Grading

When you matriculated at the college, you were asked to sign a copy of the Wheaton Honor Code. That Honor Code clearly states the expectations for your behavior in this class and in all other arenas at the college. As testiment to your pledge and as part of Faculty Legislation, all submitted assignments require your signature below a statement that states your compliance with the Wheaton Honor Code. Violations will not be tolerated. In the past, I have found plagiarism to be a particular problem in classes like this one. Please consult this handout that describes the Honor Code violation of plagiarism in detail. Materials submitted that are deemed to be plagiaristic will receive a score of zero. Additional violations will result in a grade of "F" for the course. If you have any doubts about what you are writing and whether or not it constitutes plagiarism, please feel free to consult me before you turn in that work. A first offense will be not be graded. A second offense will result in a zero for that assignment. A third offense will result in an "F" for the entire course. Remember: If in doubt, check it out --with me BEFORE you turn it in.

Your grade will be comprised of a combination of three non-cumulative exams, several research summaries, and a variety of other short in-class or out-of-the-classroom homeworks or assignments. Points are distributed over these evaluation forms as follows:

Exams must be taken in class on the date indicated on the syllabus, unless otherwise indicated by the instructor. Absolutely no make-ups will be given. If you know in advance that you will be unable to attend class on the day that an exam is due, PLEASE let me know. Other arrangements can be made.

Exam questions will cover material from the texts, from any additional required reading or guest lectures, from films and videotapes seen in class, and from websites and lecture material. There will be some lecture material that will not be available in the text, and similarly, I will not review all of the text material in class. None-the-less you will be held responsible for all information presented, no matter what the format. Please note that there is no final exam in this course.

You'll be given the essay options for the exams a few days ahead of time, and are encouraged to complete them in advance and bring them with you to submit with your exam. You may consult me at any time as you work on the essays. You may also opt to work on the essays with classmates. However, if you do so, be sure to indicate the names of your collaborators on your essays, so none of you are penalized for plagiarism.

Homeworks/
Assignments

Writen assignments (such as exam essays and research summaries) must be word-processed, spell-checked, and double-spaced, with adequate margins for comments. If your assignment does not meet these requirements, I will return it to you ungraded. Put your name on the LAST page of the assignment, and NOT on the first. A guide to preparing the writing assignments can be found by clicking here. A sample of a correctly formatted assignment can be found by clicking here.

"Think Team" projects may be worth up to 1 pt. of extra credit, if you complete 85% of those offered.

Extra Credit: Periodically throughout the semester you may be given the option to do an additional short homework. The homework may ask you to attend a lecture on campus and answer a question about what you heard, or to do some research and write up a brief report on what you discover. The research for each of these homeworks should take no more than an afternoon to complete, and must be presented in the form of a short report (no more than one page.) These are not mandatory projects. They are optional only, to be used as a way to broaden your knowledge and obtain extra credit. These assignments will be worth a varying number points, and will be graded as to their thoughtfulness and accuracy.

No more than about 6 points of extra credit will be given to any one person. Extra credit cannot raise your grade more than 1/3 of a step (for example, more than from a C+ to a B-), no matter how many points you earn.

The following criteria will be used to grade more subjective assignments:

I. "A" Work: work of consistently high standard, showing distinction in such qualities as organization, accuracy, originality, understanding, insight.

II. "B" Work: Work that is decidedly above average. "B" grades generally imply that the student: a) exceeds average requirements, b) is usually alert and active in class discussions and gives evidence of some critical attitude and good judgment, c) exercises noticeable care in preparing assignments, and gives evidence of doing some independent reading, d) is eager to learn and willing to profit from direction and criticism, e) has some ability to transfer the general principles of the course to other situations.

III. "C" Work: Work that fulfills essential requirements in quality and quantity, and meets the acceptable minimum standard for satisfactory progress at Wheaton College. A "C" grade of some kind implies that the student: a) performs the required assignments regularly from day to day, b). is attentive during class and gives adequate answers, c). is usually careful, neat, and accurate in all work, d) masters the facts of general significance, e). uses at least occasionally material from preceding sources, when appropriate, but needs additional assistance.

IV. "D" Work: Work that falls below the minimum standard acceptable for satisfactory progress at Wheaton College.

V. "F" Work: Work that is unsatisfactory.

The instructor reserves the right to grade on a curve if the class distribution requires it.