Topics in Global History

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

(see here for course expectations)

Work in this class falls into 6 broad categories

Item	Number of such items	Total percentage for all such items	Notes
Papers (excluding final paper)	3	24	see note regarding Short/Long Option; may be turned in late and may also be revised for a better grade
Homeworks	19 (but one double assignment)	30	lowest two grades dropped, BUT may not be turned in late and may not be revised. Moreover, the first homework, can not be dropped Double Assignment eats 2 grade drops
Quizzes	13	8	lowest four grades dropped; no make-ups for late arrivals or absences; there are 4 double quizzes worth 2 times the usual quiz grade, and dropping those grades eats up two quiz grades
Class Participation	every class	20
Paragraphs of Short/Long Option Papers	2	6	may not be turned in late and may not be revised
Final Paper	1	12	may not be turned in late and may not be revised; note various due dates for thesis statements and outline
Total		100 %

Reschedules/Printer Failure:

Every student has the option twice 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 by the original due date -- with the rest due by new deadline. 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-" grades or above on 2 or more papers (not homeworks) will receive one additional reschedule for the semester.

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.

Similar to the reschedule is the PRINTER FAILURE give-away. If you have a printer failure that keeps you from printing an assignment, once during the semester you are allowed to e-mail me that assignment within 10 minutes of the end of class time. You MUST however tell me at the start of class that you need to take this option. Obviously, to be able to take advantage of this option, you should e-mail every assignment to yourself before class. That way, should there be a printer failure, all you need to do is forward that e-mail to me within ten minutes of the end of class.

Papers:

There are six papers assigned in this class, but you will do only four of those papers. You must do both the first and last paper, the paper on Adanggaman, and ONE of the THREE papers marked as short/long papers. 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 three short/long papers, you will choose one assignment for which you will do the "long option" and two assignments for which you will do the "short option."

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).

Extra-credit: If you wish, you may opt for the "long option" on more of the short/long papers than the single "long option" that is required and potentially receive extra-credit. To get the extra-credit you must (1) receive a B+ or above on the paper and (2) turn the assignment in on the due-date of the "long option". A B+ will add 2.5 points to your semester grade, an A- will add 3.5, and an "A" will add 5 points.

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. 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).

We will often have a 5 minute quiz at the start of class. These quizzes will cover key concepts, quotations, and terms from the readings; the syllabus will alert you as to which terms you should be prepared to identify. Because I don't expect you to memorize material for these quizzes, you will be allowed to use any HANDWRITTEN notes you take as you read. You will not, however, be permitted to refer to the textbook, printed, or photocopied material .

See an example of a good quiz response here.

Class Participation:

Class participation is required of all students and reflects a sizeable portion (20%) 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.