LIBR 281-10
Seminar in Contemporary Issues
Topic: Storytelling
Spring 2014 Greensheet

Elizabeth (Beth) Wrenn-Estes, Lecturer
E-mail
Other contact information:510-410-1959 (Cell)
Office location: Home
Office Hours: By Appointment
Website: http://ischoolapps.sjsu.edu/facultypages/view.php?fac=wrenn_estesb

THE D2L SITE AND COURSE GREENSHEET/SYLLABUS

This course will be available on d2L JANUARY 23, 2014. You will be automatically enrolled into the site.

The instructor expects each student to check into the d2L course site at least once, if not twice, per day to see course updates, resources, announcements, and other relevant information.

Students are responsible to know the content on the d2L course site and Greensheet/Syllabus.

It is also the student’s responsibility to ask questions and express concerns quickly so that the instructor can provide an answer/response immediately.

Course Description

This course is designed to teach students the skills, techniques, and procedures for developing and implementing a storytelling program for children, adolescents, or adults.  The history vstorytelling, its place in the school or public library, and in our culture as a whole will be included.  Students will read a wide variety of stories, learn techniques to adapt them for various settings and groups, demonstrate their ability to tell stories and to develop storytelling programs for different age groups. 

Course Requirements

• All students must have access to a video camera and the ability and software to load recordings to the Blackboard Collaborate course site.
• Students are expected to attend all scheduled Blackboard Collaborate sessions, actively participate in class discussion threads, complete reading assignments, watch all assigned video presentations, and submit written assignments on due dates. 
• Assignments must be submitted via the D2L course website.

Disclaimer
The instructor makes every effort to proofread the Greensheet/Syllabus and the d2L Course Site but errors can occur. Please contact the instructor with any errors you see or any questions or may have. Be as specific as you can about the location so that the instructor can quickly find and correct or clarify.

Instructor’s Instructional Philosophy
The instructor wants each student in the course to succeed and will do everything to help students do so but it is a partnership. Please make sure that communication stays a top priority during the semester. Ask questions when you have them, seek clarifications when you need them, take responsibility for understanding all expectations, content and assignments for the course.

The instructor encourages students to work hard and to come away with a love of children’s programming and services including children’s literature, the ability to defend it, and an understanding of how to best serve children. Students are ultimately responsible for their learning experience and work ethic during the class.

The Importance of SOTES
Students evaluate the course and instructor at the end of each term.  This evaluation is known as the SOTES. An announcement will go out from the administration letting students/faculty know when the SOTES are available to complete. The importance of SOTES is very easy to describe – it is the student voice to the administration and the instructor giving feedback on the positives and negatives of the student’s experience in the class. Completing the SOTES is so very important to improving courses and instruction.

Questions, Comments, Concerns- Discussion Thread
Please post all questions, concerns, and general comments on the discussion thread under Content/Discussion Threads on the D2L class site. If the question or concern is of a personal nature send directly to the instructor’s email address (bwestes@mac.com).

Lectures
All lectures are posted with each Weekly Outline on the D2L site. Lectures may have been recorded during an earlier semester but are still relevant for the present semester.

E-mail Subject Lines/Naming of Assignment Files - Mandatory

• Format for subject line for all email correspondence:
• LIBR 281_10_YOUR LAST NAME
• Format the file name for all of your assignments:
• LIBR 281_10_YOUR LAST NAME_KEYWORD OF ASSIGNMENT TITLE

E-mail Response Time
Instructor answers email on a regular basis throughout the day and evenings.

(Policy-Instructor will respond to student emails within 24-hours of receipt). The instructor will inform the class if a longer response time is needed (instructor out of town, illness, etc.)

Students are expected to promptly answer emails from the instructor and fellow students.

BLACKBOARD IM
Students MUST sign up for this free, IM service from the University. SLIS will send out information on how to obtain the software. Blackboard IM is an  excellent way for the class to stay in touch with one another and with the Instructor.

