Presence & Participation: Our
work this quarter will be predominately collaborative, privileging open
discussion over lectures, and as a result, participation, attendance
and punctuality are all necessary for our class to thrive. I'm
more interested in hearing your varied (and even contradicting)
interpretations of our readings than forcing you to see them through my
eyes, so being able to freely and comfortably sharing your
insights, opinions, disagreements, perspectives and questions — whether
in class, or on our blog and Facebook group — will
be an invaluable part of our shared understanding.
Missing more than two classes will likely have an adverse affect on your final grade,
and exceeding three absences earns you an automatic F (though, on the
bright side, you won't have to write the final essay). Absences are
absences, regardless of whether you're sick, hungover, in jail, taking a
trip, having car trouble, can't stand looking at my stupid face anymore, or just don’t
feel like
getting out of bed — the only exceptions to this rule are major medical
issues (i.e. surgery, hospitalization, death) or university-sanctioned absences
(i.e. snow days [it could happen] or athlete travel).
Online Resources: Blackboard is quite frankly awful, so I'll run the class through this blog and our Facebook group. Aside from key documents (such as our syllabus, booklist, schedules, essay guidelines, etc.) and announcements, I'll also use these sites to distribute PDF handouts and share supplementary materials — including useful links, streaming MP3s, videos and more — which will help to broaden and contextualize your experience of the texts. Just as importantly, they'll serve as venues for discussion outside of class and there'll likely be several assignments asking you to post brief responses to a given text or issue.
Online Resources: Blackboard is quite frankly awful, so I'll run the class through this blog and our Facebook group. Aside from key documents (such as our syllabus, booklist, schedules, essay guidelines, etc.) and announcements, I'll also use these sites to distribute PDF handouts and share supplementary materials — including useful links, streaming MP3s, videos and more — which will help to broaden and contextualize your experience of the texts. Just as importantly, they'll serve as venues for discussion outside of class and there'll likely be several assignments asking you to post brief responses to a given text or issue.
It’s in
your best interest to stay up-to-date with these sites. You can
subscribe to the blog's XML feed and/or sign up for e-mail updates, and
you should join the Facebook group as soon as possible. (please note:
our group is closed, which means I'll have to approve your membership
and your participation will be hidden
from anyone who's not a member).
Discussion Facilitation / Response Paper: In lieu of a midterm paper or bluebook exam, each student will
be required to sign up for one class on which you'll be responsible for guiding our
discussion of that day's readings. Specifically, I'd like you to come up with two big questions in response to the work that will help us get beneath the surface, and post these on our blog thread for that novel in advance of our class meeting — since there are likely to be multiple students presenting on a given day, the questions will be "first come, first served," so please post your questions as early as possible to reserve your ownership of that question (and feel free to post one question as soon as you decide on it, then follow up with your second one later).
What sorts of questions constitute "big questions"? Complex inquiries that address key points in the narrative, character development, historical contexts for plot points, connections with other texts by Vonnegut or large, abstract cultural ideas (class, gender, race, war, etc.). Ideally, you'll frame these questions through a couple of good quotes from the day's readings, which will give us an anchor to start from.
In conjunction with your questions, you'll write up a short (4-5 page) response paper, due on the same day, in which you'll provide your own answers. These responses should be substantive arguments, making thorough use of textual evidence, and free from the filler and frippery of the five-paragraph essay form.
What sorts of questions constitute "big questions"? Complex inquiries that address key points in the narrative, character development, historical contexts for plot points, connections with other texts by Vonnegut or large, abstract cultural ideas (class, gender, race, war, etc.). Ideally, you'll frame these questions through a couple of good quotes from the day's readings, which will give us an anchor to start from.
In conjunction with your questions, you'll write up a short (4-5 page) response paper, due on the same day, in which you'll provide your own answers. These responses should be substantive arguments, making thorough use of textual evidence, and free from the filler and frippery of the five-paragraph essay form.
You'll sign up for discussion dates on the second day of class and some
modicum of merciful consideration will be shown to those presenting
during the first week. Students who are not prepared
to go on the day of their scheduled presentation will be skipped and
their grade for the assignment will be docked accordingly.
Quizzes: Over
the course of the quarter, you can expect a number of short,
unannounced quizzes, which will serve as a measure of your reading
comprehension and retention. Missed quizzes cannot be made up, and will
adversely affect your final grade. Ideally, there will be at
least six quizzes, all of which will have opportunities for bonus
points, and it's worth noting that we’re far less likely to have a quizzes when our class discussions are lively and engaged. Since there are limited grade opportunities outside of the formal writing projects and participation, it's in your best interest to maintain a decent quiz average.
Technology: In theory, technology is a wonderful thing, but in the classroom, it can be a distraction. Please make sure that your cell phone is turned off (or at the very least in silent mode) and put away at the start of class. Students caught texting can pick their phones up from inside Lucy the bearcat's cage. Laptops may only be used by students with appropriate paperwork from Disability Services — otherwise, a notebook or binder will have to suffice (even if it's terribly old-world). If, on the other hand, you'd like to bring a manual typewriter and clack-clack-clack away, be my guest.
