Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Exploratory Studies (Face-to-Face)

SUU 1020-11

Course: SUU 1020-11
Credits: 2
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Interdisciplinary Studies
CRN: 31669

Course Description

This course is designed for you to come to a better understanding of yourself, what you have to offer the world, and what the world has to offer you. The structure is based on the work by Doctors Vaughn and Hammock in 1999 from the Career Diamond Model. We will begin first with expanding self-awareness and then move forward with expanding occupational awareness and differentiating occupational information. Afterward, we will construct a plan to achieve academic and vocational goals. The course will teach tools, resources, and skills, geared toward proper exploration and will allow you to engage in a culture of exploration. 

Required Texts

No required texts.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will :

  1. Develop greater purpose in your education/career planning
  2. Be able to implement techniques and practices to help with decision making toward a major, career, and professional development.

Course Requirements

Below are assignments that you will need to plan for in advance because they require scheduling and/or require more time to complete.

A good portion of the class is reflection and self-inventory, as such full disclosure of life events or anything potentially sensitive is NOT required and will NOT affect the grading process. Remember that this class is designed to help you as a student succeed, both academically and professionally, so the more you put in the more you will get out of the class. It’s important to follow due dates strictly because usually the homework will lead into the next discussion.

The following grading standards will be used in this class. 

Grade Range
A 100 % to 94.0%
A- < 94.0 % to 90.0%
B+ < 90.0 % to 87.0%
B < 87.0 % to 84.0%
B- < 84.0 % to 80.0%
C+ < 80.0 % to 77.0%
C < 77.0 % to 74.0%
C- < 74.0 % to 70.0%
D+ < 70.0 % to 67.0%
D < 67.0 % to 64.0%
D- < 64.0 % to 61.0%
F < 61.0 % to 0.0%

Course Outline

Class Topic Assignments
Introductions, Syllabus, & Career Diamond Model

College View (20 pts)

Discussion – Introductions (10 pts)

First Day Survey (required)

Values and Strengths

Top 5 Values Exercise Worksheet (10 pts)

High 5 Strengths Test (10 pts)

Values & Strengths Reflection (10 pts)

John Holland's Interest Themes and Strong Interest Inventory

Strong Interest Inventory (50 pts)

Strong Interest Inventory; Group Interpretation (may take multiple weeks)

Schedule appt. with a Student Success Advisor (10 pts)

SSA Appointment Assignment (50 pts)

Comparing Careers

Comparing Careers (10 pts)

Resume-First Draft (25 pts)

Odyssey Plans Odyssey Plan Reflection (10 pts)
Spring Break, No Class March 10th
Resume Skills

Resume-Final Draft (35 pts)

Interview Skills

Interview video

  • Interview Video Upload (50 pts)
  • Interview Video (0 pts)
    • This is where the questions for the interview is held. actual points will be awarded on the upload assignment.
Festival of Excellence, No Class March 31st
Student Presentations (may take multiple weeks)

Job/Shadow or Informational Interview (Written 40 pts, Presentation 40 pts)

End of Class, Finals week

Self Reflection (30 pts)

 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

For messages sent to me, I will respond in the specified amount of time. Feedback is an important part of learning please look for feedback on your assignments that I provided in the specified amount of time, to find feedback look at this tutorial How do I view assignment comments from my Instructor.

It is my goal to:

  • I will be grading assignments each Tuesday morning. 

LATE POLICY: All late assignments will be marked down by 10% each day they are late. No late work will be accepted on discussions as they require timely responses to other students. If you miss a deadline on a discussion, you will received a zero for that assignment.

CLASS DECORUM: This is a seminar style, discussion-based course.  Therefore, students are expected to be in class on time and are expected to fully participate in all in-class discussions, assignments, and activities to the best of their ability.  During lectures and class discussions, students are expected to listen attentively to instructors, presenters, and each other and to participate actively. Cell phone use should be limited to urgent matters.  You can expect to be called out on your inappropriate behavior should the instructor notice you using your phone during class or find you to be disrupting group discussion with side conversations, etc. 

Attendance Policy

  • Class attendance is required: Face-to-face attendance is required. If you are ill you must contact the instructor before the beginning of class

ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend ALL class sessions.  Attending class is an important part of succeeding in any course, especially a seminar/discussion-based course like SUU 1020.  There is no textbook and most of the information is received through classroom presentations, lectures, and discussions. Please contact the instructor by phone, text or email PRIOR to class if you are unable to attend for any reason. 

  • Missing the Group interpretation weeks (week 4-5) will result in an automatic letter grade drop 
  • Each 2 classes missed will result in an automatic letter grade drop

Course Fees

No course fees.

SUU Campus Resources and Services

Canvas Information

Canvas is where course content, grades, and communication will reside for this course.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Religious / Conscience Belief Accommodation

RELIGIOUS / CONSCIENCE BELIEF ACCOMMODATION: In accordance with SUU Policy 6.7 Student Belief Accommodation, students may request, in writing, that their faculty accommodate their sincerely held religious or conscience beliefs. Students should provide their faculty with sufficient advanced notice, if possible within the first five (5) business days of the semester or session, or thereafter with good cause for requesting an accommodation after the first five (5) business days.

Faculty must provide a schedule accommodation or excuse an absence, in any course, for students to observe or participate in religious holidays or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of the student’s religious tradition or religious organization.

In courses that are required for graduation or for an academic major, a faculty member may accommodate a religious or conscience belief by modifying an assignment or examination if its content conflicts with the student’s belief. Faculty may decline the accommodation if it would fundamentally alter the course requirements. If declined, the student may request review by a neutral arbiter using the Belief Accommodation Request Form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv&layout_id=5

Questions go to Assistant Provost Jake Johnson at johnsonj@suu.edu.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.