Crisis or Emergency
Please call the instructor (in advance if possible) if a situation will prevent you from doing assignments or other class activities. You will receive a zero for any course work missed unless you have received permission from the instructor for an extension. The instructor reserves the right to deduct points (the number of points is determined by the instructor) for any work not submitted on time or lack of participation in any class activities or assignment.

Instructor’s cell phone number is 510-410-1959 (pacific time zone).

Course Calendar
Subject to change with fair notice.

Technology Requirements
You will need a high-speed connection (DSL, cable, etc.) to successfully participate in this class. Please see the Technology Requirements and Instructions for Success handout.

Grading
See Grading Scale below.

Grades not rounded up to the next grade level. For example if at semester’s end you have a 90.7%/100 you will get a B (90%) in the class.

Grading Rubric/Individual Assignment Evaluation Forms

The rubric for written assignments and the instructor’s evaluation forms are located on the Contents page on the D2L course site.

ASSIGNMENTS-POINTS ALLOCATION-DEADLINES

NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to deduct points for any work not done on time, missed Collaborate sessions or non-participation in discussion threads.

Weekly Outlines

NOTE: Weekly outlines will appear in full detail when the d2L Course website opens. Remember that the Greensheet and the Course Site must be used in tandem with each other so that you understand expectations, assignments and all readings and videos you are required to watch. Once the semester starts please check the website for the most up-to-date information.

SCHEDULE/ASSIGNMENTS/READINGS

The Instructor reserves the right to add readings/videos with adequate notice. Please check the d2L site for the latest in assignments.

It is critical that you follow the weekly outlines under Content on the D2L sites.  The Weekly Outlines will walk you through week by week all activities and resources you need to look at, complete, etc. Pay attention to deadlines.

Course Activities and Assignments
Each of these assignments and activities is designed to support the others.  You need to read your texts and watch the videos in order to get enough information to participate in the class discussions and prepare for your performances. You will be asking for feedback from others about your stories, selecting, adapting and practicing them, and giving feedback on the same things.  Your informal papers on each presentation will allow you to share your process and purpose for each presentation.  The big study you will do a particular type of story and those individuals who excel at it will bring you closer to understanding one type of story to its very core. The final informal paper will allow you to go back over the semester and look at how far you have come, and how you will be using in the future what you have learned this semester.

Readings
Please make sure that you have read both textbooks (Greene and Haven) by February 10th. Because you will be locating, editing, and learning stories for the rest of the semester, you will need to get the texts read as soon as possible.

Class Participation
Class participation activities include being active in the Collaborate sessions, the discussion threads (please refer to those areas for explanation and points allocation) and in general being engaged with fellow classmates and the instructor throughout the semester.

Participation includes, but is not limited to:

• You will learn from each other as well as from me.  However, you do NOT have to agree with me in order to speak.  I am not always right, by any means, and welcome your dissension as well as your agreement.  I want to learn with you.
• To some extent, my perception of your level of class participation is qualitative, but my evaluation of you in this area is not without quantitative support, based on my 20 years of teaching experience and my work with storytelling in the public library environment. I believe I am experienced and very able to assess your participation.
• Bringing up questions about the lecture and readings that require clarification, that you wish to dispute, or that you agree with.
• Being an active participant in your own learning process.
• Giving peers appropriate feedback on their performances.
• Comments and questions should be relevant to the topic under discussion, and take into consideration both that humor can enhance learning, and that this is a graduate classroom and some level of analytical thought is expected. 
• It is important for each of us to remember that no question is dumb, no response silly or invalid, and no idea unworthy of consideration.  This pertains to all comments, whether they are made by you, by me, or by someone else in the class.
• Please read, think, and share your thoughts with the other members of this class, both in and out of class.  Bring your ideas, your questions, and your insights with you to class, so we can all learn and grow together.

