course, this would be the plan:
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If you want an A, study nine hours per week;
If you want a B, study six hours per week;
If you want a C, study three hours per week;
If you want a D, study fewer than three hours.
(Please be aware that aiming for a D is risky,
since it is too easy to flub one exam and end up
with an F.)
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| Study
time may include: |
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Doing the reading
assignments
Doing the written assignments
Learning the concepts
Meeting with a study group
Meeting with a tutor
Reviewing class notes
Reviewing for exams |
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| 3. |
If
you lose the syllabus –
You have two options: Ask Professor Cousineau
for another one or click here
to see it on the website. The syllabus web page has a
link that you may click on to get the syllabus in a
format that can be easily printed.
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| 4. |
If
your book is lost –
Unfortunately, this means that you need to go to
the book store and buy a new one. Books are very
expensive, but the book is necessary for passing the
course. Try not to let this happen to you. Pay close
attention to where your book is at all times. Leave
them in a safe place, except when you take it to class.
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| 5. |
All
that writing –
A
very important part of the work of human service
professionals is written communication - client records,
referrals, reports, and other paper work. Since the
development of writing skill takes time, it is important
to begin developing this skill with the first course in
human services.
The seven written assignments are intended to help you to
grasp the meaning of being a human service professional
by integrating information from the book with case
studies of the types of people with whom you may be
working. It is important to be thinking all the time how
the knowledge that you are gaining in this course will
enable you to help people.
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| 6. |
The
Writing Center –
Because the written assignments are such a vital
part of this course, it is important that they be done
well – clear,
organized, and free of grammar and spelling errors. The
people at the Writing Center can enable you to get your
best possible grade for the assignments by helping you
to present your good ideas in a matter that will
communicate them most effectively.
This semester the visits to the
Writing Center are required, because in the past, when
they were recommended, students did not go and many
assignments were badly written. Those assignments did
not receive very good grades.
If writing does not come easily too
you, it would be a good idea to go to the Writing Center
every week – so that you will have two
sessions for each assignment.
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| 7. |
Studying
for tests –
Every Monday, preferably before class, or
during the previous weekend, go to the link for tests
(at the top or bottom of most pages on this website).
That will bring you to a page with a list of dates.
Click on the date of the next test. The window that will
then open will contain information about what will be on
the test, what chapter you will need to study, and what
concepts you should know. When you click on one of the
concepts, another window will open that will contain the
definition of that concept and one or more examples of
it. If you prefer a print-out, there is a link within
that last window for a Microsoft Word page containing
definitions and examples of all of the concepts for that
week.
It is recommended that you put each of
the concepts on an index card. That will enable you to
drill yourself and also to review concepts from previous
weeks, since they may show up on any test.
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| 8. |
Early
scheduling of the final exam –
This is against the policy of the college and
should not be done. Professors who schedule the final
exam at times other than those scheduled by the
registrar are creating problems for everyone. Some
students miss an exam and get an F because they are
confused by the change. Other students end up having two
or three exams on the same day without adequate time to
study.
If students have a problem with the
time that the exam for this course is scheduled,
Professor Cousineau may be able to allow a small number to take their exam at the time of one of her
other courses. Students who wish to exercise this option
must speak with her in advance.
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| 9. |
Missing
the final exam –
Generally students who miss the final get an F
for the course. However, if there were special
circumstances, the student should immediately contact
the professor by email.
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| 10. |
Is
human services right for me?
Taking this course is a first step to answering
this question, since it gives you the opportunity to
learn a lot about this field. In addition, you may wish
to ask yourself certain questions:
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Do I care when someone is
having a problem?
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Would I like to help
people solve problems for themselves?
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Is job satisfaction more
important to me than having a lot of money?
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Can I tolerate
disappointment and frustration?
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Can I be patient while
waiting for the results of my work?
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Do I understand that it is
often not people's fault if they are poor?
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Do I feel good when I help
another person, even if no one else knows about it?
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Am I willing to do paper
work if it will help my clients get the services
they need, or if it will help my agency to continue
to receive the funding that it needs?
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Am I a good listener or
willing to learn to become one?
If you can answer yes to more than half of these
questions, it is likely that you would do well in a
helping profession - such as human services, health
care, or teaching. If you can answer yes to all of them,
you're a natural for this type of work.
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| 11. |
Personal
problems –
You may talk with the professor, if you feel
comfortable doing so. Or you may make an appointment to
speak with someone at the Counseling Center. Do not put
off doing this. Even if the problems are eventually
resolved, you need to get help immediately, so that you
do not fail your courses.
Don't be afraid of taking up the time of the
professor or the counselor. You are very important to
us. Helping students is why we are here.
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| 12. |
Distracting
classmates –
Make an appointment to speak with the professor
about this. She will talk with you about how to handle
the problem in such a way that no one will know you
complained.
