CULTURES AND TRADITIONS
SECTION G
Fall 2001
Prof. Catherine Grimm
 
MWF Detchon 220
(Lectures: Salter Hall)
Office Hours: MWF 11:10 -12 & by appt.
Office: Detchon 216
Phone: 361 6081

Men are so inclined to content themselves with what is commonest; the spirit and the senses so easily grow dead to the impressions of the beautiful and perfect, that every one should study, by all methods, to nourish in his mind the faculty of feeling these things. ...For this reason, one ought every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

Goethe, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship. Bk. 5, CH. 1 (Carlyle, tr.)

Class Discussion

Class discussion is the most important component of C&T. Good discussions require thoughtful preparation (reading and reflection), active participation, and attentive listening. To prepare for class, you should read each selection carefully and, if at all possible, more than once. Please get in the habit of "marking up the text" i.e. underlining and highlighting sections of the text that seem worthy of a second look. Write questions and comments in the margins. Be prepared to listen to and learn from other student', thoughts and questions, and help others resolve the questions that they have about the passage. It is critical that EACH of you is prepared for EVERY discussion. Remember that this is a discussion with the whole group, not with the instructor, so it is important to engage with others in a respectful and open manner.

Discussion grades

  • "F": You miss many classes. When you do attend you rarely talk.
  • "D": You attend irregularly. You talk infrequently. When you do participate you don't demonstrate much evidence of having read the material.
  • "C": You attend regularly and generally listen, but rarely speak. Or you may be active in discussion but irregular in attendance. Or you may participate but do so in a way that shows little evidence of having read the texts.
  • "B": You come to class regularly and participate actively. What you say shows you have read the assignments, attended the lectures, and listen to your peers. You typically engage your peers in discussion and can advance the conversation.
  • "A": You not only attend regularly and participate actively but your participation demonstrates that you have carefully read and thought about the assignments in advance of class. You ask important questions, central to the meaning of the texts, you help the class focus on key ideas, discuss implications of the material, are supportive of the comments of others, and are adept at advancing the discussion through your participation.

    • Attendance

    Every unexcused absence after the first three will count against your discussion grade. The limit of three absences includes lectures, which you are expected to attend. I reserve the right to offer a one-question quiz to determine your attendance at lectures.

    Course Policies

    Papers

    You will write two long papers (4-5 pages) and two short papers (2-3 pages). Each of the long papers will count as one-third of your paper grade, and the short papers will count as one-sixth of your paper grade. I will distribute the topics in advance of the due date. Although there will be an assigned topic for these papers, you will be allowed to propose alternate topics if you wish. Your papers will be organized, analytical essays in which you demonstrate the persuasiveness of your ideas by using examples, analysis, and logical argument. You are writing in order to explain your ideas and convince the reader of the soundness of your insights. More on this later.

    The schedule of paper assignment dates and due dates for Section G is as follows:

     

    
      
    Paper
    		
      
    Topic Given
    		
      
    Due Date
    

    
      
    Short #1
    		
      
    Friday Aug 31
    		
      
    Friday, Sept 7
    

    
      
    Long #1
    		
      
    Wednesday, Oct 3
    		
      
    Monday, Oct 15
    

    
      
    Long #2
    		
      
    Friday, Oct 26
    		
      
    Wednesday, Nov
      7
    
      
    Short #2
    		
      
    Wednesday, Nov 29
    		
      
    Wednesday, Dec
      6

    Short and long papers are due at the beginning of the class on the due date. Late papers will not be accepted without a written excuse from the Dean of Students. The long papers and the first short paper may be rewritten if you desire to improve your original grade. Rewrites (along with the original GRADED paper) are due by 4:00 P.M. one week after the graded paper is returned. Please note that the main purpose of the rewrite is to improve the content and organization of the paper, not merely to clean up grammar and spelling errors. You must show serious reconsideration of the paper to significantly improve your grade.

    I encourage you to visit the Writing Center, located at 401 Crawford Street, if you need one-on-one assistance in writing papers for this course. You are also welcome to ask my assistance and/or advice concerning any writing assignment. If you have a physical and/or documented learning disability, please talk to me and Julia Rosenberg (x6024) to figure out how to best accommodate your needs.

    Assignments and Grading
    Discussion 37.5%
    2 2 to 3-page papers (6.25% each) 12.5 %
    2 4 to 5-page papers (12.5% each) 25 %
    Final exam 25 % 
    Grading Scale
    A+ 97 or above
    A 93-96
    A- 90-92
    B+ 87-89
    B 83-86
    B- 80-82
    and so on.
    A grade of 59 or below is an F.

    (This syllabus is a composite of other C&T instructor's syllabuses and my own thoughts).

    Link to Cultures And Tradtions Website at Wabash

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