This page outlines how your learning in this class will be assessed. You'll receive a lot more information about how to complete these assessments in class and through our Canvas page.
Unless otherwise noted in assignment descriptions, there is no grade penalty for late-work (exceptions are in-class presentations or other time-sensitive work). If you cannot meet the deadline for turning in work, you should get in touch to negotiate a new deadline. Turning in work late forfeits your right to written feedback; however, I am always happy to talk about your work in office hours.
Attendance is required in this course. Your first four absences count as "freebies." You should save these for emergencies, illnesses, and university sponsored events since there are no excused absences outside of religious holidays in this class! (This means I will not distinguish between verified and unverified absences). After the first four absences, each absence will decrease your attendance score by 2 points out of 10. Once all of your attendance points are depleted (i.e. after 9 total absences) you will automatically fail the course.
Much of this class will be devoted to in-class discussion, and you will be rewarded for contributing to that discussion with thoughtful and well-prepared interventions. Engagement points will be awarded as follows and will be posted as part of your midterm grade to notify you of your standing in the class; however, you will still have an opportunity to change your engagement grade by the end of the semester. I'm always happy to talk about your performance in the class, so please get in touch if you'd like to learn how to improve this part of your grade.
12/12: You come prepared to class and are quick to join conversations and ask questions. Your interventions in the class are not off-topic, often responding to what others have said, and encourage thinking by your classmates. Although you may not always understand everything you've read, you are curious and eager to learn from discussion. You participate actively in group work and always bring in the required preparatory work.
9/12: You come prepared to class and often join in class conversations. What keeps you from achieving a 12/12 is that you may disrupt class, either by talking to your neighbors, frequently leaving and entering the classroom, or persistently arriving after the start of class.
6/12: You struggle joining in class conversations and sit quietly and attentively while listening to your classmates, meaning your preparation doesn't always benefit the rest of the class.
3/12: You don't seem to prepare for class or take an interest in joining our class discussion. You are often distracted and may occasionally not adhere to the technology policy or you repeatedly fail to bring your book to class. You may occasionally make comments, but they don't reflect a strong engagement with the readings and may derail the course of our conversation.
0/12: There is no evidence that you do the readings prior to class. You do not adhere to the technology policy.
There will be 3 surveys throughout the course of the semester: an Introductory Survey, a Midterm Survey, and an Exit Survey. These surveys have two purposes: first, to help me understand your experience of the class and learn more about you, and, second, to urge you to reflect on what you are learning and how you can get the most out of this class. These surveys are all or nothing--either you complete them by the due date and receive full credit (1 point toward the final grade), or you don't complete them and you receive a 0. There are no extensions on surveys.
Much of the work of this class is reading and preparing for class discussions. Some students feel as though they do this work without it being acknowledged, especially if they don't do as well as they would like on the essays and midterms. In order to reward you for your reading habits, you'll complete a Reading Accountability Quiz for each day of reading. The quiz will be administered on Canvas and will be 5 questions long. These questions will not ask you to analyze the reading, they will simply ask you about major plot points or facts about the texts. The quizzes will open when I send the weekly email on Fridays and be due at the start of class on the day that the readings are due. Be sure to complete the reading prior to opening the quiz, as you will only have 5 minutes to complete the quiz once it is open. There are 19 days of readings, so there will be 19 quizzes; your lowest 3 quiz grades will be dropped.
You will sign up for a date in the first two weeks of class to be responsible for bringing in an excellent and thoughtful discussion question. More information will be provided in class.
You will sign up for a date in the second two weeks of class to be responsible for bringing in an example of a narrative device in Severance and helping the class understand how it works. More information will be provided in class.
During our literary theory unit, you'll be responsible for writing an essay applying the theoretical ideas of our discussion that week to any part of Severance that you like. You'll write a 1,250–1,750 word essay supporting a claim about how the theory helps us understand Severance for 15% of this grade. The other 5% will reflect your presentation of a preliminary version of your ideas in class.
In the final unit of our class, you and a partner will present to the class on a scholarly essay about Severance. The grade will reflect your understanding of the essay and your ability to summarize its important points for your audience.
The final assessment of the class will be an essay in which you show your ability to utilize a theoretical framework of your choice on a textual object of your choice. The 2,000–2,500 word essay will make up 15% of this grade. Your presentation of your final project to the class will make up 5% of this grade.
Taking good notes is a skill that is not often taught, but is essential for your success in this (and likely other) classes. To encourage you to take notes during class time, as well as during your reading, you will receive extra credit (up to 10 points on the final project) if you turn in your class and reading notes. They can be formatted according to whatever works for you. However, I should be able to easily and quickly find notes for a given class day or a given text. You should make an appointment to show me your notebook before the final project due date.
The extra credit will be assessed based on completeness (notes for all class days and readings) as well as engagement. This means that notes that simply record what happens in class will receive partial credit. Notes that outline what happens in class along with the note-taker's annotations, thoughts, and questions, will receive full credit.