Economic Threshold Concepts
*****************READ EVERY INSTRUCTION AND ASK QUESTIONS IF NEED. NO PLAGIARISM WILL BE TOLERATED OR WILL RESULT IN A WITHDRAWAL. GOOD QUALITY WORK AND GOOD GRAMMAR IS REQUIRED. **************************
I AM AN ECONOMICS MAJOR SO THAT IS WHAT I NEED THRESHOLD CONCEPTS ABOUT.
VALID SOURCES MUST BE USED.
DATA BASE BELOW NEEDS TO BE USED.
https://www.library.ucsb.edu/research/resources/da…
Here’s what you’ll deliver: a three-page paper documenting your attempt to find and understand two “threshold concepts” that are related to your major/discipline.
Step One: Search for sources of information on threshold concepts. Find credible sources. I’ve been out searching myself and I know that there is good stuff out there.
In order to ensure quality sources, use one of the journal databases that the Library organizes for us. I used the database called ERIC. If you give yourself adequate time to work on this paper, you can get some librarian support on this part of the assignment. Just walk up to the desk and give them some key terms you are seeking. A good librarian will guide you to sources that are top quality.
Step Two. In your own words, describe your understanding of threshold concepts. Cite the source you found and connect the definition to something you already know. (This reminds me of the doctrines from the religion I grew up in…this reminds me of the surfer’s code…this reminds me of the battlefield rules in a video game I played for about 1000 hours last year….)
Step Three: Find two threshold concepts that apply to the discipline you are studying or plan to study. I believe there are articles and even books about threshold concepts across many disciplines.
Share these concepts and, again in your own words, connect the concepts to what you already know. For example, “I learned that the concept of opportunity cost (Smith & Jones, 1999 p.14) is often cited as a threshold concept in Economics. I also learned that even seasoned graduate students and professors in the discipline are not able to define this concept in a consistent way. Here’s how I understand the concept.”
Some of you are in for a great challenge. If you are one of the 10 Gauchxs who major in Costume Design (one of our best kept secret majors,) I wonder if your field has done the work to define threshold concepts. I expect you to go to great lengths to find what you can. If you can’t find anything, even after checking with a friendly grad student, faculty member, and a librarian, pick a nearby discipline (for the costume design folks, maybe Theater Arts) in order to discover some of these concepts.
Now, you’ll be citing some sources for this. Of course. I want you to use APA citation format. Your list of references will also be in APA format. Many of you are more comfortable with MLA, but we use APA in this class. Respect to the team at Purdue for their hard work on Citations and many other critical writing skills. I have attached their citation chart so you can get this right for our paper.
Finally, After your introduction, your understanding of threshold concepts, and then your presentation of two concepts related to your discipline, write your way to the finish line with a conclusion summarizing what you learned. Will these concepts help you as you make your way to the BA?
I am very excited to read your papers as I am learning about these concepts and their application to teaching transfer students. Are these the “DNA of Disciplines?” Will we be able to accelerate your comfort and enjoyment of UCSB by guiding you to find and understand these concepts? I am not sure. But I’m grateful that you will invest some time on this assignment.
********GRADING CRITERIA BELOW. FOLLOW*********
Here’s the guide I wrote for the Teaching Team so they can properly grade this week-three writing challenge. Budget some time for this one. It will likely require a visit to the library to get help finding good sources. It’s never been assigned before, so I don’t know how many hours it will take.
Also, Mac users… we can’t handle anything in .Pages format. Before you upload, be sure to use one of our approved formats: DOC DOCX PDF RTF. Teaching team, if you get a format you can’t read, treat it as a late paper and deduct 10 points every 24 hours until the student re-uploads in a format you can read.
Note to teaching team: Send me any papers that you are struggling with. I’ll jump in and grade with you.
| “Fit and Finish”
The graders will judge how tidy and readable your paper is. 25 |
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Threshold Concepts You’ll be graded on your location of a definition of Threshold Concepts from a credible source and how well you describe it in your own words. Imagine you are telling your teaching team about the terms and sharing your understanding. 25 |
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Two Concepts from their major. The graders will look to see how well you struggled to find Threshold Concepts from your discipline and then described them in your own words. 25 |
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Citations By the time you turn in this paper, you’ll have met the head of Judicial Affairs. Be sure to properly cite your sources (you can cite conversations, websites, books, articles. Just check the OWL chart to get it right.) 25 |
