English Comp II – Sections 17 & 21

Herd Thinkers

Course Policies

Plan to:

• Ask Questions: If anything on the course website or anything said in class isn’t clear to you, let me know.
  

· Submit Clean, Complete Papers: All the papers should be carefully edited and proofread and then submitted as Microsoft Word files.  If they are not adequately polished or are not the minimum required length, they will be returned ungraded. (Note: Regarding editing and polishing, see the list of correction symbols I will be using: Paper Correction Symbols. For help with these errors, see the links associated with each one. Also, see the Internet Resources page.)

· Keep Up with Class Discussion: This is a discussion-oriented, participatory class. I won't read or grade papers submitted by students who have not kept up with the bulk of the class discussion.

· Avoid Late Work: Papers should be submitted when due.  If you expect to be busy when work is due, make alternative arrangements with me prior to the due date.  If you are having a problem with an assignment, consult with me before it becomes a real problem.  I will be happy to give you more time with no penalties.  (Just a quick email is all it takes.)  However, if you don't contact me beforehand, the paper will be downgraded for each day of lateness and, after three days, you will be given a zero for the assignment.

Grading Policies

Grading Criteria: As in all English classes, paper grades will be based on clarity, organization, use of examples and details, phrasing, liveliness, and completeness. In this course, however, papers will also be graded based on your use of the readings and, for some assignments, your skill in integrating quotes and paraphrase into your essays.  As for editing and polishing, a few minor surface errors in usage, grammar, punctuation, and spelling may not matter much, but too many such errors (even just a few that undermine clear communication) will certainly lower the grade.  In extreme cases, a paper may fail because it is nearly unreadable due to poor editing.  (See Paper Correction Symbols. Also, be sure to see the serious cautions about Plagiarism below.)

Grade Computation:

Three Papers on Asch, Milgram & Fromm: 20% each

Course Participation (see below): 20%.

Final Exam (In-Class Essay): 20%

Important Proviso: To get a "C" or better in the course, you must pass the Final Exam.

The Course Participation Grade will be based primarily on how reliably and helpfully you participate in the class discussion of the readings and of the paper assignments.  I hope you can show some thought & engagement with the readings. Of course, it would be great if you sometimes help to get some lively dialogue going.

Your grade on the Short Paper on Groupthink and on the Sources Evaluation Exercise & Quiz will also be averaged in with the Course Participation Grade.

Plagiarism: Any words you've copied from a source must be placed in quotation marks.  If you submit a paper that is plagiarized, even if you did not realize you were plagiarizing, you could receive an "F" on the paper or even in the course.  (We will read about and discuss this complicated issue in the hope that this will help you learn the difference between proper paraphrase and partial or plagiarism.)  If you plagiarize and then lie about it, you may also be brought up on "Code of Student Conduct" charges and possibly be suspended from the College for a semester.

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