Assignments
Attendance and Participation

Since we will all be members of a learning community this semester, enthusiastic class participation is essential.  We will discuss what makes a positive learning environment for you during the first week of class. 

The Attendance and Participation Grade will include:

  • Occasional in-class presentations, graded activities, or providing discussion questions for class
  • Regular participation in class, which means:
    • Informed, thoughtful, and respectful engagement in discussions, activities, and in-class writing assignments on a regular basis
    • Listening to the professor and the other students on a daily basis (including taking notes)
    • Bringing class readings and/or notes to class to enable discussion
    • Respectful behavior in class.  Disruptive or disrespectful behavior (including arriving late and leaving early) will lower Participation and Attendance grades.
  • Daily attendance.  Every absence beyond three absences may lower the participation grade by one letter level (A to B, B to C, etc.).

Students with extended illnesses, required sports games/meets, or other emergency situations have the opportunity to make up their absences by providing a written response to questions or themes on the Study Guide for the missed day.  The response will be at least one page long and will be submitted via email within 24 hours of the student’s return to class.  

The Absence Policy fine print:

    • At the beginning of the semester, athletes/debaters/etc. should provide me with the dates of class to be missed due to official university activities. 
    • Students who are too ill to come to class should go to health services and provide documentation with their make up.
    • Students with other emergencies should email me as soon as possible. 
    • The make-up policy outlined above is designed for students who have unavoidable commitments or emergencies, which will lead to more than three absences.  Students with multiple unexcused absences at the beginning of the semester should not expect accommodation late in the semester.  There are three freebies:  use them wisely.
    • It is the professor’s discretion as to which absences can or should be made up.
    • Lying to avoid a penalty is a violation of the honor code.
    • Absent students should get notes and assignments from other students.
 
Daily Reading Responses

For every day on which there is a reading or film assignment, students will post to the Blackboard site under Assignments a reading response for the day.  These responses help me understand how well you are comprehending the material.  They also help ensure a productive class discussion by encouraging students to complete the readings.
The responses:

  • Are due by 8:30 am the day of class.  Late responses will not count.
  • Will contain at least five complete sentences about the readings for the day
  • Should demonstrate that the student has read and reflected upon the material for the day.  (Please be specific, so that I know you have done the reading, and please demonstrate that you have read beyond the beginning of the assignment.)
  • Need not be a unified paragraph; a student may address different topics in one post
  • Can comment on aspects of the assignment that are most compelling and exciting to you (and say why)
  • Can raise questions or points that were confusing or require clarification for you
  • Can ask questions and raise issues you would like to discuss further in class
  • Will usually be open to the students’ interests.  Students may choose to respond to questions on study guides (but do not have to), and occasionally the professor will assign a specific assignment/question for the Reading Response
  • Are not due on the day of an exam, paper, or other major assignment in this course

Students who miss more than six reading responses will receive a D or F for the semester on this assignment.  (Note:  merely completing the minimum number of responses will not guarantee a C; the responses must be of sufficient quality, as well.) 

Students who are absent from class are encouraged to submit a Reading Response for that day.

Responses will be evaluated with points on a zero to 3 point scale.  4’s will be given on rare occasions for outstanding, insightful work.  Receiving mostly threes and fours will result in an A for this semester’s cumulative assignment grade.  Mostly 3s with 2s will result in a B.  Mostly 2s will result in a C.  Mostly 1s will result in a D.  1s and 0s will result in an F.

Papers

Two papers (no more than 1200-1500 words long, each) will be assigned, based on the readings for the class.  All papers are due as hard copies in class and electronically on Blackboard.

Exams

There will be three exams as scheduled on the Course Schedule below.  They will include maps, identifications of terms and names, short answer questions, and essays.