Syllabus

Attendance: Any absence in excess of three may result in a lowered final grade.

Student evaluation of course: Students will complete online course evaluations in the final week of the semester.

Academic honesty: All students will be expected to be familiar with the Edgewood College Academic Honesty Policy, and to abide by it in all course work. The Academic Honesty Policy may be found on the course website and in the Edgewood College Student Handbook. Plagiarism will be discussed in class, but class discussion should not be considered a substitute for reading and understanding the full college policy.

Students with disabilities:  It is “the policy of the College to ensure that no person shall, solely by reason of disability, be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of, any program or activity operated by Edgewood College.” If you have a disability and you have documented accommodations for the disability through the Disabilities Services Coordinator, and if you need to use those accommodations for this class, please notify the professor as soon as possible. If you have questions about accommodations, contact Elizabeth Watson in the Student Resource Center (663-2281). She will work with you on appropriate accommodations, and all information will be kept confidential.

Assessment of Student Work

Papers: Papers will be graded on the standard letter-grade scale (A, AB, B, BC, C, CD, D, F). Due dates are listed in the Schedule of Assignments. Papers will be graded according to the following criteria:

• Demonstration of an understanding of the text beyond the level of plot

• A clearly stated and critically perceptive thesis

• Extensive and appropriate use of the text to support the thesis

• Careful organization of ideas and careful reasoning

• Effective incorporation of quotation, paraphrase, and other supporting evidence

• Coherent connection of ideas and effective transitions

• Effective variation of sentence patterns and lengths

• Precise and appropriate word choice

• Effective use of standard English grammar and syntax and careful proofreading

Quizzes: Each quiz will include 5 short-answer questions. Each question will ask the student to identify a detail, character, event, etc. from one of the works assigned for the class. Each correct answer will be worth one point. Dates for the quizzes are listed in the Schedule of Assignments.

Forum: Each student must post on a regular basis on the Forum. The Forum is intended to establish a dialogue about the course materials and to give students an opportunity to "think out loud" about them. Forum postings will be evaluated twice during the semester, and given a plus, check, or minus. A check gives credit for the assignment, but does not affect the final semester average. A minus will be averaged in at one letter grade lower than the student's average for other work. A plus will be averaged in at one letter grade higher than the student's average for other work. Forum postings will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• At the time of evaluation, each student must have posted an average of at least 300 words per week.

• All postings must be concerned with the material covered by the class.

• Postings should deal specifically with textual materials related to the class, quoting or making specific references to details whenever appropriate.

• Postings should strive to get beyond the superficial or obvious; comments or discussion which lead to new critical insights will be given highest value.

• Grammar, mechanics, etc. will not be included in the evaluation of Forum postings

Class presentation:  The class presentation is intended to help the other students in the class understand the literary work more fully, to assist them in preparing for a quiz, or to broaden their understanding of the connections between the work and contemporary or historical cultural contexts.  Class presentations will be graded with a plus, check, or minus.  A check gives credit for the assignment, but does not affect the final semester average. A minus will be averaged in at one letter grade lower than the student's average for other work. A plus will be averaged in at one letter grade higher than the student's average for other work. Class presentations will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Effectiveness in promoting the presentation's learning goals

• Effectiveness in engaging the class

• Clarity of organization

• Appropriateness and worth of content

• Effectiveness of oral presentation, use of media, etc.

Class participation: Class participation will be evaluated on a daily basis. Participation will be evaluated on the relevance and quality of contributions, as well as their quantity. Participation in general class discussions, question-and-answer sessions, small group work, and all other class activities will be included in the evaluation.