Grading
A = 100-94% B+ = <90-87% C+ = <80-77% D+ = <70-67% F < 61%
A- = <94-90% B = <87-84% C = <77-74% D = <67-64%
B- = <84-80% C- = <74-70% D- = <64-61%
- Exams — 50%
- Popular Personality Project — 35%
- Participation & Study Guides — 15%
- Total — 100%
Please note that Canvas provides an ESTIMATE of grades. Based on what has/has not been entered yet, Canvas may significantly over or underestimate your grade. For an accurate grade, please communicate with me regularly.
Assignments & Exams
Exams:
You will take three ‘section’ exams in this class during the semester. Exam content will be gathered from a combination of in-class material, content from the textbook, and possibly some assigned extra readings (articles). The section exams are not cumulative. There will also be a cumulative Final Exam during finals week. The lowest exam score will be dropped from your overall grade. While we will not go over exams in class, I am happy to have you come to my office to review your exams during office hours or at other times by appointment.
Popular Personality Analysis:
The overall goal of this assignment is for you to gain a greater depth of understanding of theory through practical application to a case study. Early in the semester, you will identify a character or personality in popular media to which others in the class would have access. You may select a character in a play, movie, novel, television show, etc. Throughout the semester, this person or character will be a “case study” that you can draw on to engage in discussion in class and in writing assignments. Throughout the semester, you will be constructing a paper that explains a theory and does so by applying the theory to a character. Details of each segment of the assignment will be on Canvas.
Specific requirements (minimum length, references) are included in the final assignment description in Canvas, so read it EARLY.
Additionally, you will be required to meet with a writing fellow at least 4 times in person or over Zoom throughout the semester, with deadlines for each (generally the weekend before the associated assignment is due). Details will be provided on Canvas. It is YOUR responsibility to communicate well with your writing fellow, schedule appointments well in advance of deadlines, and come prepared to the meetings.
Participation:
Additionally, throughout the semester, be ready to discuss your character from the theoretical perspective currently being explored in class. You should come to class ready to start the discussion with a theoretical concept and how it is exemplified in your character. One or two sentences is insufficient, you should mention “this part of so-and-so’s theory” and “my character illustrates this by XYZ.” Barring volunteers, I may ask any student at random to informally present their character and use the current theory to explain the character’s behavior and choices. Each student will be expected to participate in this manner at least twice during the semester as part of the course participation grade. Please speak to me about any concerns regarding this requirement.
Chapter Study Guides:
As part of your participation score, there will be a regular journal assignment in which you will write about what you are reading in the textbook, providing examples of concepts using your character or other representations. This assignment will be discussed further in class and additional details will be provided on Canvas.