Grading Policy
The final numeric grade will map to the final letter grade according to SUU's standard number to-letter grade conversion scheme. Final grades ending in .5 or higher are automatically rounded up to the nearest whole percentage point.
A: 94-100
A-: 90-93
B+: 87-89
B: 84-86
B-: 80-83
C+: 77-79
C: 74-76
C-: 70-73
D+: 67-69
D: 64-66
D-: 60-63
F: 0-59
The final course grade will be based on the following breakdown:
- Exams: 30% (2 at 15% each)
- Community Mapping Project: 25%
- Group Redistricting Project: 25%
- Preparedness: 10%
- Class Activities: 10%
Exams
There will be two exams, both of which are equally weighted. They will be in-class, and the dates are scheduled in the syllabus. The format of each exam will be multiple choice and may include short essays and will include any material covered since the last exam. A review day will precede each exam. Exam material will cover concepts, theories, and results from the readings, as well as material from the lectures and reading guides.
Students are expected to be present for all exams at the beginning of the exam period. Students will be allotted the entire class period for the exam. A ten-minute grace period will apply for the beginning of all exam periods. After the initial ten minutes have expired, students will be penalized 10% for arriving late for an exam. Absences or late arrivals for exams will only be excused for participation in formally sanctioned University events, or extraordinary events if they are accompanied by sufficient documentation within two calendar days of the absence or late arrival. The instructor reserves the right to determine what constitutes an extraordinary circumstance as well as what shall be considered “sufficient documentation.” If they have been excused for their absence, students will have five working days to make up a missed exam. If there are extraordinary circumstances, which would prevent the student from making up the exam in five working days, the instructor must be informed of this fact prior to the expiration of the five day period. The instructor reserves the right to administer makeup exams of any format (multiple choice, short answer, essay), which may not necessarily correspond to the original exam’s format. If a student misses an exam and does not have an excused absence, the student will receive a zero for the exam.
Community Mapping Project
This project will have students explore their communities through the lenses of institutions and issue areas. There are two parts to this assignment.
Part 1 of your Community Mapping Project asks you to create a Google map of your community as you define it with: (1) at least 7 major landmarks and institutions and (2) at least 7 important institutions and organizations at work in a political issue area of your choosing. Your map will include a minimum of 2 sentences caption and photo/graphic/video for each location you map along with a 1 sentence credit or explanation for each photo/graphic/video. This portion of the project is worth 15% of the final grade.
For Part 2, you will write a descriptive narrative of your community (250 words), an identification of major debates and controversies related to your chosen issue area (250 words), and a reflective discussion of the assets in your community as well as the developments and reforms you would like to see in your community (250 words). Showcase the evidence you have found in your research of government websites and reputable news media articles. This portion of the project is worth 10% of the final grade (Part 1 + Part 2 = 25% of the final grade).
Further instructions will be given in class and on Canvas.
Group Redistricting Project
Students will be randomly assigned to groups of 5 – 6 after the add/drop period. This project will make use of Dave's Redistricting Application (DRA) (
LINK), a non-partisan and free digital resource used to redraw congressional district boundaries. Students will examine concepts like "gerrymandering", "fairness", population dynamics, institutions of representation and others.
The project is divided into two parts. The first part involves the group creating a "map portfolio" by submitting several maps using the DRA, including individual reports based on the maps they create. The map portfolio is worth 15% of the final grade.
The next part of the assignment is a presentation, where students will take on the rolls of advocacy or consultancy groups tasked with "pitching" a new drawing of district boundaries to the state legislature. Presentations will be roughly 10 minutes in length, and should be accurate, professional, and well-practiced. The presentation is worth 10% of the final grade. (Map Portfolio + Presentation = 25% of the final grade).
Students will be responsible for equal proportions of the project and will submit anonymous evaluations of the other group members to ensure each member has contributed their fair share. Final grades for the project will be weighted by the responses of your peers, based on your contributions to the project.
Preparedness
Preparedness will be graded based on the students’ performance during daily “RNG of Destiny” questions. Daily questions will be pulled from the reading for that day, and a set of randomly-selected students will need to answer these questions. Students are guaranteed full preparedness points unless they are called upon during the daily questions and either a) fail to answer the question acceptably, or b) are absent without a university-approved excuse. Some students may never be called upon to answer a question, some students may be randomly-selected multiple times. Therefore, each student must come prepared, having done the reading, or risk losing preparedness points. Preparedness is worth 10% of the final grade. Additional instructions will be provided in class.
Class Activities
There will be several class activities throughout the semester. These activities may consist of think-pair-share, 1-minute essays, civil debates, group discussions and others. Activities will be short and isolated to single classes. As these activities necessitate individual participation during class, no make-ups will be accepted (Excused university absences exempted).