COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Journals

Journals are reflections on material assigned for class. As such, they might be more or less formal. Sometimes you might have a very personal reaction to a reading, at other times you might just want to respond to the content or the formal aspect of the text. Journals are meant to give you liberty in exploring ideas and ways of writing and expressing yourself. I want you to experiment with the text you are reading and writing about, and I want to encourage you to be honest, sincere, and not afraid of taking a risk.
You decide whether to do the journals for Tuesday or Thursday. However, your journals can only be about the readings assigned for that day. It can reference discussions earlier, but the bulk of the discussion has to be referring to the readings assigned for the day you turn your journal in.
There is a hyperlink on the website for some of the assigned readings, listing a selection of possible discussion questions you can use for your journal. But you can also write on an issue of your choice, as long as it is related to the readings. If there are no questions posted, the default assignment is to write a one-page essay on a quote, theme, character, or paragraph of the reading due that day.
Journals have to be 300 words long. (Use the “word count” feature to confirm.)
Always use a word processor to do your homework and papers.
Number your journals consecutively, date them, clearly state the question that you are discussing in your essay, and reference the text you are responding to
The journals will be graded on the basis of how accurately and insightful the questions are answered.
Keep a digital as well as a hard copy of your work. Create a folder for this class, UNIV190 on your computer, with a subfolder “Journals.” In case the hardcopy gets lost, it will be easy proof that you did the work.

Quizzes

Quizzes covering the readings will be given regularly. Please prepare for classes by doing the assigned readings carefully.

Papers

There will be three formal papers of 3 pages in length (about 1000 words), each paper is worth 20% of your total grade.
I encourage you to show me a draft before you turn it in. There will be mandatary individual conferences with me for your second paper.
In addition, you will have the opportunity to do a revision on either the first or the second paper. If you decide to revise a paper after it has been graded, you will have to sign up for a conference with me during which we will go carefully over a section of your paper and discuss strategies to improve it. In order to receive a better grade that substitutes the previous grade, you will have to demonstrate that you have systematically reworked the entire paper according to the detailed suggestions analyzed in our conference. Mere editorial changes will not be sufficient to get a better grade.
All papers will have to be submitted as hard copy to me, and as electronic copies to turnitin.com. Instructions will be provided.

Attendance, Tardiness

It is critical that you attend classes regularly.
You can have two absences in the class without penalty. However, for each additional unexcused absence you will lose one percent of your total grade.
Tardiness will hurt your attendance grade: two tardies constitute an absence.
More than 5 absences will seriously jeopardize your grade and might lead to an F in the course.
You will be marked as tardy if you come to class while or after I am taking roll
Falling asleep in class counts as a tardy.
If you have any questions about what constitutes “legitimate absence", contact me.

Participation

As a class based on discussion, the quality of the class depends on your participation. To enable you to participate productively, it is necessary that you read the assignments carefully before the class period in which they will be discussed. To make sure you know what is due at any given period, please consult the course syllabus online.

I will evaluate participation on the basis of:

Correctly answering factual questions
Attempting to answer conceptual questions
Challenging (respectfully) the opinions of others in the class (including the instructor)
Providing critical insights
Volunteering in tasks such as individual or group presentations, debates, etc.
Participation in Online Discussion Forums

It is important that you take notes during class. Keep all class materials together in a folder as reference materials for your papers.

Deadlines

If not stated otherwise, assignments have to be turned in at the beginning of the class period on the day that they are due. Turning assignments in late will lower your respective score by 10% for each day it is late, unless accompanied by a valid excuse and verifying documentation.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious offense with far-reaching consequences. Plagiarizing is defined as appropriating or imitating the language, ideas and thoughts of another author and representation of them as one’s original work. To make sure that you don’t plagiarize unknowingly, familiarize yourself with the conventions of how to use proper quotes and citations in a scholarly paper. We will discuss this in class and documentation will be made available throughout the course. With turnitin.com, you can check yourself whether the paper you uploaded is correctly citing sources or whether you have plagiarized material. Please always request an originality report after you upload your paper, and correct the highlighted passages before you upload it again.

Any student who has been found to be plagiarizing or found to be abetting someone in the act of plagiarism will face disciplinary proceedings. In mild cases it might result in an F in the class, in more serious cases it can lead to the expulsion from the University. There will be no warnings!

Grading Criteria

3 Papers	20% each, 60% total
Attendance	10%
Participation	10%
Homework and Quizzes	20%

Grading Scale

91-100% = A	70-75% = C
86-90% = B+	66-69% = D+
80-85% = B	60-65% = D
76-79% = C+	0 – 59 = F

Writing Support

The Writing Center is an excellent opportunity to improve your writing skills. Almost anybody can profit from having an experienced reader/writer assist in discussing and developing one’s ideas for papers. The writing center also provides help for learning how to improve style, punctuation, structure and organization of written assignments. Frequent use will be almost a guarantee for a better grade.

Address: 139 Snell Hall, M-R: 12:30-4:30, and 6:30-8:00pm; Friday 12:30-2:30pm, and Sunday (!!!) from 6:30 – 8:00pm. Contact by phone: x4439, or via the internet www.clarkson. edu/~wcenter.

Accommodations for Disability

If you need any help because of a disability, please let me know so that we can ensure that you get the assistance you need.

Course Objective	Course Materials
Course Requirements	Schedule of Assignments