Requirements and Evaluation: This course will be conducted
in a seminar format. Therefore, attandance and participation
are important dimensions of the course and your grade. I
expect you to come to
class prepared and ready to
participate, i.e., having read the text carefully, and ready
to raise and answer questions.
You are expected to write four
papers (4-6 pages). These
papers will be mainly explanation or exegesis of the text. I
will provide topics for each of these assignments. Your are
also encouraged to decide on your own topic/question. For
every
Paper (including papers on topics of your own choice)
you are responsible for the general guidelines provided.
See "Comments and Suggestions for Papers."
Each student will prepare one presentation. These
presentations will consists of two parts. The first part
will be a protocol.
A protocol is a carefully edited summary/notes of the
previous class
session written in full sentences. Protocols
will be 2 single-spaced pages and will be photocopied by the
student who wrote it and handed out to all students at the
beginning of each class to be read aloud. The protocol will
serve as a cumulative record of the course. In addition to
reviewing the material covered in the previous class, it
should include announcements made in class and
questions not
addressed in class. The best protocols will be those that do
not simply reproduce word for word everything that was said
during class, but that rearrange the material thematically,
editing out what was unimportant and emphasizing what was
significant. One of the advantages of the protocols is to
allow you to think during class and not just take notes;
because someone will be taking notes for you, you can
concentrate on the ideas being presented, and participate
without having to write constantly. Also, you will have a
summary of every class which will help you with writing
papers.
The second part of your
presentation will introduce us to
the new reading for the day. The most important dimension of
this part of your presentation is to articulate the
connections between the material we covered in the previous
class and readings we will cover in the current session.
This presentation will include a brief summary of the
readings assigned for the day, and raise questions
concerning this material. I do not expect you to cover
everything in the reading for the day. These presentations
are designed to initiate and maintain class discussion at a
high level.
Your grade will be calculated according to the following
distribution: Paper 1: 20%; Paper 2: 20%; Paper 3: 20%;
Paper 4: 20% Presentation 10%; Participation and Attendance:
10%.
There will be no final examination.
The success of this course depends on your contribution.
Even though I am not inclined to legislate strict attendance
policies, you will fail this course, regardless of your
grade, if you miss more than four sessions.
Office hours are for students to discuss ideas, assignments
and questions. You are encouraged and welcome to come by my
office or make appointments for times other than scheduled
office hours. You should take advantage of office hours and
appointments not simply to discuss your papers (you are
obviously welcome to do that too) but also to understand
ideas, and texts discussed in class, or discuss your own
ideas.
Our sessions will start at 2:30 pm. Students are expected to
come on time. Walking into (and out of) the classroom while
the session is in progress is very disruptive for everybody.
I ask you not to do these. For every two late attendance
you will be marked absent for one class session.
Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical,
learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing etc.) who needs to
arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the
instructor and Disability Services Office (Academic Supporrt
Services) at the beginning of the semester. Accommodation
arrangements must be made during the first-two weeks of the
semester.
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