Course Syllabus

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Description

Focus on current challenges or issues being experienced by children and families and on the development of public policies to address these issues. An ecological approach to the study of policy formation with the aim of gaining knowledge and skills to successfully advocate for appropriate and effective child and family policies.

Outcomes

The focus of this course is on the interaction between science, values, public policies, and gospel doctrines relating to the well-being of children and families. Specific learning outcomes include:

• Interpret the role of science and values in advocating on behalf of children and families at the various ecological levels.
• Assess the efficacy of current child and family policies.
• Propose well-informed policies for current child and family issues.
• Develop family advocacy views employing research and gospel doctrines and principles.
• Defend family advocacy views through speaking, writing, and social media.
• Articulate the relevance of religious freedom in the creation of family policy.
• Explain the importance of giving priority to raising well-adjusted children and responsible citizens.

Learning Model Architecture

You will apply the principles of the learning model in this course. Personal prayers and scripture study are essential to learning by faith and helpful to strengthening your ability to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You will be asked to use both intellectual and spiritual tools of learning in this course. To this end, you will be expected to:

• Exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a principle of power;
• Understand that true teaching is done by and with the Holy Ghost;
• Lay hold upon the word of God-as found in the holy scriptures and in the words of the prophets-in all disciplines;
• Act for yourself and accept responsibility for learning and teaching;
• Love, serve, and teach one another.

Each week, you will prepare by reading course materials and completing activities. Teaching one another will occur as you provide meaningful feedback, make presentations, and work with each other on assignments. Lastly, you will ponder and prove by writing research papers, conducting peer reviews, and making presentations.

Pre-Requisites

Junior or Senior standing.

Required Materials

Web camera

Microphone

Wilkins, R., & Rasband, E. (1999). A Sacred Duty. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft.

Compare prices for your textbooks through the University Store Price Comparison site. They will show you all of the options from the University Store plus several online options to help you find the best price.

Grading Policies

Grading Scale

This course will use the standard BYU-Idaho grading scale:

Grade Components

Not all assignments and activities in this class will be directly graded. However, all of them will affect your grade. Grades will be calculated as follows:

• Academic Grade (all graded assignments) = 80% of your final grade
• Citizenship Grade (all non-graded assignments/activities, including HOA meetings, Journals and Discussion Boards) = 20% of your final grade

Your Citizenship Grade will be calculated once for Lessons 01-07, and another time at the end of the class for Lessons 08-14 using the points from the Weekly Participation and Preparation Reports.

The Weekly Preparation and Participation Reports contain your point scores for the Discussion Board(s) that week, The HOA meeting, and your journal entry. The journal itself is not scored, but points are given for the journal in the Weekly Report. The points do add up. Twice during the semester, all of the points from the Weekly Reports will be averaged together and your grade will be reconfigured to include these points.

These cumulative checks that add up to be your citizenship grade, will be a reflection of the effort that you have put into being an active learner in the discussion boards, Google HOA, and Penzu journal activities.

If you don't participate and put effort towards the Citizenship Grade activities and assignments, your grade will suffer. Earning 0% of the possible 20% means that the maximum grade you could earn in this class is a B-, and that's assuming a perfect score in all of the graded assignments that make up the Academic Grade-an unlikely feat if you blow off the non-graded activities, as they are an integral piece of the learning experience and of your ability to master the skills expected and required for the graded assignments.

Academic Grade

Introduction Quiz (5 points)

This quiz will cover information from the Orientation to Online Learning at BYU-Idaho and the Syllabus.

Family Doctrine and Principles Paper (25 points)

Find scriptures and talks that help us understand how this topic conflicts with the Lord's Plan of Happiness for His children.

Family Research and Evidence Paper (25 points)

Write an in-depth analysis on a current issue or threat to the family drawing from research and current events.

United Families International Alert (25 points)

You and a partner will identify a current child/family issue and write a persuasive, yet brief advocacy article that may be sent to approximately 100,000 pro-family subscribers at www.unitedfamilies.org.

Persuasive Speech Delivery, Peer Review, and Reference Page (70 points)

You will prepare and deliver a persuasive speech aimed at influencing child and family policy or legislation. Your presentation will be done live through the use of Google HOA with an assigned small group, where you will also serve as the audience to your fellow group members that will be presenting their own speech. As a comprehensive assignment, this will also include a peer review of presenters and a reference page for all research and data sources used in the speech.

