Course Syllabus

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COUN 120- SPRING 20241/29 - 5/25Section #2123 – 3 Units
Hybrid 50% On-campus (H-114) and 50% Online (Canvas)
“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”— Michelle Obama
Contact InformationAsma Yassi 
Pronouns: She/her/hersEmail me directly via asma.yassi@gcccd.edu or use the Canvas Inbox to contact me. You can also communicate any concerns during our in-person sessions.
Please allow 24-48 hours to respond to your email.
Meet your InstructorMy name is Asma Yassi and I will be your instructor for this course. I am very happy you chose to enroll in Counseling 120 (College and Career Success) and I hope by the end of our journey together, you will be able to identify an academic and/or a career goal for you. Yes, you heard me this course is all about YOU! We will spend the time this semester exploring the different careerand academic options, self-reflect, and learn new skills and tools to help you make this decision. I will be here for you in every step of the way to guide you and give you a safe space to determine your goals. Like you, I am a former Cuyamaca student and I was lost in the process of education and faced many obstacles at the start of my journey, until I received the guidance of my EOPS counselors and as able to define my own personal, academic, and career goals. I am an immigrant to the United States. With that comes many challenges to include linguistic, cultural, and educational are to name a few. It turns out that these exact same challenges motivated me to persist and continue my studies for many years after. Returning to Cuyamaca upon completing my Master’s Degree in Counseling was a dream come true. It is now my turn to provide students the support they need to reach their own success. I have been a faculty member in the college since 2013 and in 2018, I was hired full time. I wear different hats as a counselor, I get to meet students to guide their educational journey, coordinate a program called CalWORKs, teach Counseling and Work Experience courses, and participate in shared governance and various committees on campus. I am very excited to get to know you this semester, so WELCOME!
Teaching philosophyI believe that every student is capable of success, and my role as a counseling faculty is to provide you with the right tools and the safe environment to let you discover your own personal strengths and abilities. My job is to let you define your own meaning of success which could be different from one person to another. Having this mindset, will allow you to further explore and determine your own personal, academic, and career goals which is the ultimate objective of this course (College and Career Success).
Catalog DescriptionThis course teaches success strategies to enhance academic and lifelong learning. The course also discusses the importance of looking at the human being as an integrated physiological, social and psychological organism. Students will explore personality types and examine their own interests and values as a way to increase self-understanding and select an appropriate major and career. Students will identify their learning style and apply psychological principles of learning, memory, motivation and stress management to academic study strategies. Students will also apply life management techniques such as time and money management to accomplish personal goals. Students will examine the adult stages of development and develop a plan for wellness and living a long and healthy life. Additionally, students will be given the opportunity to practice creative and critical thinking techniques.
Required Course MaterialsCollege Success: is the name of your FREE online book. Your book consists of 12 chapters. Use the link below to directly access it, I will also be posting it on Canvas.
Baldwin, Amy. 2023. College Success. OpenStax.
https://openstax.org/details/books/college-success?Book%20details
Time Required for This CourseIt is hard to determine exactly how much time you will need to spend in this course as it depends on your reading and writing skills. In general, I would allocate about 3-5 hours a week to complete the weekly activities which can include assignments, discussions, and the book readings.
Grading PhilosophyStudents, I know how important grades are for you in your academic journey and being a college student. While you may need to make good satisfactory progress in your courses to maintain financial aid eligibility, apply for certain programs/careers, or to transfer, your goal should be learning for the sake of learning. My grading philosophy heavily depends on you making an effort and immersing yourself in the content.My goal is for you to take every opportunity in this course to reflect on your experiences and take away skills and strategies to apply in your future. Do not worry so much about your grades, you will easily earn them by completing the work.
Late WorkPlease know that I understand that as a college student, you may be trying to balance work, school, family, illness, and other personal commitments at the same time, and that can result in turning work late and missing the due dates. I was once in your shoes and had to juggle among going to school full time, working, and other personal commitments. I would like to assure you that I am here to help you and I encourage you to be in communication with me if you run into any difficulties. While each assignment and discussion will have a due date and time, with reasonable explanations, I will allow you to submit late work without a penalty or make up missed work. Again talk to me when issues come up and we will create together a good plan tohelp you succeed in the course.
GradingI am committed to timely feedback and will grade assignments quickly. Grading is based on the points you receive on your discussions and assignments as well as participation during in class activities . Here is the grading scale:
A 270-300B 240-269C 210-239D 180-209F 179 and Under
Check your grades anytime by clicking on Grades in the left margin. Total points and grades are updated weekly so that you always know your current grade in the course.
Grade DetailsAttendance and Participation: 100 points 
Discussion Boards: 8 Discussions x 10 Points = 80 PointsAssignments: 8 Assignments x 10 Points = 80 PointsFinal Career Research Paper = 40 Points
TOTAL: 300 Points
Academic IntegrityIn Academia, students are expected to give credit every time they find information in different resources such as articles, journals, videos, websites, etc. Citing this information in your college work is important and it is called academic integrity. Not giving proper citations will result in plagiarism. There is nothing wrong with looking up information and evidence outside the course and in fact, it is helpful in my course such as researching about different academic and career options

