Spring 2021 "Grey is Good" UGS 303 - The University of ...

Spring 2021 “Grey is Good” UGS 303
Regina Wilson Hughes, Distinguished Senior Lecturer
McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin
This course is offered 11:00 - 11:50 a.m. Monday and Wednesday of each week of the Spring 2021
semester with special breakout sessions on Friday mornings. This is a face to face online class and
has required attendance. A web camera is required for daily communication. We will use Zoom.
Please expect to keep your camera on or as directed by your instructor.
Office: online, beautiful Lake McQueeney Office Hours: 10:30 a.m.-11 a.m. MW and by appointment
E-mail: Regina.Hughes@McCombs.utexas.edu Cell for Text only: 512-567-9286 (name & UGS)
Teaching Assistant:
Library and Research Associate: Annah Hackett, Annah.Hackett@austin.utexas.edu
Professional Speaking Coach: Rachel.Jenkins@austin.utexas.edu

Required Text – buy through the CO-OP or directly through publisher. Your McGraw-Hill Create™
eBook, Grey is Good. https://create.mheducation.com/shop/ Search by Title, (Grey is Good), ISBN:
(9781307586152), Author (Hughes), or (UT-Austin). Pay by credit card (preferably your own)
Purpose of the Course
The Signature Series of classes are designed to provide small class environments to allow for learning
through doing. In our class, we will discuss decision making in a variety of settings and cases. The
course is designed to teach you to explore how to answer complex questions and debate those findings
within a group setting. Many of the issues discussed will have no clear cut Yes or No answer; the answer
is somewhere in the grey area in-between. Using your skills and the new ones you will develop, we will
formulate ways to make decisions in today’s business, government and society. Choosing the best
possible path for good decision-making is our goal. This course is designed to prepare you to be an
informed decision maker, a skill necessary to all effective leaders.
We rely on journal articles, cases, and readings from the current press as we focus on topics of current
interest. This course is designed to improve your problem-solving capabilities both in oral and written
report. The course should improve the skills most requested by employers - proficiency, effective problem
solving, communication skills, teamwork, planning skills, and integrity. Employers are also looking for a
positive attitude and enthusiasm. This is the kind of course where you will take on a great deal of
responsibility for your own learning. Much of your learning will take place outside the classroom. Expect
daily/weekly reading and debate preparation. The online element will allow groups to meet in an easier
manner without commute.
The course will consist of an early lesson then group discussions of cases and readings. Much of your
grade will come from your participation in our class debates. Frequent class participation is expected.
Each student is expected to attend every class, read every debate case and be ready to discuss the cases in
class. Specific information and study questions will be furnished; at times, you will research topics
concerning the library or using Internet sources.
Articles for Discussion and Debate
As assigned by the course schedule, specific academic articles and cases will be covered in class. Students
will be divided into groups and will have leadership responsibilities for certain articles. This
responsibility will include leading class discussion/debate of the assignment. Each group member will
need to take part in this activity. Merely restating the facts or issues will not be allowed; create an air of
discussion, debate, and play “devil’s advocate”. Each group should engage the class. Props can be

