It's your choice.
Be accountable.
Be challenging.
Be professional.
And work smart.
Neither grades nor due/exam dates are negotiable, unless they are clerical errors.
[05%] Attendance\Absence
@ If you attend every class, i.e., miss no class throughout the course, you will be rewarded by 5 points added to your total numerical grade.
- Up to 3 excused absences allowed with no penalty incurred; seek advice no less than 48 hours prior to class time either by e-mail or in person and obtain my written permission in reply - any elements missed, your absence will remain unexcused. [Cf. Doctor's or dental appointments are considered excusable, only if documentary evidence is produced later.]
- Up to 3 unexcused absences allowed with no penalty incurred. It is strongly advisable that you save this for seasonal illnesses such as a minor cold/flu, occasional headache, morning blues/inertia, post-party fatigue, etc., which does not require medical attention, or for which you decided not to seek immediate medical treatment; notification, prior to class time, of your absence will be sympathetically received and greatly appreciated, but my sympathy remains personal.
- From 4th unexcused absence, one grade point, i.e, 10 points, will be deducted, automatically down to an F.
@ Any school-related activities such as athletic games, off-campus fraternity/sorority conferences, field trips for other courses, require, on each occasion prior to the date in question, an official notification or hand-written signature from the officer or professor in charge, and only that given, your absence will be excused; this is not part of your 3 unexcused absences, and if no official notice is given to me prior to your absence, your claim after the fact, of any type, is automatically invalidated, and your absence will remain personal and unexcused.
@ Emergency or unforeseen misfortunes, e.g., funeral(s) to attend or accidents, will be taken into consideration charitably. Then, you must notify me of the situation ASAP and produce documentary evidence later; any undocumented claim will turn into an unexcused absence.
cf. Attendance\Showing Up Late
@ Class starts when I come in, and ends when I say so. Classroom is not a Friday night party you can breeze by when you like; rather, you are the host. Nor is it the Turner Field where you can pop out to get popcorn during the baseball game; rather, you are one of the players.
- Failure to come to class on time or to stay until the end, causes a loss of 0.5 points.
- 6th time (lateness or early departure), one grade point, i.e., 10 points, will be deducted.
- 7th time onwards, another cycle of incremental loss of 0.5 points starts.
@ If any unavoidable schedule conflict arises that forces you to come to class late or leave class early, seek advice no less than 48 hours prior to class time by e-mail or in person, and obtain my written permission in reply, then your lateness or early departure will be excused up to twice without losing any points; any unexcused lateness or early departure will be calculated, as normal, i.e., loss of 0.5 points.
[15%] Presentation
@ Presentation requirement is never superficial or artificial. Take it very seriously. You cannot mumble or utter something casually, and think you deserve some credit for such a hard work. Its aim is to train you to become a better public speaker. As the syllabus states, oratorical training is a vital part of liberal arts education. That will become an invaluable asset in your professional life after college.
@ All formal presentations, a total of 2 or 3 for each student (2 in the case of Humanities courses; 3, philosophy), are to be scheduled at least 1 week in advance of the date of presentation. It is your responsibility to (discuss with me, if necessary) choose the topics and dates; those who miss any or all of 2 or 3 presentation opportunities are regarded as exercising their freewill and making an informed decision.
@ No substitution is possible. Public speaking is integral part of liberal arts education, and thus is not optional or negotiable. Do your best, and your efforts will pay off in a variety of ways.
@ Do not even try to hide behind the "pretty face" of technology, for your actual incompetence will be immediately, brutally, noticed by all the members of class: the presence of the Internet or powerpoint alone does not deserve any extra credit, and the absence of IT material alone does not lead to a loss of credits - only when the use of IT facilities and resources appropriately and creatively enhances the quality of presentation, you earn a bonus point. Bear in mind that "substantial and low tech" scores much higher than "superficial and high tech."
@ Each presentation should last minimum 10 minutes, and maximum 15 minutes; you will be warned and stopped, as you reach your 15 minutes; immediately, additional 5 minutes will be allotted for questions from the floor, to which you must be able to respond cogently and substantially. If you fail to complete your presentation within this time limit, 10-15 minutes, you cannot receive 5 points.
@ Group presentation based on a group work is encouraged; the maximum number of participants for one presentation restricted to 4.
@ No more than two presentations per class day are allowed, and no unscheduled presentation is allowed; first come, first serve basis, so plan ahead and reserve your space ASAP. No last minute scrambling allowed.
@ All presentations are graded on the scale of 1 to 5, each presentation worth up to 5 points; upon receiving the presentation document from you, I will e-mail you, each time, the brief feedback along with the score no later than two weeks from the date of your presentation.
