COURSE FORMAT: The class meets on Thursday from 6pm to 9pm in room 202 in Bizzini Hall.  There will be short-answer exams or written critiques over the content of each class assignment.  The majority of class time will involve discussions of the text material and related topics.  Since this is a seminar class, active student participation is required.  THIS IS NOT A LECTURE CLASS.  You must be prepared each Thursday to contribute something to the class and to the discussion web related to this class.  Reading objectives will be handed out for those assignments where the assessment activity will be an exam.

GRADE:  There will be a total of 12 class periods of graded work, each worth 40 points.   The course grade will be based on 11 of the 12 graded activities.  Each student may choose the graded activity that will not be included in the determination of his or her final grade. The final grade is derived from the percent of points (out of a total 440 points) earned during the semester as follows (rounded to the nearest whole percentage point):

A =90%-100%

B =80%-89%

C =70%-79%

D =60%-69%

Grade points are earned for written products (either exam answers, answers to objectives or a short paper) turned in for grading at the scheduled class time, class attendance (1 point for each hour spent in the class).  These written products will vary from class to class (exams for 6 classes, papers and web discussion contributions for the remaining classes) Papers or exams turned in at times other then the regularly scheduled class period are worth 35 points instead of 40.

EXAMS and PAPERS: Exams will be scheduled for the last hour of class with the first two hours devoted to discussing the readings.  On class days when the assessment activity is a paper, students will describe the major points of their paper in the first part of the class and the remaining class time will be devoted to discussing the objectives from the readings.  Papers should be prepared with a word processor using 12pt fonts that are easy to read (Arial, Universal, Times New Roman, Helvetica are clear fonts).  These papers should be double-spaced and between 3 and 5 pages in length.  You should organize your paper in a logical way.  Include meaningful section headings for the major points you are trying to make. Use a hierarchical structure of organization involving major points as headings with supportive points and explanatory content (with examples if relevant) as the body of the paper.  Papers will be graded on content as well as writing style, good organization and clarity of expression.
REGRADE POLICY: After each written assignment has been graded and returned, a student may request a regrade on that assignment if she/he thinks it was inappropriately evaluated. The regrade request should contain an explanation for the request and references to text material or class discussions to justify the request.  It should be written and stapled to the original paper and turned in to the instructor at the next class.
ATTENDANCE and MISSED EXAMS: Attendance is required and earns 1 point per class hour (or 3 pts per week). It is expected that students come to each class prepared and willing to discuss their written assignments, the reading material and/or take an exam (if one is scheduled).  Absence from an exam (whatever the reason) will result in a zero for the missed exam. Makeup exams must be independently scheduled with the instructor for a time outside the regularly scheduled class and are worth a maximum of 35 points.
CHEATING POLICY: If there is good evidence of any form of academic dishonesty  (using unauthorized assistance during an exam, copying the homework of another, having someone else do your assignments etc.) you will receive an "F" for the course, not be allowed to attend further classes and referred to the Graduate Committee for Academic suspension.