COURSE REQUIREMENTS

(see here for course expectations -- including details on lateness/absences)

Work in this class falls into 6 broad categories

Reschedules

Every student has the option once during the semester to reschedule the due date of an assignment with the following conditions: (A) you must notify me 7 days in advance of the original due date of the assignment (B) you must do some portion of the assignment. This required portion of a rescheduled assignment and the new due date will vary by individual case. THERE WILL BE NO CHANGES TO THESE CONDITIONS, EXCEPT AS NOTED ON THE SYLLABUS.

Students with receive "A-" or higher grades on the first paper and at least one paragraph get a second reschedule as a reward.

The following items, however, can NOT be rescheduled: all quizzes, the first homework, the short answer questions on Taylor, the last homework, and ALL short/long papers.

Papers:

There are six papers assigned in this class, but you will do only three of those papers. You must do both the first and last paper, and ONE of the FOUR papers marked as short/long papers of your choice. For these short/long papers, when you opt NOT to do the whole paper, you must do the shorter option (generally a carefully constructed long paragraph); hence the name, short/long paper. So, from this set of four short/long papers, you will choose one assignment for which you will do the "long option" and three assignments for which you will do the "short option."

If you miss class, you must send your assignment to me by the start of class time if you wish not to use one of your 2 freebies. (details on drop box here; details on logging on to blackboard here) (Or e-mail it to me, if we have not yet gone over the Blackboard system in class).

Revisions:

Some papers may be revised for a better grade; see here for details

Homeworks:

I will drop the lowest two grades from your homeworks before I calculate your semester grade, but I will not drop the first homework grade. There are, however, NO late homeworks. Moreover, homeworks -- unlike papers -- may not be revised later for a better grade. Skipping a double-homework, however, eats up both of your dropped grades, as it is the equivalent of two homeworks.

Even if you are absent, your homework is still due. If you miss class, you must send your assignment to me by Blackboard's Digital Dropbox. (Or e-mail it to me, if we have not yet gone over the Blackboard system in class). Obviously, in medical emergencies, you will not be able to complete your homework. I will handle these episodes on a case by case basis.

So, if towards the end of the semester, you have done all of the homeworks, you could skip the last two of the semester if you choose and still not suffer any reduction in your grade. Alternately, you could do the last two assignments and drop the lowest two scores, allowing you to bring up your grade.

Quizzes:

I drop your lowest 4 quiz grades before calculating your final semester grade (dropping or missing a double quiz counts as 2 quiz grades).

See here for a more extensive discussion of quizzes

Class Participation/Attendance:

Class participation is required of all students and reflects a sizeable portion (10%) of your grade. Participation includes in class discussions, in-class activities, and being prepared to answer my questions on the readings in class. If you don't volunteer regularly to answer questions in class, I may begin to call on you directly in class. The quality of your responses to these "cold calls" will significantly influence your grade. If you speak up often in class, however, it is much less likely I will "cold call" you.

Sometimes there will be written components of in-class activities; these generally will count towards your final class participation score. Moreover, such activities sometimes require material that I will require you to bring to class; if you don't, you will lose class participation points -- as without those materials you can't participate.

Attendance

See here for a more extensive discussion of the class expectations on attendance/lates.