- [0: Sheer Waste of Your Time and My Time] Regurgitating and merely reading out facts copy-lifted off from a couple of websites without any efforts at even putting them in a meaningful sequence or communicating them to the audience; the sources entirely un-acknowledged or un-referenced at the time of presentation or later in print - if the entire text turns out copy-lifted, your presentation will be considered a violation of the honour code.
- [1: Instantly Replaceable Grade-D Google Slave] Regurgitating facts copy-lifted off from a couple of websites without any efforts at even putting them in a meaningful sequence or communicating them to the audience; the sources acknowledged and referenced at the time of presentation or later in print; no thematic focus.
- [2: Still Virtually Brain Dead] Still regurgitating facts and other more conceptual/interpretative information copy-lifted off from a couple of websites with some efforts at putting them in a meaningful sequence and communicating them to the audience; the sources acknowledged and referenced at the time of presentation or in print; still unfocused and scattered.
- [3, Average] At least minimally, incorporating facts and other relevant conceptual or interpretative material meaningfully into the presenter's own narrative and perspectives, while communicating the key thoughts to the audience reasonably well; the sources acknowledged and referenced at the time of presentation or in print; appropriate use of the medium.
- [4, Could Become Even Better] Significantly, incorporating facts and other relevant conceptual or interpretative material coherently and systematically into the presenter's own narrative and perspectives, while communicating the material, key points and contention fairly well to the audience by also showing some degree of oratorical skills; the sources acknowledged and referenced at the time of presentation or later in the submitted file; evidence of some in-depth study and tight reflection; effective use of the medium.
- [5, Outstanding] Superbly, incorporating facts and other relevant conceptual or interpretative material coherently and creatively into the presenter's own narrative and perspectives, while communicating the key contention and challenges for future reflection very well to the audience by also showing an outstanding degree of oratorical skills; the sources acknowledged and referenced at the time of presentation or in print; evidence of some in-depth study, original reflection and committed preparation; excellent use of the medium.
@ All in-class presentations are to be followed by the submission of the material by e-mail, in summary form or in its entirety. Without the submission of a script or assembled notes that shows traces of proper preparation, the presenter will get less than 2.5 points.
@ Towards the break, and the final, there is a class vote that identifies most substantial and responsible contributors: two top contributors, announced on the spot in class, will each receive 2 bonus points.
<10 Criteria>
<Score: example: the student in question earned 3.6 out of 5>
<Score: example: the student in question earned 3.6 out of 5>[01] Appropriate/Effective Use of Examples<3/5>
<3/5>[02] Appropriate/Effective Use of Technology: High Tech or Low Tech (whichever works best for the purpose)<4/5>
<4/5>[03] Appropriate/Effective Use of Time <3/5>
<3/5>[04] Communication Skills: Good Answers to Questions<4/5>
<4/5>[05] Communication Skills: Pace, Pause, Volume and Eye-Contact with the Audience<4/5>
<4/5>[06] Intellectual Ability: Creativity and Originality in Arguments/Use of Material<3/5>
<3/5>[07] Intellectual Ability: Organisation of the Presentation Material<5/5>
<5/5>[08] Intellectual Ability: Relevance and Coherence of the Topic<3/5>
<3/5>[09] Intellectual Ability: Solid, Stimulating and Responsible/Responsive Argument<3/5>
<3/5>[10] Overall Success in Communication/Delivery<4/5>
<4/5> <total: 36.50/50>[10%] Participation\Class Discussion-Daily Reading
@ Active participation in class discussion and activities is mandatory. It does not mean you have to talk all the time: far from it. Shyness or reserve is not necessarily an obstacle or a disadvantage, for "participation" primarily means rather: when you are asked in advance or at times on the spot to speak in class about a required reading, or when, more desirably, you volunteer to contribute some thoughts to a class discussion relating to class material, the assumption shared between me and you is that you are to discuss or respond to it in an informed and inquisitive manner. Any notable failure to show minimal signs of class preparation, ranging from the physical absence of the textbook to a sudden muteness in the face of a rudimentary question related to the topic, will be logged, accordingly; so will be any remarkable sign of good preparation and thoughtful contribution.
@ Two Stars: Towards the mid-term break and the final, a class vote identifies most substantial and responsible contributors: two top contributors, announced on the spot in class, will each receive 2 bonus points.
@ Speaking for the sake of speaking contributes nothing either to class or to your own "participation" grade; it is potentially disruptive, in fact. All my courses are intensely interactive, and so in the course of directing word/noise traffic in class, I have no option but to suppress any visible efforts or attempts at causing a topical digression, while still promoting a free, fruitful and thought-provoking discussion. When in doubt, think aloud and speak your mind anyway, which is absolutely welcomed and encouraged, but you must be careful not to dominate the class with no justifiable reason - this could easily be done by simply paying attention to my follow-up cues.