especially helpful; be creative. Students will be assigned into 10 groups for debate development, analysis
and presentation. After our first round of debates, we will “regroup” for the second round of debates. As
we are totally online, backdrops or props can add a lot to your virtual presence. The opposite of that can
detract; remember to look behind you.
Although every student will be expected to read and prepare every case before class, on selected dates
certain groups will be particularly responsible for selected cases. Each student will be expected to
participate in two debates and work within a team. This will include outside of class preparation. Grades
will come from debate skills displayed during class. Each debate will count a maximum of 15 percent of
the final grade, total 30%.
First Week Homework Assignment and Class Discussion
The first assignment will be to read an article posted to Canvas and complete a “gallery sheet” due on the
next day class meets. These “gallery sheets” are due at the beginning of class and must be posted to
Canvas by the deadline. The class will discuss the article and students will be asked about what they
wrote as comment; a total of two points can be earned for this first assignment. No preparation is
expected before the first day of class.
Written Work and Grade Points Accumulated
Students work on two types of written work. The first is your daily gallery sheet, discussed below, and the
second is your Opposition Research paper. Concerning Gallery Sheets, students will read articles and
complete comment sheets (gallery sheets) on a regular basis throughout the semester. These comment
sheets are considered class preparation and allow students to earn class participation. Each class day,
students have opportunities to make grade points from attendance, gallery sheets, gallery comment, and
presentation. During the semester, students will work on an Opposition Research Paper with a
partner/opponent. Students will select an opponent and as a team of two construct their own issue debate.
A UT Librarian will assist us with this assignment. The finished document is worth 15% of the overall
course grade. Parts of the paper receive separate grades; the first draft is worth 25% of the total grade for
the paper, proof of peer review is worth 25%, and the final paper is worth 50% of the total grade for this
assignment. Time in class will be given to work on parts of this assignment, due dates are listed on the
class schedule. Penalties apply to late or incomplete assignments. To complete the Opposition Research, a
separate Face-Off worth 5% of overall course grade will be assigned; each student of the team will report
on major points of debate within the report. This Face-Off will last no more than three minutes per
“team”. We will use the Zoom VOTING feature to with our Face-Offs.
Friday Discussion Break Out Groups
On designated dates, discussion groups will be held with the Teaching Assistant. These sessions will
allow time for debate preparation and assignment discussion. Attendance will be taken at these sessions
and will be worth one point. Late attendance or lack of preparation will result in reduced credit. We will
discuss this assignment more as the course proceeds. Notice there are three time slots for the Friday
sessions. We will discuss that in class.
University Gem Virtual Field Trip
The UT campus has great architecture, interesting hidden features and more libraries than one would
imagine. The course field trip involves finding two libraries and noting the similarities and differences of
the two. Students will be asked to answer the question “Are brick and mortar libraries still viable in
today’s world?” Students will identify and virtually visit two of the many libraries on campus. Work as a
pair with one defending YES, and the other NO. Each will then answer the question in analytical format,
half page, single-spaced. The details will be posted to Canvas and will be discussed in class. This
assignment is worth 5% of the total course grade. Because we are a virtual class, I want to “force” you to
work with as many students as possible. You will work as a member of two different debate teams, a
research assignment, and a field trip.

Grading Information
Final letter grades will be assigned according to the following criteria:
A >93, A- 90-92.9, B+ 87-89.9, B 83-86.9, B- 80-82.9, C+ 77-79.9, C 73-76.9, C- 70-72.9, etc. High
grades will be the result of good attendance, participation and preparation. Each assignment will
receive a numeric score. Final grades will not be determined until the scores for all assignments are
recorded. The target GPA for the course is approximately 3.00; there is no forced curve. All course
grades are final, except in the instance of an error.

The course grade will be calculated using the following weights
            2% - FIRST WEEK HOMEWORK- due at the beginning of class
           30% - two debates (15% each)
           10% - Friday break-out sessions required out of 15 (1% each)
           16% - Opposition Research, Peer Review & Face-Off Presentation (first draft 5%, peer
                 review form completed and posted 2%, final product 5%, Face-Off 4%)
           14% - attendance required 28 of 29 days @ .5 pt. per day
             8% - gallery sheets @ 1 pt. each. Note: if you are a debater, you do not complete one
            6% - gallery comments, completed gallery sheet required; random calls in class
             8% - Peer Graded Sheets for each debate observed @1 pt.
             3% - virtual field trip to University Gem and subsequent assignment, no late papers,
             3% - university Lecture Series- Attendance Required and Proof of Listening

        Total points eligible = 100 Grades will be posted on Canvas following University Rules.
        Students are welcomed to double check grades with the instructor or teaching assistant.
Grading - Gallery Sheets, Debate Grade Sheets, Class Participation and Attendance
Students in the gallery are assigned Gallery Sheets for each Article Discussion/Debate; these are due
before the beginning of each class and each count a maximum of 1 point. Post your Gallery Sheet to
Canvas according to the calendar and by 10:00 a.m.. You may earn class participation only if you have
submitted your Gallery Sheet before the deadline. You will post your opinion of the students debating by
posting your Grade Sheet to Canvas by 11:59 p.m. of the same day as the debate. I will randomly call on
each non-debater at least six times. You must have posted your Gallery Sheet for your Class Participation
to be counted for grade credit.
Grading Debates Students participate in two debates. Grades are assigned based on individual preparation
and contribution to the team. Arriving late to your debate is an automatic 25-point deduction from your
individual grade. Gallery Sheets are not required of students presenting your own debate.
Supporters Grading Debates Students grade from the gallery on each debate. Assign a grade based on
individual preparation and contribution to the team. These are posted through Canvas. Class participation
is recorded for credit only with proof of preparation on the Gallery Sheet. Making a constructive
comment from the gallery during a debate is worth one point. These points come from your comments
being on topic, well constructed and of serious mind. You will be called on at random times throughout
the semester. If you answer with mind-full preparation on your day called, you receive an additional one
point. You are given at aleast six opportunities.
Note: Class participation can be removed if a student is sleeping, texting or being otherwise disruptive.
One warning will be given. Subsequent use/abuse will result in lost class participation credit. This policy
will be strictly enforced. Once your warning is given, you will not necessarily know you have been
“caught” unless you check your grades on Canvas. Consider your time in class to be with “no outside
world interference”. When class is dismissed and your profile is still open, we assume you have left the
area without notice and will be counted absent.