Student Learning OutcomesUpon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:1) Evaluate career, academic and personal goals through in class activities and written assignments.2) Create an educational plan using various academic resources such as the college catalog, transfer resources and/or career research websites.

Hate-Free ZoneIn my class, every student have the ability to share their own ideas and thoughts in a respectful way. As students, we all come from different backgrounds, life experiences, values, and varying point of view, so it is very important to practice respect among each other and help facilitate a safe learning environment that is hate-free

Tentative Course Calendar and Due dates:Here is an outline of what to expect for the COUN 120 course. Please note that instructors have the right to make changes or edits during the semester If needed and when appropriate.

Week 1 (1/29-2/4)

  • Lecture 2/1 Syllabus/review of Canvas

Week 2 (2/5-2/11) 

  • Lecture 2/8 Chapter 1
  • Discussion: Why College! Due 2/11

Week 3 (2/12-2/18)

  • Lecture 2/15: Chapter 2 Part 1
  • Assignment: Truetalent Personality due 2/18
  • Assignment: Truetalent Personality Reflection due 2/18

Week 4 (2/19-2/25)

  • Lecture 2/22: Chapter 2 Part 2
  • Assignment: Truetalent Learning Styles Due 2/25
  • Discussion: Predicting your Success Due 2/25

Week 5 (2/26-3/3)

  • Lecture 2/29: Chapter 3 
  • Assignment: Time Management Due 3/3

Week 6 (3/4-3/10)

  • Lecture 3/7: Chapter 4
  • Assignment: Comprehensive Education Plan Due 3/10

Week 7 (3/11-3/17)

  • Lecture 3/14: Chapter 5 
  • Discussion: Skills for the Future Due 3/17

Week 8 (3/18-3/24)

  • Lecture 3/21: Chapter 6 
  • Discussion: Case Scenarios Due 3/24

Week 9 (3/25-3/31)

  • SPRING RECESS
  • Lecture 3/28 CANCELLED

Week 10 (4/1-4/7)

  • Lecture 4/4: Chapter 7 
  • Discussion: What would you do? Due 4/7

Week 11 (4/1-4/14)

  • Lecture 4/11: Chapter 8 
  • Assignment: Drafting a Professional Email Due 4/14

Week 12 (4/15-4/21)

  • Lecture 4/18: Chapter 9 
  • Discussion: Macroaggression Due 4/21

Week 13 (4/22-4/28)

  • Lecture 4/25: Chapter 10 
  • Discussion: Pros and Cons of Credit Cards Due 4/28

Week 14 (4/29-5/5)

  • Lecture 5/2: Chapter 11 
  • Discussion: Self-Care Strategies Due 5/5

Week 15 (5/6-5/12)

  • Lecture 5/9: Chapter 12 Part 1
  • Assignment: Resume Due 5/12

Week 16 (5/13-5/19)

  • Lecture 5/16: Chapter 12 Part 2
  • Assignment: Final Career Research Paper Prep Due 5/19

Week 17 (5/20-5/26)

  • Lecture 5/23: None
  • Assignment: Final Career Research Paper Due 5/25

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due