Course Requirements and Grade Distribution
1. General in-class participation (15% of the total grade): Participating in class is a must. This is a significant portion of your grade (basically one-and-a-half letter grades!) so it’s imperative that you contribute to class discussions. I appreciate any well-intentioned participation in class discussions but I am happier when your contributions relate to the assigned readings for that day. I will carefully note through the semester those students who are actively engaging with the assigned readings.
I will also take attendance every week at the beginning of class. No more than one unexcused absence and two excused absences will be allowed. For excused absences, I will need official written documentation. Excessive absences will significantly diminish your class participation grade
2. Discussion Questions (7 X 5% of the grade = 35%): Every week, I will assign “Discussion Questions” which will be posted on the course website. These will deal specifically with the readings assigned for the following week. There will usually be 3-4 questions you have to answer. Type your answers (a paragraph for each), print them out, and bring them to class. I will collect everyone’s answer sheets and assign a letter grade between 1 and 4, where 1 = minimal work done, 2 = fair, 3 = good, and 4 = excellent. These correspond C, B-, B+ and A, respectively. If nothing is turned in, you get a zero. There will be 7 of these through the semester, each worth 5 points of the total grade
3. Two In-Class Book Analysis Responses (2 X 15% = 30% of the grade): These will be focused on two books, Red Cloud at Dawn by Gordin, and Shock of the Old by Edgerton. I will hand out prompts at the beginning of class and students will respond in writing by hand. Each prompt will have 2-4 short questions about the book. Students will have about 30 minutes to write their responses and can have the book in hand.
4. Final Presentation (5% of the grade): The final presentations, held on the penultimate day of class, will have each student make a 10-minute presentation on a technology (or technological system) of their choosing, situating it within some of the larger concepts we have discussed in class. I will have more information about the presentation as we get closer to the end of the semester.
5. Final Exam (15% of the grade): This will be an in-class exam held on the last class day for which students will have to write answers (in bluebooks) to 2-4 short questions that cover the course material. You may bring a sheet of paper with notes to the exam. I will give you plenty of guidance about the type of material to be covered in the exam, which will range from factual to conceptual content.
1. General in-class participation (15% of the total grade): Participating in class is a must. This is a significant portion of your grade (basically one-and-a-half letter grades!) so it’s imperative that you contribute to class discussions. I appreciate any well-intentioned participation in class discussions but I am happier when your contributions relate to the assigned readings for that day. I will carefully note through the semester those students who are actively engaging with the assigned readings.
I will also take attendance every week at the beginning of class. No more than one unexcused absence and two excused absences will be allowed. For excused absences, I will need official written documentation. Excessive absences will significantly diminish your class participation grade
2. Discussion Questions (7 X 5% of the grade = 35%): Every week, I will assign “Discussion Questions” which will be posted on the course website. These will deal specifically with the readings assigned for the following week. There will usually be 3-4 questions you have to answer. Type your answers (a paragraph for each), print them out, and bring them to class. I will collect everyone’s answer sheets and assign a letter grade between 1 and 4, where 1 = minimal work done, 2 = fair, 3 = good, and 4 = excellent. These correspond C, B-, B+ and A, respectively. If nothing is turned in, you get a zero. There will be 7 of these through the semester, each worth 5 points of the total grade
3. Two In-Class Book Analysis Responses (2 X 15% = 30% of the grade): These will be focused on two books, Red Cloud at Dawn by Gordin, and Shock of the Old by Edgerton. I will hand out prompts at the beginning of class and students will respond in writing by hand. Each prompt will have 2-4 short questions about the book. Students will have about 30 minutes to write their responses and can have the book in hand.
4. Final Presentation (5% of the grade): The final presentations, held on the penultimate day of class, will have each student make a 10-minute presentation on a technology (or technological system) of their choosing, situating it within some of the larger concepts we have discussed in class. I will have more information about the presentation as we get closer to the end of the semester.
5. Final Exam (15% of the grade): This will be an in-class exam held on the last class day for which students will have to write answers (in bluebooks) to 2-4 short questions that cover the course material. You may bring a sheet of paper with notes to the exam. I will give you plenty of guidance about the type of material to be covered in the exam, which will range from factual to conceptual content.