- [0: mute yet frequently distracted/distracting]
- [1: mute and vacant]
- [2: mute yet not exactly inattentive]
- [3: merely talkative insensitively or egotistically: frequent yet meaningless and aimless pseudo-contribution]
- [4: mute yet generally attentive]
- [5: mute yet very attentive; generally well-prepared]
- [5: occasional solicited participation; occasionally minimally-prepared]
- [6: occasional voluntary contribution; occasionally well-prepared]
- [7: generally good and active contribution; generally well-prepared]
- [8: frequently good and active contribution; largely well-prepared]
- [9: frequent and meaningful contribution; largely well-prepared]
- [10: vital; rarely caught unprepared and playing a leading and caring role in raising the level of discussion]
@ A gentle reminder: college classroom is not a TV lounge. Nor is it a place to regulate and discipline disruptive or disrespectful behaviours such as mini-conferencing with the willing neighbours, cramming for an impending biology quiz, text-messaging, playing video games, popping in and out at leisure, or even surfing the net, while class is in session. College professors have neither desire nor time to bark at the free and autonomous adults acting like children in need of parental surveillance or even threat. If necessary, a gentle reminder of the rules of engagement will be issued privately, once, to the particular student in question by e-mail, and second time onwards, even in the absence of a reply message or a call for help, any counter-productive pattern of behaviour displayed by the same person will simply be logged, which will be reflected in his or her final grade. Use your common sense, and act intelligently and sensibly.
@ Classroom etiquette, just in case this is all too new to you.
Do: arrive on time; speak your mind but be courteous to others; stay until the end.
Don’t: disappear during the class without my permission; sleep intentionally with the precious head down on the desk; use the cell phone.
[10%] Participation\Composition of Précis (a classnote written in the form of an abstract or synopsis: see)
@What is it? Each day of class except on film days, there will be two writers designated, or volunteering, to record the lecture details and class discussion in about 200 word summary form (précis) - not a unrelated bits and pieces of who said what, whatever has been seen on board, whatever has been heard, what you alone think is the most memorable joke, or whatever you don't understand and so jotted down, but a coherent skeletal narrative of what has been learned, covered and discussed; it is a crucial part of your training, and a reasonably educated person should be able to process, produce and internalise knowledge actively this way, rather than simply consume whatever bits of information "out there." Given such a parameter, you are strongly encouraged to use your creativity in formatting your composition. What you must avoid, again, is a mere jumble of notes, from which no one can extract, quickly and efficiently, any substantial content.
@How is it graded? Each submission is worth up to 1 point. Although the grading criteria for the task of précis writing correlate loosely to those of class presentation, given that it is a form of class note, the criteria are not as stringent. As it is entirely a written representation of your in-class learning, the key factors of successful composition of précis are, in order of importance: (1) the substantiality of the content, (2) concision and (3) the frequency of contribution.
@Minimum or maximum number of Précises? Optional, but it is strongly advisable that you write and submit them. You can write as many as you like, up to twenty, especially if you are not the vocal type; let's say, if you are going to be entirely and decidedly quiet throughout the course, a précis is at least something you can do. Also, a substantial, creative and challenging personal reflection on the class material, added to the précis, will be taken into consideration, when the total of your participation grade is determined at the end of the course. Hence, those who feel not confident enough yet to conduct a formal presentation well, should make a good use of this opportunity, for this is the only place where you can make it up, albeit supplementarily.
@When do I submit it? The writers must submit the précis within 7 days of the class by e-mail attachment of a Microsoft document file; your name will be posted on the class webpage where your file is to appear as a download link.
[60%] Writing: Numerical Grades [Equivalent, approximately/proportionately, to]
[10%] Writing\Humanities Paper [A=10-8.7; B=8.6-7; C=6.9-5; D=4.9-3; F=3-0]
[15%] Writing\Humanities Exam [A=15-13; B=12.9-10; C=9.9-7; D=6.9-4; F=3.9-0]
[20%] Writing\Philosophy Exam [A=20-17; B=16.9-14; C=13.9-10; D=9.9-6; F=5.9-0]
[20%] Writing\Philosophy Paper [A=20-17; B=16.9-14; C=13.9-10; D=9.9-6; F=5.9-0]
[20%] Writing\Philosophy JN [each submission worth up to 2 points, each 1-2 pages: A/B=2; C=1.5; D=1; D-=0.5; F=0]
Dr. Lee's Hum Paper Guidelines ; Hum Rubric [descriptive, applicable to all humanities courses at LaGrange College]
@ Advance Notice of Journal/Paper Topics: Journal topics, if and when undecided until the end of class, will be determined and posted in 24 hours afterwards, and the Paper topics, in 2 weeks prior to each submission deadline.