Blackboard Collaborate Sessions
You are required to have a good reliable microphone and speaker. Purchase a headset with a microphone attached, since that will give the best sound quality and also leave your hands free for typing and using mouse. Log into class AT LEAST 15 minutes ahead of time, so our Collaborate assistant can check to see that you can speak and hear.  When this has been confirmed, he/she will tell you how to indicate that you’ve stepped away from your computer, and you don’t have to come back till 6:30 p.m. PST.  BTW, I have to do this too, to make sure my hardware is working properly as well. There is a Blackboard Collaborate handbook and tutorials available to help you familiarize yourselves with Collaborate.

DATES - MANDATORY Blackboard Collaborate Sessions

• Tuesday, February 26th – 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  Storytelling Performances and Evaluation Discussion (Session 1)
• Tuesday, April 2nd – 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  Storytelling Performances and Evaluation Discussion (Session 2)
• Tuesday, May 7th – 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  Storytelling Performances and Evaluation Discussion (Session 3)

Note: 15 pts. for each session – see Storytelling Performances under Detailed Assignment Descriptions for more details.

DISCUSSION THREAD - NOT MANDATORY

"The Water Cooler" - This is a discussion thread where you can share ideas, resources and anything else relevant to the class with each other.

Discussion Threads - Mandatory

See each thread for number of posts and submission dates/times that are required. Additional posts are always welcomed and more posts create a much richer exchange of ideas and insights between classmates.

Discussion Thread Schedule

• Week 1 (1 pt) January 23 – January 26
  Tell the class about your background, occupation, where you are in the program and any other family or personal information you would like to share with the class.
  Post/Deadlines: 1 post by Sunday, January 26^{th (midnight).}
  
  
• Week 6 (3 pts) February 24 – March 2
  I'd like to have some of your ideas on the importance and place of story in our lives, and in your own life. 
  Post/Deadlines: Post/Deadlines: You must post two substantial posts and one response to another classmate.  One substantial post on Tuesday by midnight, one substantial post on Thursday, plus one response to a classmate by Sunday at 5 p.m. Pacific.
  
  
• Week 13 (3 pts) April 7 – April 13
  Share in detail what you believe to be your storytelling style and how you have come to the conclusion. The thread is concentrating on your physical and audio presence more than the type of stories you are telling. 
  Post/Deadlines: You must post two substantial posts and one response to another classmate.  One substantial post on Tuesday by midnight, one substantial post on Thursday, plus one response to a classmate by Sunday at 5 p.m. Pacific.

SLIS Competencies: M, N
Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4

Detailed Descriptions of Assignments

STORYTELLING PRESENTATIONS (45 points – 15 points per session)
DUE DATES: February 26, April 2 and May 7th
(Blackboard Collaborate Sessions)

3 Performances

Each student will create three performances using video.  One performance must be focused for children, one for teens and one for adults or all ages.

Videos cannot be over 12 minutes in length (total). We will watch video(s) of your performance each of the session dates indicated above. You may choose to tell one long story to fill the 12 minutes or up to 3 stories to fill the allotted time.

Students will be required to tell a different types of story each performance, including but not limited to, folktales, fairy tales, morality tales, tall tales, myths, legends, and chapters from children’s books.

Students may choose to perform before a live audience or tape without audience.

Story Edit

One of the three performances must be done from a story you have edited.This means you'll find a long story and edit it down to perform for the class. In the presentation paper for that performance you'll describe the process. See the assignment details for the performance papers.

The Videos

It is the responsibility of the student to have the necessary technology to meet the video requirement. Students will videotape themselves, or get a friend or family member to do the recording. Instructor has no preference about this, but it may be easier if you twist someone’s arm (or use some gentler persuasive techniques) and persuade them to handle the camera.

It is important that the video you provide be of quality - you will lose points if the audio or visual aspects of the video are not up to standard.

Post Videos

Posting URLs to your video(s) early gives everyone in the class the ability to get a first viewing before the actual evaluation/performance night during the Collaborate session. The video you made will be shown during class – you will not be performing “live”.

The videos must be loaded to one of the following: YouTube, Vimeo or BlipTV. If you want to use anything else please check with Instructor first.

