Class Policies (Syllabus)

Storytelling and Identity: Fall 2016

Texts:

1. Bradt, Kevin M.  Story as a way of Knowing  Edition: 1997  Text: required  ISBN: 978-1-55612-906-3

2. King, Thomas  The Truth about Stories  Edition: 2008  Text: required  ISBN: 9780816646265  Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

3. Lynda Barry The Good times Are Killing Me Text: required
ISBN: 978-1570611056 Publisher: Sasquatch

4. Marjan Satrapi Persepolis: The story of a childhood Edition: 2004
Text: required ISBN: 978-0375714573 Publisher: pantheon

5. Richard Lanham Revising Prose
Edition: fifth
Text: recommended
ISBN: 978-0321441690
Publisher: Pearson

Additional required weekly readings will be posted as links or PDFs in the Weekly Schedule document as they are assigned.

HOW THE CLASS RUNS : Every week we will have readings for discussion; these are specified in the syllabus. If the readings are not drawn from the required full-length class texts, they will be posted in the “Weekly Schedule.” You need to complete those readings by the day on which they are listed.

There are 2 in-class roles through which each class member will rotate several times over the course of the semester.

Class note-taker: Responsible for posting a brief summary of class discussion after class. The summary should capture critical insights and threads of conversation, plus any key actions/decisions/announcements made in class; one person assigned per class. Summaries need to be posted by 12 noon the day following).
Post-class responders: Responsible for reading and commenting on the class summary that’s been posted by the class note-taker. Comments should expand on what the note-taker highlighted, present any important insights or thoughts not captured in the notes, and/or comment personally on what the commenter took from the class discussion in relationship to the ongoing class conversation and class themes. One person assigned for each class. One paragraph is a sufficient length. Comments need to be posted by 10:00 am the day of the next class.

You will be to these roles for the first 16 classes; you can find your assigned dates on the Weekly Schedule. After that, people can volunteer for these roles as class citizens. If you are absent on a day when you are assigned a class role, we will ask for a volunteer to fill that role. Since fulfilling class roles is part of your class citizenship grade, you will want to try to volunteer for someone else in their absence in order to make up for your missed role.

**Note that this means that on the rare occasion when you miss class , it is your responsibility to go to the Class Notes and READ them to get caught up. You are also encouraged to correspond with the class note-taker and the class commentator in order to get more detail or for clarification. Please do not email instructors with questions until after you have done this!

Class Citizenship: One part of your grade is how much effort you put into making the class work for everyone. It is in the place of a “participation grade.” You will propose and argue for your citizenship points at midterm and again at the end of the semester.More information on this can be accessed under the Assignment tab.

COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING

This is a community-based learning class. SEE blog page tab “Bon Air Project.”

CLASS ATTENDANCE:  This course is about community–and it also is a community. The success of the class, and the amount you get out of it, heavily depends on the active involvement of each and every member. You all have a shared responsibility to contribute to the success of each class meeting. It goes without saying that, if you are not present, you cannot contribute. In this spirit, attendance is a mandatory component of this course and will contribute to your class grade. We do not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences. Missing more than TWO class sessions (whether regular class meetings or community-based sessions) will be reflected in your class citizenship grade. If you must miss more than two classes because of a university-sponsored event or commitment, please notify us immediately. In all cases, and no matter what the cause of the absence, you retain responsibility for the events and discussion missed in class. Please note: If you miss more than 6 classes for any reason, you will not pass the course.

CLASS GUIDELINES:  A class is really a community of individuals who commit to learn together about a particular topic for one semester. To make this class the very best learning experience it can be for all involved, together in class we will generate and agree to guidelines for our discussion and participation as a class. These guidelines will be posted here.

Below, by way of example, are the guidelines agreed to by students in the Spring 2013 version of this class:

Act with respect towards everyone in the class, showing interest in and curiosity about one another’s ideas and opinions.
Provide clear explanations of assignments and other class work (professors), to contribute thoughtful summaries of and responses to class discussions when it is my turn to do so and to ask questions of the professors and of one another when things are not clear (students).
Value the connections to our own lives in the readings and discussions; bring these connections to the surface in our reflections and discussions.
Come prepared to all class meetings and special events, having done the reading or other assignment.
Stretch ourselves in order to ensure that everyone can contribute to the discussion–speaking up if you are normally a listener, listening if you are normally a speaker, etc.
Speak up when we have something to say—recognizing that our ideas matter and will help to move the class’s learning forward.

LATENESS  Being late to class: Lateness disrupts the class and is disrespectful to our entire class community. Being significantly late to class will count as an absence.

Turning in late assignments: Unless otherwise stated, all assignments are due in paper copy, STAPLED, at the beginning of the class period on the date specified. This means that if you show up for class late or you miss class altogether the day that an assignment is due, your assignment is considered late, and a late penalty will apply. If you have finished the assignment but do not have a paper copy with you at the start of class, the assignment will be considered late. If you turn your work in late without previous permission, you will have your grade for the assignment lowered.

If you submit an assignment late you must submit it via email so that it is date-stamped. As soon as you have missed the deadline without permission–you must talk with me to work something out! It is all about communication. And I reserve the right to make calls based on fairness, in the interest of better learning and hard work.