Communication: Please make use of my posted office hours, the time immediately before and after class, Facebook and/or e-mail to discuss your performance in the course, pose questions you might have, or just generally let me know what's on your mind. If you're having trouble, doing poorly on quizzes or just not getting the readings, it's better to ask for help sooner rather than later. Unofficially, you should meet with me at least once during the quarter.
Plagiarism: You have no doubt had UC’s Academic Honesty Policy and Student Code of Conduct drummed into your head repeatedly, however it might be advantageous to re-orient yourself with those policies now, as classes begin again this quarter.
Plagiarism, defined as “the appropriation of information, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own to satisfy the requirements of a course,” can take many guises, including cheating on a quiz, cutting-and-pasting information found on the web, failing to properly cite sources or fabricating them entirely. Any student found guilty of plagiarism, in any form, will automatically fail this course and face official disciplinary action, putting your academic future on very shaky ground.
The Writing Center: The Writing Center is a valuable and free resource available to all UC students. Writing Fellows are available to help students at all stages of the writing process from brainstorming to drafting, as well as with editing essays. I strongly encourage you to have a tutor review all the writing you do for this course. Please visit their website for hours of operation, writing resources and more information.
Special Needs Statement: If you have any special needs related to your participation and performance in this course, please speak to me as soon as possible. In consultation with Disability Services, we can make reasonable provisions to ensure your ability to succeed in this class and meet its goals.
Grades: Simply put, your final grade will reflect your level of critical engagement with our readings, your understanding of the authors and the effort you've put forth. Major weight will be given to your presentation and response paper, your final essay and overall participation (which includes your performance on quizzes and online responses, along with class discussions). A poor showing in any one of these areas need not doom your final grade — I'm more inclined to admire a student who shows consistent growth throughout the term than a superstar who phones in his final. In the end, what counts is the respect and seriousness with which you approach our shared work, as well as the personal discoveries you make, not how well you regurgitate what I've said in class.
Technology: In theory, technology is a wonderful thing, but in the classroom, it can be a distraction. Please make sure that your cell phone is turned off (or at the very least in silent mode) and put away at the start of class. Students caught texting can pick their phones up from inside Lucy the bearcat's cage. Laptops may only be used by students with appropriate paperwork from Disability Services — otherwise, a notebook or binder will have to suffice (even if it's terribly old-world). If, on the other hand, you'd like to bring a manual typewriter and clack-clack-clack away, be my guest.
Communication: Please make use of my posted office hours, the time immediately before and after class, Facebook and/or e-mail to discuss your performance in the course, pose questions you might have, or just generally let me know what's on your mind. If you're having trouble, doing poorly on quizzes or just not getting the readings, it's better to ask for help sooner rather than later. Unofficially, you should meet with me at least once during the quarter.
Plagiarism: You have no doubt had UC’s Academic Honesty Policy and Student Code of Conduct drummed into your head repeatedly, however it might be advantageous to re-orient yourself with those policies now, as classes begin again this quarter.
Plagiarism, defined as “the appropriation of information, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own to satisfy the requirements of a course,” can take many guises, including cheating on a quiz, cutting-and-pasting information found on the web, failing to properly cite sources or fabricating them entirely. Any student found guilty of plagiarism, in any form, will automatically fail this course and face official disciplinary action, putting your academic future on very shaky ground.
The Writing Center: The Writing Center is a valuable and free resource available to all UC students. Writing Fellows are available to help students at all stages of the writing process from brainstorming to drafting, as well as with editing essays. I strongly encourage you to have a tutor review all the writing you do for this course. Please visit their website for hours of operation, writing resources and more information.
Special Needs Statement: If you have any special needs related to your participation and performance in this course, please speak to me as soon as possible. In consultation with Disability Services, we can make reasonable provisions to ensure your ability to succeed in this class and meet its goals.
Grades: Simply put, your final grade will reflect your level of critical engagement with our readings, your understanding of the authors and the effort you've put forth. Major weight will be given to your presentation and response paper, your final essay and overall participation (which includes your performance on quizzes and online responses, along with class discussions). A poor showing in any one of these areas need not doom your final grade — I'm more inclined to admire a student who shows consistent growth throughout the term than a superstar who phones in his final. In the end, what counts is the respect and seriousness with which you approach our shared work, as well as the personal discoveries you make, not how well you regurgitate what I've said in class.
Paper Format: All
hard-copy work handed in for this class must be in proper MLA format
(including a full header, in-text citations and [for the final essay
only] a works cited list), use double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman
(or a similar serif font), and be numbered and stapled. Online
responses need not adhere to these conventions (save in-text citations).
Late work will be penalized, losing a full letter grade for each class missed.
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