Online Advocacy (25 points)

This is a group assignment, in which you will have the opportunity to create an online forum (Facebook page or blog) and present research findings and analysis related to a child/family issue of your choice. Your online forum will be evaluated on content quality, effort, thoughtfulness, and professionalism.

Amazing Grace Final Exam (25 points)

You will watch the movie Amazing Grace and apply everything you learned throughout the semester, utilizing readings and other material covered in class. You will then discuss your answers with a partner in a Google Hangout discussion.

Citizenship Grade

Discussion Boards

After reading and pondering the assigned reading you will be required to post your thoughts and engage in meaningful discussion with your classmates. Late posts will not receive a grade, and posts will be evaluated and graded based on their relevance and level of effort.

Google Hangouts on Air

While the nature of each Google HOA activity will vary, all will require action and accountability of all members of the group or class. ALL students should participate. Your overall grade will be reduced if you do not make an effort to contribute to both class and group discussions.

Penzu Journal

You will keep an electronic journal of all that you are learning regarding advocacy research, policies, and doctrine throughout the semester. This will be assessed periodically throughout the semester and can impact your final grade, for better or worse. Your grade will be reduced if you half-heartedly complete your journal.

Preparation and Participation Reports

Each week you will complete a self-assessment reporting your level of preparation and effort in the discussion boards, Google Hangouts and Penzu Journal activities.

Final Self-Assessment

At the end of the semester you will reflect on your efforts throughout the course and grade yourself according to what you think you deserve to earn for your discussion board, Google HOA, and Penzu journal assignments. Please note that while your self grades will be considered, they may or may not be a reflection of your actual citizenship grades.

Late Work Policy

Students should complete their work on time, and late work generally will not be accepted. However, the instructor has discretion to accept late work or extend due dates in the case of extenuating circumstances.

Disclaimers

Due Dates/Times

All due dates/times for this course are based on Mountain Standard Time. Please be aware of this information; in this course you will need to submit all assignments by the required date/time based on MST.

Order of Sections in Each Lesson

Starting with Lesson 02, you will notice that the course materials are divided into three separate sections, named according to the focus of that particular topic of the lesson. From there on out, you can expect the following order:

• First section: readings, activities, and assignments to be completed on Monday and Tuesday.
• Second section: readings, activities, and assignments to be completed on Wednesday and Thursday.
• Third section: readings, activities, and assignments to be completed on Friday, Saturday, and Monday morning.

Please note that while this is the general order, there may be some exceptions occasionally (e.g., ensure a more even distribution of work load, and allow you ample time to complete more complex activities/assignments, etc.). Also, discussion boards should be carried on from the time the open through the end of the week (Monday morning).

Teamwork

This course involves group work. You will be assigned to a team to work, study and learn together. A major function of the teams is to collaborate, discuss, investigate, teach, and counsel with one another. For those who hope to coast while your group does all the work, remember the Lord has said: "let every [wo]man be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the church"(D&C 75:29).

Google Hangouts on Air

As explained previously, this course will require that you participate in live, synchronous meetings using Google HOA with your assigned small groups once a week, starting with Lesson 2, through the end of the semester. This means if you do not already have a Google (Gmail) account and a YouTube account, you will need to set those up. This is a course requirement; therefore, signing up for an account is not optional and there are no alternatives to it.

Additionally, the instructor will make an effort to arrange the groups according to time zones to make the coordination of these meetings easier for everyone, but please be aware that such accommodations may not be possible for everyone or in every single week. As you organize your time throughout the semester, please remember to budget in the time for those live meetings.

Can I be spoon-fed?

A vital principle to learning is to "act for themselves and accept responsibility for learning and teaching" (BYU-Idaho Learning Model). To become an engaged learner, you must read the assigned material, post to discussion boards, ask questions, and share insights. Moreover, you have a responsibility to contribute to our learning community by "loving, serving, and teaching one another." Keep this in mind as you review the course assignments and requirements.

What does baptism have to do with the Honor Code?

BYU-I students are responsible for abiding by all established University Policies and Standards. Although these policies are described in detail, we want to provide one specific point and some additional thoughts. Please be aware that penalties for academic dishonesty are determined by the instructor's policy, and can vary depending on the severity of the misconduct. While this is the policy for this course, it is expected that you will be honest in your academic conduct.

At baptism, we covenanted to "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death" (Mosiah 18:9). Ponder this if you are ever tempted to be dishonest in your work, or to do anything that does not witness your commitment to the Savior. As the prophet Jacob once said, "O be wise, what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12).