Projects for the course are broken down into preparation (doing weekly readings, taking notes, and engaging in collaborative annotation); participation (speaking and listening actively in each class session and perhaps contributing to class in other ways as well); processing what we are reading and learning by engaging in writing assignments.
Beyond these two kinds of weekly assignments, I will ask you to pause at mid-semester to reflect on your progress in the course and revisit the terms of your contract, and do so again at the end of the term in a brief final assessment.
Each week, you are responsible for preparing to contribute to class discussion and to your own learning by doing the following:
Carefully reading all required course materials for the week prior to class
Satisfactorily completing satisfactory Perusall assignments comprised of 4 substantive annotations for each set of readings by 8.00am prior to class
Each completed, satisfactory Perusall assignment is worth 1 point. This assignment is "all or nothing." Annotations assignments containing fewer than 4 annotations will not count toward your total requirement--but may count as additional work for the course, over and above the specifications for each grade tier.
Our class meetings (M/W 9:25-10:40) will be comprised of both lecture and discussion, and will require your consistent attendance (25 points) and active participation (50 points).
As a core component of this course, all students are expected to engage actively in all small-group activities & discussions. This means doing the following:
being attentive (no multi-tasking) and actively listening
staying on task and helping the group to stay on task
offering an interpretation of part of the reading
directing the group's attention to specific, relevant excerpts from the text
taking notes on behalf of the group
asking questions
volunteering to report back to large group
In addition, all students are expected to contribute actively, and to some extent, to large group discussions. This means practicing and gaining comfort with speaking up, in the same ways you contribute to small group discussions:
being attentive (no multi-tasking), actively listening, taking notes
offering an interpretation of part of the reading
directing the group's attention to specific, relevant excerpts from the text
asking questions
volunteering to report back to large group
Please note that while active listening and note taking are essential ways of participating in class, the learning objectives for the course require each student to go beyond listening: you each need to speak in class throughout the semester. Part of your grade is determined by the extent to which you do so.
Each day of attendance is worth 1 point. Each day of participation is worth 2 points, split evenly between small-group work and large-group contributions.
Each student will complete a total of four writing projects. These short assignments are designed to enable you to do the following: 1) demonstrate your close reading & understanding of assigned texts; 2) practice the critical arts of comparison, analysis, and argument; and 3) build your writing and analytical skills one step at a time. All assignments are based on the assigned course texts. The selection of writing projects you take on depends on your goals for the course, but in each case the assignments are designed to scale up from foundational skills like critical summary to more advanced skills like analytical comparison, original argumentation, and revision.
Your writing projects will be assessed as "satisfactory" or "not yet satisfactory," depending on whether or not they meet the specific assignment criteria given below. While an assessment of "satisfactory" means you have met (at least) the minimum standards for the project, it does not mean there is no room for improvement. Thus everyone will receive substantive feedback on their writing, with specific requests for revision. Your final assignment will be to revise your writing.
All satisfactory projects must meet all specifications for that project, including requirements for formatting, length, and format.
Below are the basic outlines for each assignment type. Though all students will need to write a variety of types of assignments, you may choose whether or not you will try all of them.
Critical Summary (15 points). These essays are 500-750 words, roughly 2-3 pages double spaced, and ask that you explain one author's concept or claim from within the logic of the text itself. That is, the aim is to inhabit an author's vocabulary, rationales, and argumentation to try to understand what what a concept or claim is doing for and in a particular text--not to critique or praise it, but to explain it. Here, we are focusing on your skills as a generous but critical reader: what is the best, clearest, and most plausible interpretation of the concept that you can provide in a concise fashion?
Strong Response (20 points). These essays are 750-1,000 words, 3-4 pages double spaced. Incorporating the skills of critical summary but moving beyond them, this assignment asks you to provide an account of a particular idea from a single text or stage a dispute between two authors in order to "speak back" to the text(s) by taking a position on the argument.
Defend, Amend, Reject (25 points). These essays are 1,250-1,500 words, 5-6 pages double spaced. The assignment provides a specific thesis statement that you must defend, amend, or reject by drawing on 2 or 3 texts. The focus in this writing project is on developing your analytical skills of defending or criticizing a position clearly and persuasively across authors & texts, providing solid textual evidence and support.
Ask & Answer a Question (30 points). These essays are 1,500-1,750 words, 6-7 pages double spaced, and build on all the skills you have worked on in your prior papers. In this assignment, you are responsible for devising an essay topic structured in response to a question that you pose for yourself. Like many of the other assignments, this paper is argumentative in nature: you propose a thesis, and then support it with well-organized and well-analyzed evidence. Unlike the other assignments, you are entirely responsible for the generating and crafting all of the content for this essay.
Revise! (15 points). Revision is an essential part of the writing (and thinking!) process. Based on the feedback you will receive from me and your own evolving thinking, your final project for the semester will be to revise 1-3 Writing Projects (5 points each). All students will revise at least some of your work, no matter which assignments you have completed or which grade you are working toward.
At the beginning, middle, and end of the semester, I will ask you to write a short reflection to set goals and/or assess your work in the course so far. I will ask you to do the following:
Set goals for the term (beginning), reflect on what you have learned in the course so far (mid-term) and overall (final);
Consider any challenges that you have confronted in getting what you want out of this class;
Assess your own participation in the course, in line with the expectations and specifications for in-class contributions as well as other forms of engagement;
(Mid-semester only) Make plans to adjust any practices that are not serving you well or preventing you from meeting your learning goals;
(Final only) Take stock of the work you have completed for the course and assess your learning within it.