Requirements, Assignments, and Course Guidelines

 
 

Attentive participation in lecture, serious reading of the course texts, and vigorous seminar discussion will constitute the primary activity of this course. As a result, regular attendance and vigorous class participation (explained below) will count for 15% of your course grade (5% for attendance in lecture, 5% for attendance in seminar, and 5% for class participation in each). 

 

In addition, this course requires two 1250-word (4-5 pp.) critical essays and one 1750-word (6-8 pp.) final paper. Your critical essays and final paper will be argumentative, analytical papers responding to a question (or questions) which the instructors will provide for you. These essays can draw upon materials discovered through outside research but they are not designed to be research papers. If you do consult outside materials be sure to document them thoroughly with footnotes and a bibliography (see scholastic dishonesty below). Careful study and use of the weekly course materials, however, will provide ample and sufficient material for your critical essays. Further details concerning each assignment will be presented later in the semester. I encourage you to avail yourself of every opportunity to consult with me or your seminar instructor about all of your written work. The two in-term, critical essays will each count 15% of your final grade, and the final essay (which will cover the whole semester) will count 30% of your final grade. 

 

Papers can be turned in at any time up to the dates indicated on the syllabus and the assignment sheet; after these dates, they will be considered late papers. Please note the due dates now so as to plan in advance for any conflicts with other assignments you may have in other courses. Grades will be lowered on late papers and after a certain time they may not be accepted at all. Extensions will not be given unless you have a serious medical problem, nor will incompletes be allowed except in extreme circumstances.

 

Academic integrity is essential to a positive teaching and learning environment. All students enrolled in University courses are therefore expected to complete coursework with fairness and honesty. Failure to do so by seeking unfair advantage over others or misrepresenting someone elseís work as your own, can result in disciplinary action. The University Student Conduct Code defines scholastic dishonesty as follows:

 

Scholastic Dishonesty: submission of false records of academicachievement; cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing;altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement.

 

Within this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a penalty up to and including an "F" for the course. If you have any questions regarding the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, be sure to ask.

 

You will also be required to deliver at least one oral presentation in your seminar. Your seminar instructor will describe the requirements of this assignment in your seminar. Your grade for your oral presentation will contribute 5% to your semester grade. 

 

Finally, since this course is designated as ìWriting Intensiveî there will be a number of other assignments which meet the requirements of this designation. Most important, you will produce a thorough re-write of one (and only one) of your in-term essays. You will be free to chose which critical essay you would like to re-write, and the deadline for submitting your re-written essay is Friday, April 25 before 5:00 PM. You must turn in the original draft of your essay with your instructorís comments on it to receive credit for your re-write. It is your responsibility to make sure you save the original, graded drafts of your essays and to return them to the instructor with your re-write at the required time. In deciding which version of your critical essay to count in your final grade calculation, your instructor will take the better of the two grades. No averaging of the two grades will occur. To insure that you nevertheless devote yourself diligently to the re-write process, a separate grade will be given evaluating your effort and performance in the re-write process. Your seminar instructor will explain the details of this requirement. Your grade for your work in re-writing your essay will count 10% toward your semester grade.

 

In addition, you will have a variety of different weekly writing assignments in this course. These assignments will be determined by your seminar instructor and each of these assignments is required. Your work on these assignments will be evaluated collectively, and your grade for your weekly writing will count 10% toward your semester grade. 

 

Your class participation grade will include the following: regular preparation for class, including bringing the required texts and supplies with you; serious preparation of the assigned texts; and a sustained effort at contributing to the class discussion through visible attention, helpful questions and worthwhile insights into the issues being discussed. In addition, you will occasionally be asked to prepare class in a special way, or to do other work above and beyond the standard course requirements described above. All of this work is required and its quality will be factored into your class participation grade. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to determine what assignment you may have missed and make arrangements to complete it in a timely fashion. Feel free to contact your seminar instructor directly if you feel you may have missed something. Your class participation grade will contribute 5% to your semester grade.

