For that reason, the course proceeds as a series of discussions of textual material, supported by the writing of a series of short papers. 110-217 Waley, Songs , pp. General Introduction, pp. October Mair, Lao-tzu , pp. Grading System-Intentions Traditional grading habits and contemporary learning research are sadly at odds with each other.
People tend to see grading as a competitive exercise.
In this view, one gets a good grade by putting distance between one's own performance and everyone else's. On the other hand, research on learning has concluded that people learn more when they work in small cooperative groups. Studies of gender effects in education suggest that these differences are particularly significant for women students. Since not everything can be done by small work teams in a college setting, it seems reasonable to attempt a hybrid system which recognizes individual excellence, but does so in a setting which is mutually supportive rather than destructive. Another split between traditional procedure and contemporary insight concerns the balance between passive-listening situations like a lecture, and active involvement, as in seminars or discussions.