Class Participation (40%)

I will base your class participation grade on the frequency and quality of your contribution to classroom discussion. Positive contributions consist not merely of answering the professor's questions. They also include:

  • Asking questions concerning the reading, the discussion, or the themes of the course in general
  • Challenging what either the professor or your peers have said
  • Making pertinent observations of all sorts
  • Visiting one of us during office hours
  • Displaying a positive attitude toward learning and the course
  • Offering to read aloud in class

Throughout the semester, I mayl call on various groups of students to make short presentations concerning the reading. These exercises will not only teach you how to teach your peers, but they will also help you learn how to speak sensibly and coherently. My assessment of your performance during these presentations will also influence your class participation grade.

Furthermore, if you are a student, your job consists of learning. I expect you to come to class prepared to learn.

  • Come to class having completed the readings assigned for that day (including the textbook readings).
  • If we are scheduled to discuss a book or an excerpt out of the coursepack, bring the reading to class so that you can refer to it.
  • Bring the textbook to class.
  • Also, please arrive on time if not a little early. If you must leave class early, let me know in advance.

Absences: You are expected to attend every class period of this course. We expect that, on a rare occasion, you may be unable to attend. You may be absent—without penalty—three times during the semester, regardless of whether your absence is documented or undocumented. To be clear: if you have one job interview, one visit to a Manchester judge, and one day of strep throat, you should not assume that you still having three so-called "unexcused" absences coming to you. An absence is an absence. If you have more than 5 absences, you may not be able to earn more than a "C" in the course. If you have more than 7 absences, you may not be able to pass the course. Exceptions to this policy are made by the Dean's Office.

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Copyrighted by Hugh Dubrulle, 2007.