URL posting dates are  2/24 (midnight), 3/31 (midnight), 5/5 (midnight).

All students watch all videos twice – once in advance of the session and once during the session(s).

Evaluation:
Students will evaluate each other but the instructor will determine the number of evaluations each student will do and will announce prior to each session who will be evaluating who.

SLIS Competencies: I, M, N
Objectives: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11

PERFOMANCE PAPERS – INFORMAL WRITING STYLE ALLOWED

(6 points each for 2 of the performance papers and 12 points for the edited story/performance paper *).

DUE DATES: Papers are due on February ^25th (midnight), ^{April 1st}(midnight), May 6th (midnight) These papers will be turned in via the designated drop box as well as posted on the Blackboard Collaborate course website to the designated discussion thread so that they can be shared with the class.

For each performance, write a paper about your process of selecting and learning each of your performances with background information for each individual story, including where you found it, why you chose it, what other stories and activities you would include in the story telling. Include specifics about style, method and your process. *See additional details for the performance that you do from a story you have edited.

*Story Editing Paper/Performance
One of the most important aspects of being a storyteller is the ability to edit/revise stories down from original lengths so that you can perform for different audiences. A story that an adult audience could listen to may be so special that you want to be able to revise it down to a length that 9-10 year old children could enjoy as well.

First pick a story that is of substantial length. Revise the story for another age group.

You must include the following in addition to the requirements for the performance paper indicated above:

1. Introduction that will enlighten your reader as to why you selected this story over others you could have chosen from.
2. Describe your revision process in detail. Why did you remove certain parts? Why did you leave in certain parts?
3. Conclusion. What did you learn about his process? Successes? Frustrations?
4. As Appendices:
   Revised story
   Original story
   
   In addition include:
5. Process of selecting and learning performances with background information for the story, what other stories and activities you would include in the story telling session. Include specifics about style, method and your process.
   
   PAPER FORMATTING

1. Cover/Title page (name, course name and section number, school name, date, instructor’s name. Title should be what the Instructor has named the assignment. The title you have created for the assignment may be used as a secondary title
2. Page Numbers (except on the Title Page)
3. Name of assignment on each page (other than the cover page) and use the Instructor’s name for the assignment not any you have created.
4. Reference Page/Works Cited in full accordance with APA formatting
5. Citations/Quotes in the body of the paper need to be formatted according to APA rules.
6. Work must be double spaced and typed - no handwritten scans
7. Spelling, grammar, and syntactical errors will not be tolerated.

SLIS Competencies:  M, N
Objectives: 3, 4, 5, 6, 11

STORYTELLING STUDY - 18 points
DUE DATE: April 19th (midnight)
FORMAT: Blog (URL to discussion thread provided)

Each student will choose their topic from the list below and then post their choice to the Google Doc so the class knows what you have selected (link to Google document will be provided by instructor).

The student will then create a blog that researches the topic in detail. The blog must have an academic tone and style detailing all of the findings from the student's research. The blog must include pictures/graphics/video and other materials the student feels worthy to add to the overall understanding of the topic to the audience.

• The blog must have an academic tone and writing style.
• The blog needs to be a minimum of what would be a 15-20-page paper, excluding title page (banner) references and appendices, if any.
• The blog banner must include the same elements as a Cover/Title page would in a paper (name, course name and section number, school name, date, instructors name. Title should be what the Instructor has named the assignment. The title you have created for the assignment may be used as a secondary title.
• You may create one blog entry to replace what would be a Reference Page/Works Cited in a paper and it must be in full accordance with APA formatting
• Citations/Quotes in the blog need to be formatted according to APA rules.
• Spelling, grammar, and syntactical errors will not be tolerated.

TOPICS

1. Story Types (pick one for your study). Include all of the storytellers that you can find that excel at the type/topic you have chosen to describe (include) in your blog. You must include a very detailed historial overview of what you have chosen including the most famous stories included in this type across time.
   
