Though I will not take attendance formally, please be aware that your performance on the written assignments will depend heavily on your knowledge of material covered in lectures and in class discussions. Participation is also required. The course will encompass significant amounts of small and large group discussion, and your participation is necessary to make these discussions profitable.
Preparation makes attendance and participation worthwhile.
The main requirement for the course is the production of a formal major research paper, 15-20 pages long, and all its component parts. As with any formal writing, the final draft will be evaluated for form and content, for proper structure, syntax, organization, etc., as well as for the thoroughness of the research, the strength and persuasiveness of the argument, and the liveliness of the ideas. We will discuss the evaluation of the component parts as the semester progresses. To see examples of successful papers written by students in past semesters, see Samples of Student Writing. In addition tot he formal research paper, each student is required to make an in-class presentation.