Course Requirements and Guidelines

Written Work: In addition to regular attendance and vigorous class participation (explained below), this course requires the successful completion of three take-home exam essays. Failure to submit any of these essays will result in a failing grade for the course. The two in-term take-home exam essays will ask you to write an essay of approximately 1200 words (circa 4 pp.) in response to a question given to you in advance. Your final take-home exam essay will require a slightly longer paper (2500 words, or circa 8 pp.) and will ask you to synthesize the entire course. Further details about these assignments and their requirements will be presented later in the semester.

Take-home exam essays must be completed by the dates indicated on the syllabus; after these dates, they will be considered late. Grades will be lowered on late papers unless you have arranged an extension beforehand. Extensions will only be given in exceptional circumstances so please plan accordingly.

Grading: Your semester grade will be calculated in the following manner: your grade on the first and second take-home exam essay will each count 25% toward your final grade, your grade on the final exam essay will count for 35%, and your grade for class participation (described below) will contribute the final 15% to your semester grade.

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 (or N) – 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 “I.”

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.

Class Participation: Class participation will include the following: regular attendance at class; serious preparation of the assigned texts; active listening, including rigorous note taking; and a sustained effort at contributing to the class discussion through visible attention, helpful questions and worthwhile insights into the issues being discussed.

Attendance Policy: Attendance at every class is required. Problems do arise, however, and I ask that you notify me 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 without notifying me will lower your grade for class participation. Similarly, failure to attend at least 60% of the regularly scheduled classes will automatically result in a grade of “F” or “N” for the course. If forces beyond your control force you to miss classes, opportunities for make-up work will be available. It is your responsibility to inquire about these opportunities and to take advantage of them.

Make-up Work: 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 me directly if you feel you may have missed something.

Assessing Your Class Participation: 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 me (this is not necessary, but always welcome): Have you completed the reading before class? Do you think hard about your weekly reading and try to produce well-developed questions for class? Do you ask questions in class and contribute comments to discussion? Do you offer your ideas in response to questions asked to the class? Do you listen carefully to lectures and take careful notes? 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? How does your participation compare to that of other students?

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

A participation grade falls in the “C” 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 “B” 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 people’s ideas.

A participation grade falls in the “A” 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 student’s 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 people’s ideas and you listen actively.

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

Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering forging , or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis.

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

The University also defines a “credit’ as three hours of learning effort per week, averaged over an appropriate time interval, necessary for an average student taking that course to achieve an average grade in that course. These University guidelines will be followed in this course.

Suggestions for Success

Active reading is crucial to success in this course. Each of you will find ways of reading actively that best suit you, but here are some sensible, standard suggestions:

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 author’s 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.