   Note: You do not have to limit to the US - you can expand your horizons!
   • Fairy Tales
   • Epics
   • Folktales
   • Fables
   • Myths
   • Legends
   • String Stories
   • Storytelling through Poetry and Song
   • Parables
   • Tall Tales
   If you want to do something that is not listed here please contact instrocutor.
2. The Best of the Best - Storytellers to Know and Love - Past or Present
   Chose several storytellers (between2-4) and follow them throughout their careers. You will have to do a critical review of their work and styles. Tell why you chose them, why they are the best. What are their personal philosophies? What makes them stand out? You have to really dig deep –deep -deep if you choose this for your topic.
3. Digital Storytelling
4. Genre and Storytelling in Video Games
5. Transmedia Storytelling (from article in Wired Magazine as a jumping off place. Again if you choose this you will need to do a substantial amount of research to meet the content/length requirements.
6. Suggest your own topic to the instructor

SLIS Competencies:  I, M, N
Objectives: 1, 2

PHILOSOPHY PAPER (6 points)
DUE DATE May 13th
(Midnight to drop box)

Each student will turn in a brief paper (5 pages) on their philosophy of storytelling, explaining their conceptualization of it, its value and its place in librarianship.

Writing-Research Standards

Students will produce assignments that meet writing and research standards appropriate for students in a Master’s program of study. It is critical to proofread your work before turning it in. Graduate level writing standards do not tolerate spelling or grammatical errors of any kind. Students are encouraged to refer to a writing handbook - Strunk and White’s Elements of Style for example. APA is mandated for citations included within the text of the paper and reference/bib page(s). See class rubric under Lessons on the Blackboard Collaborate class site for description of criteria/expectations for each grade level.

Spelling and Grammar Errors

Instructor may not read your entire blog for spelling and grammar mistakes; if, in the instructor's opinion, your blog contains too many errors the instruction will reduce your points substantially and stop grading your blog for mechanics and will go on for content and other elements that are required in the assignment.

Paper Formatting
Must have:

1. Cover/Title page (name, course name and section number, school name, date, instructor’s name. Title should be what the Instructor has named the assignment. The title you have created for the assignment may be used as a secondary title.

2. Page Numbers (except on the Title Page).

3. Name of assignment on each page (other than the cover page) and use the Instructor’s name for the assignment not any you have created.

4. Reference Page/Works Cited in full accordance with APA formatting

5. Citations/Quotes in the body of the paper need to be formatted according to APA rules.

6. Work must be double spaced and typed - no handwritten scans

7. Spelling, grammar, and syntactical errors will not be tolerated.

SLIS Competencies:  I, N
Objectives: 1, 3, 9, 10

Plagiarism
Instructor has a zero tolerance policy for any incidences of plagiarism and pass them along to the University for disciplinary action.

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Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

LIBR 200, LIBR 202, LIBR 204, Other prerequisites may be added depending on content. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Articulate major issues and problems related to metadata.
2. Apply current metadata terminology and concepts, including major content and encoding schemes for digital libraries.
3. Analyze and critically apply different approaches to metadata creation, storage, management, and dissemination within different information communities for different purposes.
4. Critically analyze and compare different metadata standards and their applicability to different contexts, and apply basic metadata quality metrics to assess the relative quality of different types of descriptive metadata.
5. Create descriptive metadata for digital resources, and design and plan metadata database templates for digital resource projects.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of information policy issues and services from an ethical standpoint, as well as noting the differences between professional ethics and legality.
7. Build the skills needed to make decisions on complex cases related to information access, services, technology and society.
8. Analyze the importance of professional conduct in the workplace, including those elements related to interpersonal interactions, sensitivity to organizational culture, ability to take initiative and risks, and socially responsible behavior as it relates to ethical (professional) dilemmas.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

LIBR 281 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Greene, E. (2010). Storytelling art and technique (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1591586003

• Haven, K., & Ducey, M. (2006). Crash Course in Storytelling. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1591583993.

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Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

• "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
  • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
  • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
• "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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