@ Writing (Daily Journal/Paper) Assignments: Absolutely no unstudied, unorganised, loose opinions, please; cats and dogs too have opinions. And you, a homo sapiens, are rather different from them. Do not insult your own intelligence. If you have not learned, or demonstrated, anything significant through the process of writing a journal, you cannot claim a credit. Without clear evidence of incisive, critical and reflective engagement with the reading material, or without the properly contextualised citations in place, your text remains a personal diary or even excremental scribble, which you are presumptuous enough to ask others to read and even engage with. A writing assignment in Dr. Lee's class, whether it is a daily journal, a response essay, a mid-term paper, or a final research paper, is treated as a stepping stone for your composition of a properly informed, critical and original work on a larger scale, whatever form it may take. Every submission must meet the minimal institutional and intellectual standards that college education demands incrementally.
@ Sample Writings: A set of two sample writings from Hum I, Fall 2004 [Hum I Sample Essay] and [Hum I Sample Exam Question and Answer] with the relevant background information, is in my library box for your viewing pleasure. Those wishing to see and learn from good examples of successful academic performances, especially in the Humanities context, are strongly advised to review those materials.
@ E-mail Submission Policy: E-mailing is the default method of document submission in all of Dr. Lee's classes. The rationale for this preference is that electronic files make it easier for both the professor and the student to monitor the learning process efficiently and clearly. In order for this to work as a system of communication, we must first agree to operate and interact on the following set of assumptions. Basically, it is solely your responsibility to ensure timely and confirmed delivery of your submission; I the receiver cannot verify the time of dispatch, and can only check the time of delivery in my e-mail in-box as the one and only valid proof. So:
(1) if you happen to encounter or even expect any technical difficulties closer to the deadline, you must save your text file [.doc file only] on a disc openable on any PC and submit it to Robin Hurst, Departmental Secretary, Manget Bld., who will log the time and safely hand your file over to me later. Any material put in the open mailbox adjacent to my office door can easily be lost or even stolen, for which you alone can and should claim responsibility, and so this cannot be used as either a reliable method of file transmission or a dodgy excuse.
(2) 20 minutes prior to and 10 minutes past the submission deadline, I shall be on-line, acknowledging receipts of papers by return e-mail, and that is when you can expect to receive confirmation, if not earlier; any submission that arrives after the deadline, even if the whole world collapses and disappears a nano-second prior to it, is automatically a late submission. Respect the rules; and others' time.
@ Late Submission and Penalties: No journal is accepted after the deadline thematically correlated to the unit. In the case of term papers or essays, a late submission is acceptable, and the penalty is calculated incrementally on a 24 hour basis, on the scale commensurate to the approximate letter grade on that assignment; for instance, if you submit a mid-term paper worth upto 20 points, and submitted 1 minute after the deadline, the maximum score you can get is 16.9, not 20; if you submit it 24 hours and 1 minute later (1 day and 1 minute), the maximum you can get is 13.9, not 16.9. So it is strongly advisable that you time your submission very carefully.
@ Instructional Review and Grading in 2 Weeks: Journals, presentation documents and papers will be graded no later than 14 days from the date of submission. Those wishing to find out their journal or presentation grades will have to e-mail me individually, at an appropriate time, with the info request; the grades on all the paper assignments, except the final paper, will be e-mailed individually.
Further Particulars On Evaluation and Code of Behaviour: Other Agreements
[Applicable to All LaGrange Students]
LATE WORK AND MAKE-UPS: It is your responsibility to know the due dates of exams and papers. Make up exams are strongly discouraged. The only valid excuses to miss an exam or turn in a paper late are official college activities, illness requiring medical care or extreme and verifiable personal emergency. You must notify the professor and present documentation verifying the emergency as soon as possible.
INCOMPLETES: A grade of Incomplete is appropriate only to a student who is doing satisfactory work but for some reason beyond the student’s control has been unable to complete the work during the quarter. This deferment must be given written approval in advance by the instructor, department chair, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean. (LaGrange College Bulletin, 2000-2001 pp. 70-71)
CODE OF ACADEMIC HONOR: According to the LaGrange College Student Handbook, p. 13, “The Honor Code, adopted in 1998 is the responsibility of every student, faculty member, and staff member at LaGrange College. All members of the College community are needed to support the enforcement of the Code which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when those actions involve academic processes.” The Code itself declares: “As a member of the student body of LaGrange College, I confirm my commitment to the ideals of civility, diversity, service, and excellence. Recognizing the significance of personal integrity in establishing these ideals within our community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate these unethical behaviors in others.”