That said, I also understand that each of us has a life outside the classroom, and on occasion, that life intrudes on our ability to follow through on our obligations. Should you expect that you will be unable to hand in an assignment on time for any reason, please see me as soon as possible so that we can discuss and, if appropriate, make alternative arrangements.

A Few Words On Grades, Time, and Other Made-Up Things:

Our goals for the course are LEARNING goals. The weird reality is, at the end of a wonderful semester of learning together and working hard, we have to come up with one of 5 letters to describe all the nuances of your learning so that it can fit neatly in a transcript. Of course, it will be terribly inadequate at doing that. And some of you will spend more time than others and get the same letter next to your name. But we don’t measure time, we measure learning. Still, it will be helpful for you to understand our expectations: an AVERAGE UR student should spend 2-3 hours preparing for every hour in class per week. That is 6-9 hours per week OUTSIDE of class time, per class. Says Dr. Gruner, former head of First Year Seminars: “You might want to think of college as your full-time job: you may only be spending 15-16 hours a week in class, but your out-of-class work should add up to at least a 40-hour week.” And to me, 6-9 hours outside of class is the range of the average good student, NOT what you have to do for an A. The A is reserved to indicate something more.

For my part, I strive to make standards as clear as possible so that you can use them as steps to achieve learning, and the individual grades are indicators to help you assess for yourself how close you are coming to meeting your goals.

GRADING and ASSIGNMENTS : For this class, your final grade will represent the quality of your citizenship in the class community (20%, including attendance and participation, as represented in your midterm and final self evaluation ) and the quality of your learning as demonstrated through class assignments (80%).

There is a listing of all major assignments, with a breakdown of the contribution each component of the class makes to your final grade, on the Assignments tab of the class blog. Full details about each assignment, including an explanation of the criteria that will be used to grade the assignment, will be posted on the “Assignments” page as they are relevant. Due dates for all assignments are listed in the Weekly Schedule document/tab.

*You will find the details for each assignment under the “Assignment” tab on this blog as they are assigned.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

At all times, you are expected to abide by the standards of the university honor code. We encourage you to discuss the readings and course content with your peers. However, all written work you submit must be your own.

Please be aware that plagiarism is a violation of both the Honor Code and the standards of integrity that guide the academic community. Because an important part of intellectual inquiry involves learning from others, we encourage you to draw from the work of other scholars and writers, and our assignments are designed to help you learn how to do that effectively. Nevertheless, you must give credit where credit is due, and the words you submit as your own must be your own. To do otherwise constitutes plagiarism and dishonesty. Please note that academic integrity applies to violations that are both intentional and unintentional. Ignorance of the law does not excuse violations of it; therefore, make sure that you are familiar with the University’s honor code and the guidelines on the websites of the University of Richmond’s Writing Center and Library. If you have questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, do not hesitate to speak with us.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

HOW, WHEN AND WHERE  How to reach your instructor: My office is in the Center for Civic Engagement, second floor, Tyler Hanes Commons 201. I hold office hours for this class by appointment. Appointments can be scheduled by email, in-person before or after class, or by stopping by the CCE anytime and scheduling an appointment via the front desk. I am in the office most days between 9 and 5 and will do everything I can to set up an appointment that will work with your schedule in that timeframe. My contact info:

Prof. Terry Dolson– tdolson@richmond.edu; 484-1607 (office phone)

There are also other resources that can support you in your efforts to meet course requirements.

Academic Skills Center (http://asc.richmond.edu or 289-8626) helps students assess their academic strengths and weaknesses; hone their academic skills through teaching effective test preparation, critical reading and thinking, information processing, concentration, and related techniques; and work on specific subject areas (e.g., calculus, chemistry, accounting, etc.).

Career Services (http://careerservices.richmond.edu/ or 289-8547) can assist you in exploring your interests and abilities, choosing a major, connecting with internships and learning experiences, investigating graduate and professional school options, and landing your first job. We encourage you to schedule an appointment with a career advisor during your first year.

Center for Civic Engagement (http://engage.richmond.edu/ or 484-1601) can help you find ways to get connected and involved off campus through volunteer opportunities that fuel and further your academic interests. The CCE connects students with local partner organizations in a variety of ways, from comprehensive neighborhood-based civic-engagement programs to issue-based initiatives.

Counseling and Psychological Services (http://caps.richmond.edu or 289-8119) assists students in meeting academic, personal, or emotional challenges. Services include assessment, short-term counseling and psychotherapy, crisis intervention and related services.

Speech Center (http://speech.richmond.edu or 289-6409): Assists with preparation and practice in the pursuit of excellence in public expression. Recording, playback, coaching and critique sessions offered by teams of student consultants trained to assist in developing ideas, arranging key points for more effective organization, improving style and delivery, and handling multimedia aids for individual and group presentations. Writing Center assists writers at all levels of experience, across all majors. Students can schedule appointments with trained writing consultants who offer friendly critiques of written work: http://writing.richmond.edu

Boatwright Library Research Librarians assist students with identifying and locating the best resources for class assignments, research papers and other course projects. Librarians also assist students with questions about citing sources correctly. Students can schedule a personal research appointment, meet with librarians at the library’s main service desk, email, text or IM. Link to http://library.richmond.edu/help/ask.html or call 289-8669.