Course Procedures: Requirements, Policies, & Grading

Requirements Policies Grading My Office Hours

   To complete this course, students are expected to:

• Complete all reading, viewing, and writing assignments when due.

• Write four papers and a longer Research Report based on the assigned readings and talks.

 
• Submit several written exercises that are part of the Research Report process.

 
• Write an in-class essay as a Final Exam.

Specific Expectations & Policies

    You are also expected to:

• Check Cruiser Email & Message Board Daily: Check your email and the Message Board regularly, pretty much every day, in case an important class message has been posted or another student is reaching out.

 
• Post Frequently in Discussion of Readings: Read carefully and thoughtfully the assigned essays & articles and view the assigned video clips & online talks.  While the readings are being discussed, expect to post to the Discussion Board at least two or three times each week.  Discussion begins with posting your answers to the questions on the readings when they are due and, at a minimum, responding to at least two other students' answers a day or so later.

• Ask Questions: If anything on the course website isn’t clear to you, let me know. If during the course any comments or announcements aren't clear -- or if you have a question about anything -- just post your question on the Message Board, using the "Question Box."  If your question is too personal to post publicly, then send me an email message & I'll reply.  (I will usually reply to email messages only during my Office Hours.)  Unless I hear from you, I'll assume you have read and understood anything posted.  If necessary, we can also arrange a phone conference to discuss more complicated matters at length.

• Submit Clean Papers: All the papers should be carefully edited, typed, and proofread and then submitted as Microsoft Word files.  Each of the 5 required full papers should have a specific title you've invented that sums up both the topic and the gist of the paper in a brief, lively way.  Make sure the paper also has your name, my name, and the title of the Paper Assignment (e.g. Paper #1: Media in Democracy).  (Important! Notice that this assignment title is in addition to the specific title you've given your paper.)  The Research Report Exercises should also have your name, course, and assignment written on the top of the first 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 posted reliably and 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 try to adapt to your needs, but I reserve the right to refuse to accept papers late.

Grading

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 critical thinking and interpretive reading -- i.e. on how well you understand and use the readings, how effectively you analyze texts and explain ideas.  In addition, in this text-based course, your skill in integrating quotes and paraphrase into your essays will be important.  Of course, your researching skills will affect your results in doing the Research Report.  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, but I will usually first send it back to you for further editing.  In this and other cases, I will use the grade of "R" to indicate "Rewrite it."  (Also, see Plagiarism below.)

Grade Computation:

Four Short Papers: 15% each
Research Report: 20%
Course Participation: 10%.
Final Exam (In-Class Essay): 10%

Important Proviso: To get a "C" or better in the course, you must pass the Final Exam & get at least a "C" on the Research Report.

Grading Procedures: All or most of the 4 Papers and the Research Report will be graded 'A' through 'F' (or "R" for "Rewrite it").  Any other assigned writing (such as the written replies to the discussion questions and the exercises leading up to the Research Report) will either be just checked off as done or, in some cases, may be graded using a "checkmark" system: "Check-plus," "Check-good," "Check," "Check-minus," " and "X."  If necessary, I may also use this quicker "checkmark" system for grading one or two of the 4 Papers.

The Course participation grade will be based primarily on your written Exercises & on how reliably and helpfully you post to the class discussion of the readings.  I try to encourage students to see their postings on the readings as their territory, their chance to discuss the readings with each other, rather than as "homework" submitted to the teacher.  In fact, I may not always read all of what you say in every posted comment.  I will keep track primarily of whether you post, when you post, and how complete and engaged most of your posts appear to be.  I hope some of you can sometimes stir up controversy, or help the class sum up the discussion and the issues, or help others rethink some of their interpretations.  Any time you feel you need feedback from me on a particular posting or comment or else on how you are doing in the class discussion, let me know.

Plagiarism: Any words you've copied from a source must be placed in quotation marks.  If you try to cover up the fact that you are mostly copying by just changing a few words and omitting some others, this is not the same as "paraphrasing" (i.e. digesting the ideas and then recasting the thoughts in your own words).  Rather, it is called "partial plagiarism" and is also considered a way of taking credit for work that is not your own.  If you submit a paper that is plagiarized, even if you claim you did not realize you were plagiarizing, you could receive an "F" on the paper or even in the course.  (We will discuss the difference between proper paraphrase and partial 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.

Office Hours

           In-Person Office Hours (RH203):
                   Mon & Wed: 1 – 1:45, Tue & Th, 2 – 3:15

    Online Office Hours:
            Wed & Th:  9-9:30 a.m.

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