Please use me as a resource: Come to my office hours, talk to me after class, or send me emails with any questions you have—whether they relate to the requirements of the course or ideas weÕre reading about or discussing in class.
You may email me your written assignments, but it doesnÕt ÒcountÓ unless you get an email back from me saying I received it. Unless I reply back to you, I didnÕt receive it. If thereÕs any question about whether IÕm receiving your emails, please talk to me about it in class.
materials
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The Textbook: |
The Reader: |
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Availability |
Availability |
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Available from Brooklyn College Bookstore, either in
person or via their website: http://whywaitforbooks.com *
Available for slightly less from Amazon and other
online retailers, but make sure you get the right edition (see below). Use
the ISBN above to search for this volume and edition *
You can rent the textbook online for the
semester for about half price. For more info, |
*
Brooklyn College Bookstore (in person) *
You can get an e-book version of this book at
half price. To purchase an access code, go to http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ny/ |
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PLEASE NOTE THE EDITION: I am using the latest edition of this book,
which differs substantially in organization from earlier editions (4th
Edition and before). Make sure the cover looks like this one. |
There is a new edition available for this year. The contents
are almost the same — a couple of readings were dropped from the 4th
edition. You can use either the old (4th) edition, if you find it
used, or the new (5th) edition. |
expectations
DonÕt waste this opportunity! Make the most out of this class.
*
Be on time and prepared. By prepared, I mean you should come into class having done the
readings for that day and thought about them. Come in ready to talk about your
reactions to the readings and the questions they raised in your mind.
*
Class attendance is required. Missing classes will damage your grade. The
textbook is designed to just give you the basics; itÕs in class that we try to
make sense of things and sift out whatÕs important. Missing classes means you
miss out on a key part of our trying to put things together. Plus, if you miss
classes, youÕll miss quizzes, which will put a big crimp in your grade for the
course. Religious observances that affect your class attendance should be
discussed in advance.
*
Cell phones and electronics need to be silenced and
stowed. A phone ringing during class is
hugely disruptive. Texting during class is just as rude as talking on the
phone.
*
Late assignments will be marked down. Written assignments will be marked down one letter
grade per class meeting after the assignment due date, up to a maximum of 30
points. That means youÕre still better off turning in your paper late, and
having it be marked down, than not turning it in at all, and getting a zero.
*
Check your email.
Make sure I have a good email address for you and check it, as I occasionally
send information and updates by email. If you have not gotten an email from me
within the first week after school begins, check your spam folders. If you
canÕt find an email from me, email me to let me know.
*
Plagiarism will result in a zero. CUNY, like all academic institutions, does not
tolerate academic dishonesty. Single instances of plagiarism will yield a zero
for the assignment. Multiple instances will result in a zero for the course and
disciplinary action from the College. (See below.)
*
Talk to me if youÕre struggling. Come to me in office hours or after class, and the
sooner the better. DonÕt wait until itÕs too late to turn things around.
Academic Dishonesty
The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an
environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for
being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both.
The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn
College procedure for implementing that policy can be found at: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies.
If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation,
confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation, the faculty
member MUST report the violation.
Center for Student Disability Services
In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations
students must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability
Services. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a
disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center
for Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell at 718-951-5538. If
you have already registered with the Center for Student Disability Services
please provide your professor with the course accommodation form and discuss
your specific accommodation with him or her.
assignments and course grade
Your course grade will be based on the following:
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15% |
Quizzes WeÕll have very short quizzes at the start of most meetings
to help gauge our relationship with the material in the readings. *
Quizzes are based on the readings for that class in
both the textbook and the reader. If you did your reading for the class, you
should be prepared for the quiz. *
Missed quizzes are not made up. If you come
late to class and miss a quiz, youÕll get a zero for that quiz. Therefore,
please make sure you come to class on time and prepared. *
Quizzes are always based on the readings
listed on the assignment sheet, even if I am slightly behind the syllabus in
the topics I discuss in class. Make sure you do the assigned readings. |
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10% |
Primary Source Write-Up and Presentation Everyone will sign up for one of the short primary
source selections in the reader. *
Your write-up involves answering the 8 questions
about primary sources in the ÒExamining Primary SourcesÓ handout. Your
write-up needs to be only 1–2 pages. *
The day we discuss that primary source in class, you
will introduce it to the class. YouÕll give a really short, 2–3 minute
presentation, which will simply be you reading (or telling us) your answers
to the 8 questions from your write-up. *
You need to then turn the write-up in to me. I need
the write-up to give you a grade. |
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20% |
Position Paper Over the course of the semester youÕll do some research on a
particular topic (from a list of topics IÕll provide) and write a 5–7
page paper that takes a position on that topic. In other words, youÕll be
telling me what your opinion is on some controversy related to the topic
youÕve researched, and supporting your opinion with evidence and reasoning
from your readings. *
If youÕve never done anything like this before, donÕt
worry. I will be talking to you in class about approaching the research, how
to structure the paper, and other things that will help you put this
together. IÕll also have handouts and examples. *
YouÕll turn in (a) a proposal, telling me what
youÕre going to write about; (b) an optional draft, so I can give you
some guidance before you turn in the paper; and (c) the final paper. *
Because I accept drafts, I do not allow students to
submit revised versions of their final paper after the final due date. The
draft is worth +5 points on the paper grade if turned in on time. |
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20% |
Midterm Exam Tuesday, Oct. 26, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. |
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35% |
Final Exam Tuesday, Dec. 21, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |