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Course Policies and Grading

 

Classroom Polices

  • Students are encouraged to think critically and to express their opinions but must always be respectful and tolerant of each other.
  • This class will be largely workshop-based, which means you need to do the assigned drafts. In order to have productive discussions and feedback, you need to be prepared and come with specific writing questions.
  • I expect students to be on time to class. Repeated lateness will count as an absence. You are allowed two (2) absences (excused or unexcused) without penalty; use them wisely (e.g. for illness, minor emergencies, etc.).
  • If you miss class, you are still responsible for turning in your work on time and learning the material you missed before the next class.
  • There will be some texts in this course that will be challenging, complex, and thought-provoking. The more time you spend reading and writing, the more rewarding the texts will be.
  • The syllabus is tentative and subject to possible changes. Any changes will be announced in advance to give students adequate time to adjust and prepare.

 

Graded Evaluation and Assignments:

Attendance and participation (10 points): Students are expected to arrive on time to all classes and to participate actively and thoughtfully in class discussion. Because this course is centered on workshopping, participation is particularly important. Simply attending class does not constitute participation.

Participation Rubric

Feeders (30 points): Students will have six (6) feeders to complete throughout the semester, two (2) in each unit. Each feeder will be worth five (5) points. Feeders will be graded based on completion, prompt submission, and attention to assignment details.

Unit Project (30 points):Throughout the semester, each student will complete three (3) major writing assignments. The unit projects will be worth ten (10) points each. Unit projects will be evaluated by rubrics developed by the instructor according to Writing Program standards and individual assignment expectations.

Conference Presentation (10 points): As a class, we will be participating in the 2019 CRDM Symposium where each student will create a five (5) minute conference presentation on their Unit 1 or Unit 2 Project.

Final Portfolio (15 points): Each student will submit an online portfolio which includes an introductory cover letter and final versions of your unit projects in a digital portfolio format. An example of this can be found at: https://portfoliotemplate2.web.unc.edu/

Student Grammar Presentation (5 points): By the second week of class, students will sign up to guide our discussion on some grammatical element like the semicolon or ellipses. The presentation could take a number of different forms such as a game, PowerPoint presentation, activity, or something else.

Bonus Points (2 points): If you attend every class, you will receive two (2) bonus points.

 

Final letter grades are determined based on the following scale:

A (95-100) A- (90-94) B+ (87-89) B (83-86) B- (80-82) C+ (77-79)

C (73-76) C- (70-72) D+ (67-69) D (63-66) D- (60-62) F (below 60)

I will use traditional rounding to determine grades that fall between whole values. Any mixed number with a decimal value of five tenths or higher will round up to the next whole number. (For example, 94.5 will round up to an A as a 95, but 94.4 will not.)

 

 

 

                          Grades in this Course

A/A- 90-100%. Mastery of course content at the highest level of attainment that can reasonably be expected of students at a given stage of development. The A grade states clearly that the students have shown such outstanding promise in the aspect of the discipline under study.
B-/B/B+ 80-89%. Strong performance demonstrating a high level of attainment for a student at a given stage of development. The B grade states that the student has shown solid promise in the discipline under study.
C-/C/C+ 70-79%. A totally acceptable performance demonstrating an adequate level of attainment for a student at a given stage of development. The C grade states that, while not yet showing unusual promise, the student may continue to study in the discipline.
D 60-69%. A marginal performance in the required exercises demonstrating a minimal passing level of attainment. A student has given no evidence of prospective growth in the discipline.
F 59% or lower. For whatever reason, an unacceptable performance. The F grade indicates that the student’s performance has revealed almost no understanding of the course content.
 IN   Work incomplete. This is a temporary grade that converts to an F at the end of eight weeks into the next semester unless the student makes up the missing work.
PS Passing grade for a course using Pass-Fail grading.

 

 

 

Please ask me immediately if you have any questions or concerns about your grade in this course.

You may consult UNC’s Catalog at https://registrar.unc.edu/academic-services/grades/explanation-of-grading-system/

for further information and context.

 

 

 

 

Late Policy

No late work will be accepted unless you have a documented emergency or a medical situation.

 

 

Plagiarism and Honor Code

All work that you submit for this class is subject to the rules of Carolina’s Honor Code. This includes papers, exams, and short responses. Anytime you quote, paraphrase, borrow, or reproduce text or ideas that are not yours, you mustdocument and attribute them correctly according to MLA style (an easy online tutorial for MLA can be found on the UNC library website). I am obligated to report any infringement of the Honor Code (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) to the University. Any instance of plagiarism or cheating will result in an automatic F for that assignment and, in most cases, for the course as well. For more information, consult (http://honor.unc.edu/students/index.html) and the UNC writing center’s handout on plagiarism (http://writingcenter.unc/edu/handouts/plagiarism).

Diversity

I value the opinions and perspectives of individuals from all diverse backgrounds. My goal is that all students’ needs are addressed in this course and all perspectives are valued. I broadly define diversity to include race, gender, national origin, ethnicity, religion, social class, age, sexual orientation and physical and learning ability. I strive to make this classroom an inclusive space for all minority student groups. I value your input to improve the climate of my classroom.