The course will be graded as follows:
Class participation 30%
Short responses 10%
Discussion leadership (2) 20%
Midterm exam 10%
Final exam 20%
Final paper 10%
Class requirements and procedure:
A mark of understanding is an ability to articulate your knowledge in words. CSEM 280 will strive to hone the three skills of critical reading, productive discussion, and coherent writing by providing a forum in which you will continually discuss and write about what you have read.
Come prepared, with assignments read, contribute your ideas and reflections. Listen to others, be respectful of others` opinions, keep an open mind to diverse points of view, be precise, insist that those speaking explain their obscure points. Play the `Devil`s Advocate` on occasion, take the opposing view to the main stream of thought in order to encourage everyone, including yourself, to examine facile opinions. Be an `agent provocateur` for the sake of discussion. Don`t be afraid to ask simple questions. These often have more complexity than apparent at first glance. Keep your comments related to the text under discussion. Refer often to information within the text. There are no final answers to the questions discussed in this class. All opinions reasonably presented are valid for discussion purposes. Bring in your background knowledge when it contributes to a richer discussion of the text. Last but not least, remember, your daily class performance will contribute to 30% of your grade!
Class Performance:
In order to excel in this class and make it an enjoyable and enriching experience you will have to come prepared for each class and be actively involved in its discussions. To this end you will have to attentively read all the assigned literary texts and formulate your own questions and thoughts about the texts. It will be expected that everyone in the class will make at least two thoughtful verbal contributions to the discussions in every class.
Your performance in the class will be graded on the scale from 0 to 3 points:
3=contributed several thoughtful and insightful comments to class discussion
2=completely prepared and participated in class discussion at a satisfactory level
1=present in class but quiet for the most part
0=absent.
Short responses:
In order to maintain momentum in exercising and developing the three skills, you will be expected to write a brief (maximum half-page) response to each day`s reading, to be submitted electronically to me and to the persons scheduled to lead the next class discussion no later than 9 am of the day of the class. The responses may consist of a series of questions about the text, or may take the form of observations; in either case, they will serve to trigger class discussions.
Leadership:
As a means of encouraging the participation of all students in class discussions, teams of two students will lead selected class sessions. Each student is required to lead the class at least twice. Leadership teams will meet prior to their class sessions to work out strategies and questions to be raised. The questions will be e-mailed to me no later than 12 pm (noon) on the day of the class.
Evaluations:
Self-evaluation and class evaluation will be important components in the class.
Several times during the semester I will ask you to write a one-minute commentary on the class as a whole: what you found most valuable, what you had hoped to have covered that did not get covered, and a self-evaluation of your own participation in that day`s discussion.
Attendance Policy:
Please be sure to bring a letter of excuse for official or excused absences (illness, religious holidays, family emergencies). After three unexcused absences, your course grade may be lowered by one step (e.g., A to A-, B+ to B, D to F, etc.) Five or more unexcused absences may result in the lowering of your grade by a full letter (e.g., A to B, B to C, etc). This is a performance-based course and your presence and participation are crucial to its success!
Final paper:
Students will be responsible for writing the final paper (maximum 5 pages). An original story, poem, painting, piece of music, or other work of art may serve as a substitute for your final paper. But if you elect to submit an original work of art you will also be required to submit a reflection on the goals, methods, and intended audience of that work of art.
Late papers will not be accepted.
Exams:
There will be two exams. The
midterm will consist of several questions to be answered in writing. At least one of the questions will be drawn from submissions by students. If your question is selected for the midterm, your lowest grade during the semester will not be counted toward the final grade. The
final exam will be an oral, taken by groups of three students at a time. The questions will be drawn from our daily discussions. Each group of students will be encouraged to meet together before the exam to work on their answers.
