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Attendance
Attendance
Attendance is required and repeated absences will be noted by detrimentally impacting your participation grade. When missing class, you must provide a valid reason for your absence with appropriate documentation. This policy does not include absences due to university-related activities (sports, conferences), or to serious medical issues (severe illness or death in the immediate family), which are excused and not deducted (with documentation).
Three (3) or more unexcused or “no contact “absences will result in the overall grade reduction of 1% from your final grade for each additional absence.
This course is designed as one in which students participate. Attendance is mandatory. Only 2 absences will be allowed.
This course is designed as one in which students participate. Attendance is mandatory. Only 2 absences will be allowed.
The following are generally NOT valid excuses: travel plans, weddings or other family celebrations, job duties (for instance, training or meetings during the time of your class), doctor or dentist appointments, oversleeping, and problems affecting people (for instance, boyfriend, girlfriend, roommate, best friend, etc.) who are not your immediate family. The two-day allowance above is intended to cover for situations such as these if no major graded assignment is affected.
CLASS PREPARATION & HOMEWORK: You are responsible for knowing all due dates, regardless of class attendance on the day something is assigned. You must prepare the scheduled material before coming to class, in accordance with both the syllabus and what might have been announced in class.
Please come prepared and ready to participate actively in our discussions.
Come prepared and on time to class. This includes that you bring the appropriate reading(s) and course materials, and complete the assigned reading prior to our meetings. Make sure when you read, you read actively. Consider questions such as the following while you read:
What is the argument or purpose of this work or chapter?
What kind of issue(s) are the authors addressing and how do they connect to our themes?
Why is this reading significant?
How can I highlight a significant point(s) in the class discussion through a specific example(s)?
What questions or issues does the reading cause me to reflect about in my own understanding?
READING GROUP POSTS:
At the beginning of the semester, you will be assigned to a reading group. Throughout the semester you will be required to meet with your group and discuss the readings during class time. Each group member is graded individually based upon the quality of their written contribution (200-300 words excluding quoted text) in preparation for the group meeting. Reading group materials must be posted onto Canvas PRIOR to the start of class.
For every meeting each person will have a specific role. The roles and responsibilities are as follows:
(1) Discussion Leader. The discussion leader is responsible for facilitating the meeting. Their written contribution is 3 to 5 open-ended discussion questions to foster thoughtful consideration of the assigned reading selection. They are also responsible for “reporting back” to the class interesting points of the discussion that took place within their group.
(2) Reporter. The reporter is responsible for providing, in their own words, a summary of the entire assigned reading selection. Summary must include key plot points and should not be overburdened with extraneous details. Think big picture. What moments are the most significant, poignant, troubling? Must be written in complete sentences and in paragraph form.
(3) Reader. The reader is responsible for locating 2-4 important quotes from the assigned reading selection and providing an explanation as to why they're significant, poignant, troubling, etc. Quotes can be anywhere from 4 words to 4 sentences long. Use proper MLA citation style to format quotes and citations.
(4) Cultural Critic. The cultural critic is responsible for either one of two things. The critic can either tie a facet of the reading selection to a current event/cultural phenomenon and use said event/phenomenon as a means to understand or complicate what’s happening in the reading OR the critic can look up background information on something mentioned in the reading selection and use the information to help expand comprehension of the text.
(5) Character Analyst. The character analyst is responsible for providing an in-depth analysis of 1-2 characters within the reading selection. Analysis should pay close attention to character development, motives, characterization of traits, etc. Note: do not diagnose the character!
Analysis should be grounded in the text.
I encourage everyone in the group to perform each role at least once. If you do not attend class the day of the reading group meeting you will not receive points, even if you completed the corresponding discussion post.
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