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HIS 3015.01
Junior Cornerstone Seminar: Historical Documentary Filmmaking; Undergraduate Research
Fall 2009
[3:30-4:45 T TH, WHB313, 3 credit hours]
Prerequisites for the course: Junior Standing
Course Description:
The Junior Cornerstone Seminar, for students who are midway through university study, is designed to
challenge them to apply multiple disciplines to an overarching problem or question through active and
engaged investigation. Cornerstones also are collaborative; students will work together to pursue
answers to a problem and also draw conclusions from these experiences. A unique feature of the course
is its emphasis on Problem-Based Learning, defined as:
“. . . an instructional method whereby students collaborate with each other in activating prior
knowledge, constructing new knowledge, and in developing a plan for further study.”
By definition, Junior Cornerstone Seminars carry Experiential Learning credit in one of the following
categories: undergraduate research, community-based research, service learning, or study abroad.
Specifically, this section of the Junior Cornerstone Seminar will require that students learn and collaborate
in their research of a historical question related to the Civil Rights Movement in Nashville. You will find
and examine resources in archives and libraries, determine the key figures in the movement, and look at
the movement in the context of its time and place.
Course Expectations
This course emulates the environment of a workplace; thus, there are both individual and group
expectations that you should aspire to meet. These expectations are outlined below.
2. Reasoning: As your group works through problems, you will develop the ability to
generate hypotheses and consider a broad range of hypotheses relevant to the problem
recognize the possibility of multiple causes and/or solutions to the problem.
revise hypotheses or proposed solutions when new evidence disconfirms existing
assumptions and knowledge (avoid becoming “anchored”).
effectively synthesize existing and new knowledge
justify conclusions
Attendance: There is no penalty for up to two unexcused absences. There is a discretionary letter grade
penalty for every absence beyond two absences. A student may be dropped with a failing grade if he/she
is absent for more than six classes periods.
Texts: Readings will be provided throughout the semester via PDF documents posted on the class
website. There are no required texts for the class.
Policy for Late Work/Absences from Exams or Assignments: Late assignments will be docked one
letter grade for each day that passes beyond the due date.
The group participation grade will be partially assigned by your peers. Each student will evaluate each
member of their group at the end of the semester and assign a grade based on specific criteria.
Reading assignments and quizzes will be given throughout the semester based on the direction of the
research.
University Policies:
Honor Code
The Belmont community values personal integrity and academic honesty as the foundation of university
life and the cornerstone of a premiere educational experience. Our community believes trust among its
members is essential for both scholarship and effective interactions and operations of the university. As
members of the Belmont community, students, faculty, staff, and administrators are all responsible for
ensuring that their experiences will be free of behaviors which compromise this value. In order to uphold
academic integrity, the university has adopted an Honor System. Students and faculty will work together
to establish the optimal conditions for honorable academic work. Following is the Student Honor Pledge
that guides academic behavior:
“I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in
course work, I the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor
as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my
responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”
Accommodation of Disabilities
In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont
University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities. If you have a disability
and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please
notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman Student Life Center (460-6407) as soon as possible.
Course Evaluations
The university urges and expects all students enrolled in a Junior Cornerstone Seminar (HIS 3015) to
participate in all course evaluations, providing honest feedback to the instructor and institution about the
specific aspects and elements of the course.