Letter, Open Online ALSsp17

Letter, open

Prof. Jason Leggett

Course Website: https://jasonmleggett.commons.gc.cuny.edu/online-class-e-learning__trashed/overview/

Welcome to Spring Semester 2017 of American Legal System online. This course may be your first online course, or it may be different from other online courses you have taken already, so please continue reading to get a general layout of the course, expectations, and ways of communicating with me.

By now, you should have visited Blackboard and looked through the tabs for Announcements, Course Information, and Course Documents. Later in the semester you will use the Discussion Board. Kingsborough provides staff support for Blackboard questions at the help desk or you can ask in the library for direction. You should consult your student handbook for contact information and more details which can be found by clicking here.

I am asking that you complete the first 3 assignments this week. These are getting to know you assignments and help me confirm you are still enrolled in the class, tell me a bit about your civic identity, and provides a snapshot of how you think about questions and how you frame your responses.

Google Forms responses come directly to me in an organized spreadsheet. I look through your answers and give you a credit or no credit. I will let you know if you do not get credit and need to resubmit. If I do not contact you about an assignment then I received your responses and you received credit.

ALS Intro: by clicking here.

ALS Disaster Prep Readiness: by clicking here.

ALS Tribes or Forage: by clicking here.

Timing of Work:

I will post assignments some time between Sunday and Tuesday and they should be completed that week before the next assignments are released. The first half of the semester will include google form assignments that draw from the reader, which I will refer to as the course pack, by myself and co-author, Helen Margaret Nasser. The second half will have you continue reading on your own and will ask you to participate in online discussions on Blackboard in response to the book Going South by Debra Schultz. This book is available in the college bookstore.

You will find assignments posted on the Blackboard announcements section and will be enabled as hyperlinks on the course outline on the course website each week. You should review the grading policy on the syllabus.

Per the syllabus, which is on Blackboard under Course Information, your final exam will be comprehensive, meaning it will cover all of the reading material from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester. It is important you keep up with the readings and google forms assignments so that I might help you better prepare for the final exam. If you fall behind it is harder for me to help you catch up as most students will be moving forward. Priority will go to students who are consistently working. The exam questions will be similar to those asked on the assignments and will cover main points, theories, and civic engagement.

Finally, I am asking that you acknowledge you read this letter, agree to the learning path put forth, and have begun to order the materials and reviewed class work. If you have any questions or concerns please email me at jasonmleggettkbcc@gmail.com . I tend to answer my emails Monday – Thursday mornings. If it is urgent please indicate so in your subject and please include the class number.  I do hold office hours in D-221 on Mondays from 12:40 – 2:30 or by appointment.

If you do not have any questions and are ready to move forward please complete this google form and provide your preferred email address for communications with you. Please click here to begin.   

Jason.

PS, no cheating, please.