 

You can use the self-assessment questionnaire below to understand how you are doing as a class participant.Please consider it from time to time as we go through the course and feel free to share your evaluation with your seminar instructor (this is not necessary, but always welcome): Are you prepared for our discussions?Do you participate regularly?Rarely?Do you listen to your fellow students and respond to them?Do you ask them questions?How do you evaluate the quality of your contributions?Do they spark our discussion?Do you participate actively in group activities?Raise significant questions?Challenge our understanding of the texts?Offer insightful and unexpected reactions to a text?How does your participation compare to that of other students?

 

Use the guidelines below to determine what grade you would give yourself for class participation:

 

A participation grade falls in the ìCî range if the student meets the basic requirements of the course: you are present, are usually prepared, and participate once in a while but not regularly.Your contributions relate to the texts and offer some insightful ideas, but they rarely facilitate a discussion. You are an attentive listener.

 

A participation grade falls in the ìBî range if the student is involved and motivated in more than the required way: you are always present, well-prepared, contribute quite regularly by sharing your insights. Your contributions show that you are familiar with the material.You have good ideas and share them with others.You also refer to materials discussed in class and to the text, and show interest in the contributions of other students. You listen to what others say and occasionally try to respond to their ideas.You help to create a welcoming atmosphere for peopleís ideas.

 

A participation grade falls in the ìAî range if the student not only participates regularly but also consistently and actively encourages the flow and substance of discussion.You are not only well-prepared, but you also have thoughts about the texts that go beyond a basic understanding of the work. You also take responsibility for creating and maintaining a stimulating discussion each week. You are eager to share your ideas with others, and active in your listening and reactions to other studentís comments. Your ideas are critical and stimulate our discussion. When there is a silence or lull in the conversation, you work hard to move discussion in a new direction. You are aware of your role in encouraging other students and you work hard to make classroom discussions an interactive conversation not just a forum for announcing viewpoints. You help to create a welcoming atmosphere for peopleís ideas and you listen actively.

 

The University defines grades in the following manner:

A: Achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet the course requirements.

B: Achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.

C: Achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.

D: Achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements.

F: Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either: (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit; or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an ìI.î

I (Incomplete): Assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, e.g. hospitalization, a student is prevented from completing the work of the course on time. Requires a written agreement between the instructor and the student.

 

Attendance at every class is required. Problems do arise, however, and I ask that you notify your seminar instructor in advance (or even after the fact if it is appropriate) about why you are unable to attend any class meeting. Of course, unforeseen problems do arise and you may need to miss class unexpectedly. This need not be a problem. But any more than three absences from class will lower your grade for attendance in lecture and seminar. If forces beyond your control do force you to miss more than three classes, opportunities for make-up work will be available. It is your responsibility to inquire about these opportunities and to take advantage of them.

 

Regarding Students with Documented Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability condition (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the instructor and Disability Services at the beginning of the semester.

 

Pointers for Success

· Use your book.Arm yourself with a pencil or pen (not a highlighter!) as you read.Underline quotations, write comments, star passages that you wish to return to for further thought.Record important references and thoughts in your reading notes.

 

· Pay attention to your own responses.When a book moves or delights you, ask yourself why.When you get bored or irritated with a book, ask yourself why.Note the passages which puzzle you, whether it's a logical inconsistency, an absence of credible evidence, a questionable conclusion, or an assumption that seems implausible.Jot down in your reading notes questions related to these moments, and plan on bringing them up in discussion seminar.Remember that whether you enjoy a text or not cannot be the only judgment you make regarding it.

 

·Question as you read.Challenge the authorís claims whenever possible. Have they convinced you? Why or why not? What questions are not posed and what others are left unanswered? What claims does the author assume? Are they valid? How would different assumptions alter the argument of the text? Try to connect your questions to specific passages in the text so that you can point these out to classmates.