Grade Components:

PROFESSIONALISM (20%):

This is a catch-all for you behaving as an interested and interesting college student. It’s coming to class. It’s turning in your work on time. It means no excuses. It means active participation in class activities and discussion. It means being prepared for class with ideas you want to share and positions you want to support. It means working steadily and productively on an independent project. Make no mistake, if you master these six skills, you will always have a good and rewarding job. You will be in demand.  Students will be measured in each of these six goals. Successful implementation of all 6 will be grade of 20, 5  a grade of 19, 4, a grade of 17 , 3 a grade of 15, 2, a grade of 13 and of 1, a 10. It would be wise to keep track of this grade.

Quizzes (15%)

To insure that students have the opportunity to demonstrate that they have read/watched/heard each week’s assignments, there will be regular short quizzes.

Response papers (15%)

Response papers, pithy expressions of your take on a series of readings or a major interpretive work, are essential tools for the scholar. Consequently, we will have regular assignments of response papers.

Discussion Leader (10%)

Regardless of how we might feel individually about group work, the fact is that working with others on a shared project is part of everyone’s vocational reality. Most weeks will feature a group running the discussion portion of our class. They will be responsible for the questions and format of that portion of class. This grade will determined by fellow group members.

Research paper (40% = 20% process + 20% Product)

This close-to-semester-long project is designed specifically and unapologetically to prepare History students for their Independent Study Project. We will, over the last ten weeks of this course, go into great detail into the process of producing a work of historical scholarship. Make no mistake, these skills are applicable far beyond the realms of historical research and writing but their values remain rooted in a centuries-old intellectual approach, an approach you will be expected to respect if not master.