Grading

The university interprets A to indicate excellent, B good, C fair, D poor (unsatisfactory but passing) and F failure. I use 90% and above to indicate the A range (A- goes as high as 93.9%); 80% and up indicates the B range (87% for B+), and so on.

Class participation. The syllabus normally says something like the following. "Evaluation is based on participation (10 points): In this class we are pursuing the meanings of the highest values that humanity has attempted to realize. We a community of inquiry, and our interaction has a life of its own; so you are expected to attend regularly, be on time, have the reading done, and be biologically and intellectually ready to participate."

I normally interpret this in the following way. Good attendance is the threshold that gets you a C. Beyond that threshold, participation largely means taking initiative to make contributions—questions and comments.

Please note: my system of marking attendance differentiates between on time and late. If you have a reason to be late consistently, please speak with me during the first week.

My quizzes

My quizzes are 90+% based on what we have covered clearly in class. If your attendance is regular, your notes are good, and you review them right after class as well as right before the test, you will be able to prepare much better for the quizzes. Remember that passive review (reading the material over again) is nowhere as good as actively testing your learning. A study partner can help.

Sometimes I quiz on parts of the web notes that we have not gone over in class.

You should assume that there is one best answer unless you are told to check all that apply. Some of my questions ask you to check all that apply: these questions are, in effect, a package of multiple true/false questions.

Sometimes I ask you to write down a list from memory. In these cases I let you know in advance what you will need to learn by heart.

I do not try to trick you. But most of the questions are not factual recall; they give alternatives requiring you to interpret what you know. They are a test of understanding.

If you find any question unclear or have only partial certainty about your answer, you can write down what you do understand for possible partial credit.

The average grade on the quizzes is a C (occasionally higher). Therefore if you want to make up points, responsible participation in class and excellent effort on the projects is the way to do it.