Class attendance is worth .5 point each day marked on the calendar.. Absences can be excused with
proper documentation. Documentation is best sent by email or scanned notice and must be documented
within one week of the absence. If a last minute absence (unless it is a matter of life and death) will cause
you to miss a deadline or group presentation, you must notify the instructor by email in advance to avoid
a zero for the missed assignment. Three times tardy count as one absence. A tardy is defined as arriving to
class not more than five minutes late; after five minutes student is counted absent. Cameras are supposed
to be available each class day. We will discuss how we use them in this debate class.
Grading the Writing Assignment -When the instructor and teaching assistant are grading written
assignments, the primary basis will be content, but style will also be given weight. The writing skills
component of the analysis considers readability, grammar and spelling. Good presentations generally
follow from sound thinking, backed up by a reasonably complete set of basic language skills. Anyone
who needs additional help in basic writing skills can get help through the Undergraduate Writing Center.
Their website is . Assignments will require detailed footnotes or bibliographies
and complete citations. Failure to source is considered plagiarism. More than one breakout will be
devoted to writing and researching college papers.
Independent Opponent Research and Oral Presentation/Face-Off Face-Off between opponents, aka
partners, will occur as shown on the daily schedule. This class presentation will follow from the
arguments raised in your own research and writing assignment. Each “team” will be allowed three
minutes to present and several teams will present on one of four days assigned. We will then use the
voting feature on Zoom to find out who was more persuasive/prepared.
When writing your research assignment, be sure it is your own work and that your opponent is also
your partner. Use citations as needed and when there is any doubt. If you have any questions, it is
better to ask first. Any and all who violate the rules of Scholastic Honesty are referred to the Dean
of Students. I believe the sender is as guilty as the receiver. Don’t ask, don’t offer, don’t send, don’t use!
Just say NO.
I hope you enjoy the course and this class. By our semester’s end, I hope you feel prepared to
represent the University of Texas at Austin to others.
“What starts here, changes the world”. (UT Quote)
Hook ‘em Horns!!

Regina Wilson Hughes

                                          Important Notifications

   University-Mandated Syllabus Disclosures NOTE: Due to current remote learning, check the UT
                 website for special circumstance regarding any of these disclosures.

                                         Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of
Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 512-471-6259,
http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/.

Religious Holy Days.
By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date
of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a
project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed
work within a reasonable time after the absence.

                                      Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty
 The University of Texas at Austin and the McCombs School of Business have no tolerance for acts of
 scholastic dishonesty. The responsibilities of both students and faculty with regard to scholastic
 dishonesty are described in detail in the BBA Program’s Statement on Scholastic Dishonesty at
 http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/BBA/Code-of-Ethics.aspx. By teaching this course, I have agreed to
 observe all faculty responsibilities described in that document. By enrolling in this class, you have
 agreed to observe all student responsibilities described in that document. If the application of the
 Statement on Scholastic Dishonesty to this class or its assignments is unclear in any way, it is your
 responsibility to ask me for clarification. Students who violate University rules on scholastic
 dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or
 dismissal from the University. Since dishonesty harms the individual, all students, the integrity of the
 University, and the value of our academic brand, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly
 enforced. You should refer to the Student Judicial Services website at
 http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/ to access the official University policies and procedures on
 scholastic dishonesty as well as further elaboration on what constitutes scholastic dishonesty.
 Ignorance of the rules is no excuse for scholastic dishonesty. Be pro-active!

                                              Campus Safety
Please note the following recommendations regarding emergency evacuation, provided by the Office of
Campus Safety and Security, 512-471-5767, http://www.utexas.edu/safety:
    • Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate
        buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and
        assembling outside.
    • Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy.
        Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building.
    • Students requiring assistance in evacuation should inform the instructor in writing during the
        first week of class.
    • In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors.
    • Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department,
        The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office.
    • Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL): 512-232-5050
    • Further information regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can be found at:
        http://www.utexas.edu/emergency

              End