There are eight assignments in the class, including essay tests, papers on fiction, a family oral history, and a three part research project.
All work is graded by the instructor.
Since the research project has three parts, it is worth three times as much as any one paper. I use the MSU grading system plus an equivalent point sys tem for papers, in which a 4.5 is worth 1,000 points, with a 100 point drop for each .5 in the grade. Excessive absenteeism is punished with a .5 grade decrease on the final grade for the course. Students will be called upon regularly in class. Sitting in the back of the room is not permitted.