Requirements: Your grade will be determined according to the following formula: 15% will be based on class participation, allowing me to reward constructive contributions to our in-class discussions and performance on small in-class assignments; 20% will be based on your delivery of a model conference paper during our penultimate class meeting; 25% will be based on your work on the 500 words assignment, with students averaging better than "CHECK" receiving a grade of "A" for that portion of the class; and 40% will be based on your completion of a substantial Final Project.
Attendance: Required. The success of this course depends on student presence and participation in our conversations. Therefore, in this class, after two absences, I may elect to drop your final course grade by one full letter grade for each subsequent absence. For example, after a fourth absence a final grade of B- could drop to a grade of D-. Anyone missing six or more classes for any reason will not pass the course. If you do miss class, it is your responsibility to secure the assignments (preferably from one of your classmates) and complete the work assigned.
Office Conferences: Answering your questions and addressing your concerns is my job. I am available in my office at different times during the week, and via a range of communicative media. You — and/or someone who cares about you — are paying me to be there. Therefore, think of my office as an extension of the classroom, and use my office hours to discuss any aspect of your reading or writing — problems, topics, fine points of argument that interest you but not necessarily everyone else in class, ideas you wish to develop, strategies you’d like to try. Plan on having at least one office conference with me this semester to discuss your work and your progress in the course.
Academic Dishonesty: The act of passing off others’ work as one’s own is a violation of the purpose and the spirit of this university. The university’s penalties for such conduct are harsh, and rightly so. For this reason, among others, please err on the side of caution whenever you wish to make use of others’ materials. If you are uncertain as to how to document or acknowledge your dependencies, please contact me before you formally submit the project in question and I will be happy to address your questions and concerns.
Students with Disabilities: As required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, appropriate accommodations will be made for all students with documented disabilities. If you have a disability requiring accommodation in this class, please notify me as soon as possible. This information will be kept confidential.
Note well: You will need to keep copies of all of your work for this class in some reasonable order in some combination of virtual and/or physical folders. I may ask to review some or all of your work at some point in the semester.
click on images to identify sources