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| 13. |
Finding
out how you are doing in this course –
You may speak with Professor Cousineau during
office hours to find out your average, or you may
calculate it yourself. For this course you need to wait
until you have received the midterm exam to get a
realistic assessment of your grade. First add up the
grades on your written assignments and divide the total
by the number of assignments you have gotten back so
far. (If you have missed any assignments, the number you
divide by will have to include them. They will count as
zeros.) Multiply the midterm exam grade by 2 and add it
to the grade for the short test. Divide the total by 3.
Add this total to the average for written assignments
and divide by 2. This will give you a number score than
you may look up in the syllabus under "Points to
Grade" near the bottom of page 2.
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| 14. |
Improving
your grade –
If you are concerned about your grade, make an
appointment to talk with the professor about it. She can
let you know what your average is so far, and can make
specific suggestions tailored to your own needs and the
amount of time available to you.
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| 15. |
Extra
credit –
Extra credit is a complex issue, (1) because it
is no replacement for learning the course material, and
(2) because it can create an unfair advantage, since the
student who is given extra credit is being graded by
standards that are different from those for the rest of
the class. In order to maintain fairness, the options
for extra credit are limited to the following:
For each piece of extra credit work,
ten points are added to the grade for the written
assignment of that week. Twenty points are given for the
field trip because there are two parts to it - taking
part in the trip and writing up the report.
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| 16. |
Grading
the exams –
The exams include both short answers and written work. Each exam is worth
25% of the final grade.
More detailed information about the exams will be given
in class during review sessions.
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| 17. |
Making
up the midterm exam –
Make-ups are given only under special
circumstances, to be determined on a case-by-case basis,
and will be longer and more difficult than the original
exam.
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| 18. |
Midterm
warning –
Midterm warnings do not become part of a
student's permanent record. They are a "heads
up," a way of letting a student know that he
or she may be headed for a low final grade or even an F.
If you receive a midterm warning grade in any of your
courses, make an appointment right away to speak with
the instructor. You need to find out the reason for the
grade and ask for suggestions for improving your overall
average as soon as possible.
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| 19. |
Why
the final grade is called "final" –
It is called "final" because that
means it cannot be changed. The Vice President for
Academic Affairs will not allow a grade change unless it
can be shown that the professor made a mistake in
calculation.
"Need" is not the
basis for a grade. A student who has to maintain a
particular grade average in order to stay in school
needs to get extra help in his or her courses from the
beginning of the semester. Once the final grades are in,
it is too late to do anything about them.
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| 20. |
How
to get a good grade in this course –
Do the readings on time each week.
Spend a lot of time on the written assignments, since
they are 50% of the final grade.
Meet with a writing specialist from the Academic Success
Center, to make sure that your assignments are well
writen.
Take notes during classes, including discussion classes,
and go over the notes later that day and just before the
next class.
Learn the concepts for the tests.
See the Learning Tips on this website.
Form a study group with other students, so that you may
help each other to learn the course material.
Talk with the professor often. Go to see her during
office hours and ask questions about the course
material. Talking with someone about the things you are
learning helps you to learn more. Asking questions of
someone who knows a lot about the material helps you
even more. (This is not "kissing up."
This is common sense.)
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| 21. |
What
you missed when you were absent –
Sometimes students don't realize how insulting it is
to ask a professor, "Did I miss anything?" It suggests that
there are days when nothing important goes on in class.
It is better to ask, "May I make an appointment
with you to
go over what I missed?"
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| 22. |
The
attendance requirement –
Attendance is required because, when it is not,
a lot of students skip class. This is a problem for two
reasons: (1) They are missing information related to
exams and assignments; (2) the other students are
missing their input. This class involves a lot of
discussion and interaction. Each person's presence is
valuable, even if a person is not speaking but is
listening to others. Late arrivals are a problem because
they are disruptive. Students coming in late distract
other students who are listening to a lecture. And on
discussion days, it is an even bigger problem, because
it is hard to get started if several people are missing for part of the class and then come
in when the discussion dynamic has already started. They
may say things that have already been said, or not be
able to contribute to the discussion at all because they
missed part of it. This is why points are taken off for
absences and for late arrival.
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| 23. |
Absent
when sick –
You may be excused from a class without penalty
if you are sick. However, in order to be fair to all
students, it is best if you have some evidence of your
illness. For example, if you saw a doctor, nurse, or
other health professional, bring a note or an
appointment slip. If you are excused from the class, you
will not lose points for that class or for handing in
study questions when you come back to class. However, you will need to make
an appointment with the professor when you get back to
go over the material that you missed.
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| 24. |
Death
in the family –
You may be excused up to one week for the death
of a close relative. You will be excused from the study
questions for that week. However, you will need to make
an appointment with the professor when you get back to
go over the material that you missed.
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| 25. |
Religious
holidays –
If you wish to be excused from class for a
religious holiday, you must give the professor, one week
before the holiday, a one-page typewritten essay
explaining the meaning of it. (Be careful not to
"fudge" it. Professor Cousineau's research
area is the sociology of religion, and she knows
a lot about different religious traditions.)
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| 26. |
Other
Questions –
Please
let Professor Cousineau know by email
if you need other information or if you would like
to suggest other questions to add to this page.
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