| The purpose of this assignment is to introduce students to course objectives and to encourage their thoughtful consideration of how those course objectives relate to their professional and academic experiences, understanding, and values. Your first major writing assignment for this course is a reflection paper, which might seem strange that at this point you have very little course content to reflect upon. You’re asked here to reflect upon your attitudes, values, and experiences as you begin work in this capstone course. Good reflective writing allows an audience to recognize a writer and allows a writer to clarify his/her thinking. There are no “right” or “wrong” responses to the guiding questions for a reflection paper; rather, those questions are meant to spur your thinking about what has brought you to a point and about how you will go forward from that point. Instructions: ● Broadly, you are asked to examine what this capstone course and project “mean” to you and discuss (with both an academic and professional lens) the potential benefits of working through this capstone: o This course stresses the interdisciplinary nature of your college experience: What does “interdisciplinary” mean to you? How has your post-secondary education brought together different disciplines? Outside your major course of study, what classes (in other academic disciplines) have been especially meaningful to you? What is the value of learning of the different perspectives and frames of reference that different academic disciplines bring to the forefront? o This course stresses ethics and how personal and corporate ethics are interwoven with personal and corporate actions: Have you taken a course in ethics? What did you learn, what do you remember? What values and attitudes do you hold that persuade you to act in an ethical manner? How important is an ethical code in your personal life? In your future professional life? In our community/social interactions? Why? How has your personal code of ethics, your “creed” been shaped by your education and other factors? o This course stresses the notion that academic experience isn’t “merely” academic but prepares students for vibrant and successful careers in the professions of their choice: How will your course work at Baker prepare you for life beyond college? What “transferable” skills help a person move from student status to professional status? How important is it to you to leave Baker College with a “toolbox” of those transferable skills? How and why could this course, which stresses interdisciplinarity and ethics, serve you well as you enter the workforce? i.e., how can you “sell” your skills to a potential employer? Formatting: ● 2-3 pages, double-spaced, 12-font, Times New Roman (Do not be afraid to exceed the suggested page length!) ● APA document formatting and citations (You are not required to incorporate outside sources, but if you do, cite them appropriately) ● Reflection papers can be quite personal (first-person pronouns welcome!), but this is still a college-level paper, so spelling, grammar, and mechanics “count.” Strategies for good writing: ● Please do not attempt to answer each of the questions posed above; they are meant to help you develop your coherent and comprehensive thoughts on the matters at hand. ● Develop your body paragraphs with plenty of discussion; personal experience, examples, and analogies help your reader understand your thinking. ● Organize your paper and use transitional words and phrases to lead your reader through its pathway. ● Be honest; if you don’t quite know something or haven’t quite decided something, it is good to acknowledge that fact. ● Remember that the goal of writing this paper is two-fold: to help you clarify your thinking as you embark on this capstone course and to let your reader know you. |
