Assignments and Grading
Your grade will be calculated according to the following percentages:
- Responses: 15%
- Formal Writing Projects: 65%
- Participation: 20%
Responses (15%):
Responses will be submitted on a regularly scheduled cycle. These written responses should prepare you for class discussion; they will be due before the class session, will contribute to the success of your participation for that day, and may not be turned in late. In these responses, you should practice the fundamentals of good academic prose, including the proper handling of primary and secondary sources. Graded on a scale of 0 – 10, these responses will receive lower marks if they are marred by repeated or egregious errors in mechanics. If you complete these responses in a conscientious manner, they will feed directly into your larger writing projects, and you’ll be able to use your own responses as the first step of your ongoing research and writing.
Please see Schedule for prompts, length requirements, and due-dates. As a general rule, when responding to prompts, please keep in mind “Aims | Methods | Materials.” When addressing a specific question or set of questions about a text or texts, you might begin by asking yourself:
What is/are this text’s aim(s)? What is the text trying to do?
What is/are this text’s method(s)? How does it carry out its aims?
What materials does it use to accomplish the above?
While specific prompts are listed, the above three questions should guide not only your responses here, but much of your reading and analysis for this course.
Unless otherwise specified, Responses are due in hard-copy at the beginning of class. However, if you are asked to post a response:
1. Log into the course site.
2. Go to your “Dashboard” (usually on the left side of the screen).
3. Go to Posts > Add New.
4. Compose your post (or Paste from a word-processing platform).
5. Select the proper Category, from the right-hand side of the window.
6. Post and confirm.
Formal Writing Projects (65%):
In this class, we will experiment with writing in a variety of modalities (which is why we refer to these as “writing projects” rather than “essays”). At least one of your writing projects will be a paper-based essay; at least one will be a “born-digital” project. The other two will include aspects of either. All will be peer-reviewed, all may be workshopped at the Writing Center, and all may entertain a “Revise-and-Resubmit” option (details TBD).
Further requirements: for the first Writing Project only, any final project receiving less than a C must be Revised and Resubmitted. We must meet to establish a schedule and goals for revision, and an“R&R” must be submitted within two weeks of receiving my comments, beneath a cover-letter detailing your responses to and efforts to meet and incorporate suggestions for revision. This does not mean that you should “fix everything Andrew suggests,” but that you should re-conceive the project so that it better meets its goals. You are welcome, of course, to use the Writing Center for all of your projects. For our course style-guide, you may use either the resources at the Purdue Online Writing Lab or The Davidson Writer, and you will follow the most recent MLA guidelines for in-text citations, formatting, and bibliographies. As our writing will occur on multiple platforms and in various modalities, I will specify how we will practice peer-review and how I will collect each project as the project is assigned.
All projects will be pledged according to the Davidson College Honor Code. Late projects will be penalized 1/2 a letter-grade for every day that they are late, and projects more than a week late may receive an F. Absences do not excuse late work. An extension will only be granted in extreme circumstances. If you believe circumstances warrant an extension, or you anticipate class absence for extenuating circumstances, please speak with me as soon as possible, so that we can determine alternatives that work for both of us.
Participation (20%):
This aspect of your grade is the simplest, and most important. Participation involves regular and prompt attendance. Arrive to class on time, and prepared for the day; you should be able to make a significant contribution to our daily discussions, and you should be both responsive to and respectful of the contributions of others. Participation involves conscientious peer-review when we discuss each other’s writing in class. Participation also extends to group projects, presentations, and out-of-class activities (details TBD).
As a rule, you are allowed three unexcused absences (equivalent to a full week of class, in our three-times weekly class schedule). A fourth unexcused absence will negatively affect your participation grade, and a fifth will negatively affect your overall course grade. A sixth absence (equivalent to two weeks of class), may result in a failing grade for the course. I understand that all of us have commitments that take us away from campus; please coordinate with me as early as possible before a planned absence, so that we can determine our best course of action. In the event of an emergency, please communicate with me as soon as possible, so that we may determine the most reasonable accommodation.
Grade Scale:
94 – 100: A 74 – 76: C
90 – 93: A- 70 – 73: C-
87 – 89: B+ 67 – 69: D+
84 – 86: B 64 – 66: D
80 – 83: B- 60 – 63: D-
77 – 79: C+ <60: F
