1. GENERAL STUDIES 101:
EXPLORING GENERAL STUDIES
Division of General Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Simply put, this course is designed to help you ease smoothly into life at Illinois as an undeclared student.
Through a combination of activities, self-reflection, and discussion with the instructor and your peers, you
will develop the strategies and insights necessary to facilitate a positive firstsemester experience.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, students will:
 Develop skills to successfully transition to Illinois.
 Acquire significantknowledge ofthe processes and tools available for exploring potential majors
and careers.
 Acquire significantknowledge ofthe intercollegiate transfer (ICT) process.
 Understand and utilize personal, academic, and career resources offered by the University and the
Division ofGeneral Studies.
 Understand and utilize the tools and procedures related to course registration.
Instructor
Micah Heumann, Academic Advisor Phone:(217) 333-4710
Division ofGeneral Studies Email: mheumann@illinois.edu
Illini Union Bookstore Building Office hours: By appointmentonly
807 S. Wright St., Floor 5, MC-317
Class Schedule
Time: Thursday, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Dates: August27, 2015 to November 12, 2015
Location: Room 152 Wohlers Hall
Course Content on Compass 2g
An online learning website called Illinois Compass 2g will be utilized for this course. To access course
information in Compass 2g, you will first use your NetID username and password to log in at
https://compass2g.illinois.edu/. Technical questions regarding Compass 2g should be directed to the
CITES Help Desk (not to the instructor) at (217)244-7000 or consult@illinois.edu.
CLASS POLICIES
Classroom Expectations
 First and foremost, the classroom environmentshould be comfortable and welcoming to everyone;
remarks that ridicule or exclude other persons based on race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age,

2. religion, country oforigin, SES, and persons with disabilities (this is notan all-inclusive list) will not be
tolerated. Please be respectful ofa variety ofopinions which may be voiced in class, and do not
engage in side conversations while others are speaking.
 Turn off your cell phone and put it away before class begins.
 Do not start packing up your things early.
 Arrive to class on time, prepared to take notes and participate.
 Do not text message during class. This is disrespectful and violators will lose attendance/participation
points. In addition, no laptops, computers, or tablets will be permitted during class time.
Attendance Policy
Attendance and participation for GS 101 is mandatory. You will receive up to 4 points per session for
attendance and actively participating in class activities and discussions. Itis my expectation that students
will actively participate in class, which includes actively listening, sharing your thoughts and insights, and
participating in activities. If you are unable to attend a class session, you mustcontactme for approval of
an excused absence prior to the class session. The instructor reserves the rightto determine ifand when
an absence is excusable and documentation ofcircumstances that result in absence may be required.
Examples ofexcused absences include a documented illness or a documented family emergency. Only
one excused absence will be allowed. All additional absences,excused or unexcused, will reduce
attendance and participation points.
Absence from class to observe a religious holiday, to serve jury duty, to participate in required military
service or a required university/class-sanctioned academic event, ifdiscussed in advance with the
instructor, may not counttoward a class absence. You mustinform the instructor in advance ofyour
absence in these cases and be prepared to fully documentyour reason for missing class (i.e.) Emergency
Dean documentation, Faculty or advisor note, email regarding religious holidays, etc. Students are
responsible for submitting all assignments unless approved alternatives have been given by the instructor.
Accommodations
If you have a disability that may impactyour performance in this class, please see the instructor to discuss
accommodations that will allow you to fully participate and fulfill the course requirements. Further
information aboutreceiving accommodations, or being evaluated to see ifaccommodations would be
beneficial, is available atthe Division ofRehabilitation Education Services (DRES) by contacting 217-333-
4603 or disability@illinois.edu.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a serious matter. Academic dishonesty charges will be pursued to the highestlevel
possible. The minimum penalty for academic dishonesty involves the studentreceiving a zero (0) for the
assignment. You are encouraged to review the studentcode so you are aware of your rights and
responsibilities as a student. The Student Code can be found at: http://admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

3.  Assignments that are due in class need to be fastened together with a staple or paperclip; loose papers
will not be accepted or will be marked down in points. All papers mustbe typed,double spaced, 12 pt.
type, Times New Roman font, and have 1-inch margins.
 All assignments are due as noted below.
 I will acceptassignments one week late for 50% off the grade you would have originally received (for
example, ifyour work was graded atan 80% but you turned it in one week late, you would receive 40%
for this assignment). After one week, late assignments will not be accepted.
Extra Credit
There will be opportunities for up to 10 points ofextra credit. These options are posted on Compass 2g. If
you would like to complete an extra creditopportunity, please read through the directions on Compass 2g
and follow the directions accordingly. The lastday for extra creditto be submitted on Compass 2g will be by
the beginning ofclass on our last class meeting day, Thursday, November 12.
Assignment Schedule
Week 3 - Academic Integrity Quiz - 9/10/15 – Complete on Compass – 10 points
Week 6 - Informational Interview Report - 10/1/15 – Submitted on Compass – 21 points
Weeks 10-12 – Presentations – 10/29/15 – 11/12/15 – In Class – 21 points
Attendance and Participation Ongoing In class 48
Grading Scale
100 - 94 A 86-84 B 76-74 C 66-64 D
93-90 A- 83-80 B- 73-70 C- 63-60 D-
89-87 B+ 79-77 C+ 69-67 D+ 59-0 F
CLASS SCHEDULE
Date Title Topics Assignments Due
August 27 Welcome to GS 101  Introduction to GS
101
 Syllabus
 Illinois Acronyms
 Informational
Interview Report
o None
September 3 Transition to College  Academic Integrity
 High school vs college
 Time Management
 Goal Setting
o None

4.  Campus Resource
Selfie Project
September 10 Being Inclusive  Kim Hodges o Academic Integrity
Quiz Due
o Diversity Edu video
September 17 Continue Inclusion  Mckinley Health
Center
 Social Identities
 Inclusive Illinois
Initiative
o
September 24 Exploring Majors Part
1
 Linear vs Non-linear
 Themes and threads
o None
October 1 Exploring Majors Part
2
 DRES to Speak
 Interests, abilities,
values
o Informational
Interview Report
Due
October 8 Study Skills  Learning Strategies
 Academic skills
 Preparing for
midterms
o None
October 15 Registration  Understanding DARS
 Preparing for your
Registration
Appointment
o
October 22 Career Center  Guest Speaker o None
October 29 Majors and Careers  Transferable skills
 What employers are
looking for
 Presentations
o Presentations
November 5 Presentations  Presentations o Presentations
November 12 Course Wrap Up  Action Plan
 Course Evaluation
 Course Wrap Up
o