(34672) Intr 404.12 HON: How We Decide                     Fall 2010                             
Dr. Stephan Flores (sflores@uidaho.edu)                                                      
3:30-4:20 pm Wed. TLC 144                                                                           
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~sflores/                                                    885-6147
MW 1:00-2:00 p.m. & by appt.                                                                      315 Commons

How We Decide. This class (one credit, P/F) seeks to understand how we make choices in different contexts and communities, relationships, identities, and public policy debates. The course is tailored to address each student’s aspirations and developing expertise, within their major interests and beyond; moreover, we will develop through shared work individual preparation for opportunities such as applications for major scholarships, internships, undergraduate research, graduate school, and related transitions to professional/career decisions. The process of applying for such opportunities prompts you to reflect upon, develop, and articulate your goals, intellectual identity, and political perspectives. We will draw upon findings in neuroscience and behavioral economics, along with excerpts from psychological research on choice theory and “happiness studies” to learn about some of the “predictably irrational” aspects to the choices we make, including how we tend to make regular mistakes in imagining our personal futures, and we shall consider the ethical and social dimensions of our decisions. We’ll also divvy up public policy and current events topics among the class, so that students can track issues related to their interests as well as participate in wider discussions of national and global importance. Finally, you’ll hone your abilities to prepare for interviews, formulate positions and proposals, or revise an application or personal statement. Limit of 15.

Two primary texts [I suggest that you start with the revised/expanded edition of Predictably Irrational over the summer, and keep up with reading major news stories--(for example, I read the NY Times and also browse other news stories daily)]:

1. Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions (Harper Perennial revised and expanded ed., 2010) but FYI, his latest book is The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home (2010)
2. Jonah Lehrer, How We Decide (Mariner Books, 2010)
Also excerpts from Daniel Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness (Vintage, 2005) and his related PBS three-part TV series entitled “This Emotional Life” (2010) with resources/exercises on selected topics via the website: http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/ and occasional articles to share on these topics.

Additional essays/articles and related resources online via the class Blackboard site (also series of links to Op-ed pieces, interviews with CEOs, etc.--see below).

Requirements:

1. Seven written Discussion Starters: a thesis/problem-driven, expressive/illustrative, or question-posing response (approximately 150-200 words each) to some aspect of the text and topics under discussion, and at times also responding to/drawing upon Op-Ed pieces or other articles made available or sent to you (via email and in Blackboard resource folders). Discussion Starters present a means for you and the class to share enthusiasms and doubts as you delve into the text’s significance, methods, and effects--another way to think about the DS is "what I am taking away from these chapters or policy articles and how do I start to relate what I've learned to my own decisions/habits/goals?" A strategy when considering a longer response to a policy/political issue can be approached in this way (from Prof. Amy Cavender, who teaches writing on politics): "identify a political issue that you and others consider important; explain why it is important; give a suggestion about how to handle the issue; explain why you think that's a good way to proceed." No late entries —Discussion Starters are due in class (hard copy that you have copied/pasted/printed from Blackboard), with DS entries also posted on Blackboard before class (by 1:00 p.m. that day). Come to class prepared to share/exchange your DSs , and we’ll rotate responsibility for putting a spotlight on individual responses, using the document cam to introduce the DSs to facilitate discussion. You cannot pass the class if more than two D entries are late or missing.

2. Participation in class discussion (including informal bi-weekly writing in the form of brief Discussion Starter Questions and Comments, as noted above).  Please take advantage of the opportunity our small class provides to discuss your reactions, share your insights and research, and to listen and reply to others' ideas.  I hope that these strategies will enable you to move the class in directions you find most helpful, give you opportunities to develop critical skills through collaborative interaction, and provide for a productive, interesting exchange of perspectives and participation among the class—in sum, to help to establish a mutual responsibility to engage productively with the class texts and with one another.

3. Other required written work (graded Pass/Fail): (1) a series of six to eight "pre-writing" exercises to discover/explore/create possibilities for developing personal statements, plans for programs of study or career paths, or policy proposals--you may be able to incorporate/draw upon some of these for a few DS entries; (2) a concise "term essay/project" that presents a personal statement and/or combined with a plan for a program of study, application to graduate school (including law school or medical school statement), major scholarship, and/or policy proposal (approximate total of 1,000 words or more--see PDF file of collected guidelines on such statements and proposals and also pre-writing exercises, available on the course Blackboard site/folder--see also Prof. Joe Schall's Writing Personal Statements, a substantial online resource for all stages of writing in application to grad school and major scholarships, with detailed examples:
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/writingpersonalstatementsonline/node/1984 ).

4. Due dates: All required work is due when specified, typically at the beginning of class on the due date. I will grant short extensions for medical and family emergencies--but talk with me as soon as possible to request an extension.

5. Attendance is required--your participation is a crucial part of a collective learning experience. Because we meet once a week, your ability to pass the class will be jeopardized if you miss more than two class meetings. Almost all absences will be counted--excused or not--if something extraordinary occurs, talk to me.

6. Office hours. I encourage you to confer with me--especially before assignments are due--to talk about your interests, intentions, and writing strategies. If you cannot make my regular hours, we can usually arrange another time. I also welcome communicating with you by e-mail (sflores@uidaho.edu).

7. Office hours. I encourage you to confer with me—especially before assignments are due—to talk about your interests, intentions, and writing strategies. If you cannot make my regular hours (in 315 Commons), we’ll arrange another time. I also welcome communicating with you by E-mail (sflores@uidaho.edu).

8. Use of laptops and cell phones during class is prohibited; occasional use of laptops—typically for group work and to access the online components of the class—may be permitted with instructor’s approval.

9. Do not submit work for this class that you have submitted or intend to submit for a grade in another course; as always, be careful to cite anyone else's work that you draw upon. See highlighted link on the class website to a useful guide to avoiding plagiarism, and a link to information on the university's policies regarding plagiarism.

Intr 404.12 How We Decide Semester Schedule Fall 2010 (subject to tweaking/revision as we go along)