Weeks/Dates

Things to do

Week 1

8/19- 8/21

In class work: Introductions; brief discussion of Positive Psychology (overview sheet); genre writing; uptake; semester overview

Homework: positive psychology overview

^Read the Positive Psychology Overview sheet and respond with 1 page. Think about a time you saw someone "rise to the occasion." You pick the context. It could be real life, TV, movies, books. What kind of occasion? How did they do it? Was it mental, emotional, action? Was it their usual way of being or did they do something out of their normal character?

Prompt I: Strengths Assessment Overview

Homework: Do Strengths Assessment (30-90 minutes) and write a response to outcome

^Respond to the top 5 in your assessment results (or anything else that catches your attention). Which words feel like they fit you? Which maybe don't? Are there some words that you ranked high on that you don't fully understand or haven't thought much about? Are some true in some contexts but not others or around some people but not others? Which do you most want to cultivate and why? Respond with 1 page on whatever feels most significant.

Last day to Add & Drop w/o ‘W’ Aug 21^st

Week 2

8/24-8/28

In class work: Discuss Strengths; Discuss Uptake Guidelines (introduction) 

Homework: Read and respond to “My Apology to Limpo”; The Civil War Letter using Elements of the Personal Essay

^ Read both stories, mark up and write up what the author is doing to make the essay work. Use terms from Elements of the Personal Essay to make your points. (1/2 page-1 page for each story)

Prompt II: Uptake as process/progress document

Homework: Begin filling out uptake document using Strengths response or reading response.

^What ideas have stood out the most so far? What kind of work have you done to connect? Match anything from the semester that is significant with the positive psychology terms from your uptake document.

Week 3

8/31-9/4

 In class work: Discuss personal essay genre; discuss My Apology to Limpo and Civil War Letter; discuss Unit 1, Option A; Conflict Letter

Homework: Read and respond to “V is for Vanity” using Elements of the Personal Essay

^ Same as last week. Use the Elements of the Personal Essay sheet to break down what is happening in the essay, what is working, what is not, how and why.

Prompt III: Unit 1, Option A Guidelines

Homework: Draft 1 page, minimum, of a potential conflict letter for Unit 1, Option A

^Make sure you read over the Guidelines for the conflict letter. Think about what ideas have urgency and immediacy for potential topic choices. Think about the Personal Essay Elements and begin a first draft of page one of a potential conflict letter.

Week 4

9/7-9/11

In class work: Discuss first drafts of conflict letter; Discuss “V is for Vanity"; Introduce Unit 1, Option B (Strengths/Values Essay); Sign up for Conferences

Homework: After doing the homework below (Drafting 1 page, minimum, of a potential strengths/virtues essay, decide whether you want to continue with this essay or the conflict letter and document why in uptake)

Prompt IV: Unit 1, Option B Guidelines

Homework: Draft 1 page, minimum, of a potential strengths/values essay for Unit 1, Option B

^Make sure you read over Unit B guidelines, and use Personal Essay elements to begin writing about a topic for this essay. Find a strength and some kind of complication for it in your life. Maybe the issue is with you, maybe it's with a context outside of you, maybe it's two strengths that are hard to maintain at the same time. Maybe it's something else. Write a rough draft of page 1 of this potential essay.

Week 5

9/14-9/18

In class work: One-on-one conferences

Homework: Edit, revise, finish essay; complete uptake

N/A

Homework: N/A

Week 6

9/21-9/25

Due: Unit 1 Essay and Uptake (by the start of your class section)

In class work: Discuss finished projects; Introduce Unit 2 (Podcast); Discuss Strength clusters in regard to The Alchemist/Podcasting; Freewrite (character/movie/strength)

Homework: Read and respond to The Alchemist, pgs. 3-56

N/A

Homework: N/A

Week 7

9/28-10/2

In class work: Discuss The Alchemist (prologue; pgs. 3-56)

Homework: Read and respond to The Alchemist (pgs. 56-112)

Prompt V: Example of a Podcast topic using strengths clusters

Homework: Brainstorm a list of potential movies, books, characters, topics for the Podcast unit [In your Unit 2 Uptake Doc]

Week 8

10/5-10/9

In class work: Discuss The Alchemist (pgs. 56-112); Discuss topics; choose groups

Homework: Read and respond to The Alchemist (pgs. 112-167)

Podcast Pre-Plan/Podcast Guidelines

Midterm Grades due Tuesday Oct 13^th

Week 9

10/12-10/16

In class work: Discuss The Alchemist (pgs. 112-167); create Podcast Pre-Plan

Homework: Work on Podcast and Uptake

N/A

Homework: N/A

Week 10

10/19-10/23

In class work: Podcast Group Conferences

Homework: Finish Podcast and Post-Podcast Uptake

Prompt VI: Positive Emotions and List

Homework: Response to Positive Emotions and List

Week 11

10/26-10/30

Due: Podcast; Pre and Post Uptake

In class work: Introduce Unit 3 (Social Media Style Article); Discuss Positive Emotions

Homework: Read and Respond to Social Media Style Articles [TBD]

Prompt VII: Joy as Example

Homework: Choose 1-2 potential emotions for paper, discuss pros and cons for each

Week 12

11/2-11/6

In class work: Discuss Social Media Style Articles; Discuss potential topics; choose topic

Homework: Field Exercise and Report (1)

Prompt VIII: How-to field exercise and social media style article (guidelines)

Homework: Create an outline for research and article

Week 13

11/9-11/13

In class work: Discuss field research and outlines

Homework: Field Exercise and Report (2); start writing paper

N/A

Homework: N/A

Last day to Drop Courses w/ ‘W’ Nov 13^th

Week 14

11/16-11/20

In class work: One-On-One Conferences

Homework: Continue working on Unit 3 and Uptake

Final Portfolio Video

Week 15

11/23-11/27

Thanksgiving break

Week 16

11/30-12/4

Due: Social Media Style Article and Uptake

In class work: N/A

Homework: N/A

Video: N/A

Homework: Finalize Portfolio

Final Portfolio due by December 7^th

Final Exams Dec 7-11^th

Grades due by 8 am Monday Dec 14^th