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 and assignments. In order to have productive discussions and feedback, you need to be prepared and come with specific questions about your writing.
- 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 these 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.
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 Projects (45 points): Throughout the semester, each student will complete three (3) major writing assignments. The unit projects will be worth fifteen (15) points each. Unit projects will be evaluated by rubrics developed by our class according to Writing Program standards and individual assignment expectations. You will have the opportunity to rewrite your Unit Projects for a higher grade in the final portfolio.
Final Portfolio (10 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. The final portfolio is your opportunity to address any of the feedback on your Unit Assignments for a higher grade. An example of this can be found at: https://portfoliotemplate2.web.unc.edu/
Student Poster Presentation (5 points): At the end of Unit 3, we will have a poster session where each student will present their work to people in the triangle DH community.
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.)
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.