Pro-Seminar in Critical Skills

Assignments

-- Click on the assignment links for details --

* Class participation includes coming to class, productively participating in class discussion, being prepared for class, turning in work on time, and turning in any nongraded writing assignments (such as the autobiography).

What is the General Grading Philosophy of the Pro-seminar?

The pro-seminar is a letter-graded course, but you may request (in writing and by Feb. 4th) to take the class on a pass-fail basis.  The latter option is attractive to students who'd like to ease the pressure of returning to school and concentrate on learning rather than getting a specific grade.  Regardless of the option one chooses, though, grading is not comparative in the class--no curve is set to ensure a given number of As, Bs, etc. Instead, grading is on an individual basis according to the standards outlined below.  The whole idea is to get you improving from the beginning of the semester onward, to the point where you can make it in other university courses.  If you take the pro-seminar seriously, do the required work, and attend sessions faithfully, you'll probably be successful!

How Do I Calculate Your Grade?

If someone earns 380 out of 500 possible points at the end of the semester, her grade is calculated as follows:  380/500 = .76 x 100 = 76% = C

How Does This Relate to the Pass/Fail or Grade Options?

Regardless of whether you want to stick with the pass/fail designation, or receive a letter grade for the class, I will give you a rough score for each graded assignment, just to let you know how you stand in terms of the general quality of your work.  This scale is simple for the pass/fail option:  assignments are designated 4 (excellent), 3 (good), 2 (fair), and 1 (needs work).  If you wish, you may revise the short essays for further consideration (the 2nd grade will count).  In order to receive a "P" at semester's end, you need to have at least a "2" average (or, in percentage terms, 70%) on all your graded work.  A grade in the "D" range is not considered passing.

Writing Assignments / Revision Policy

This section of 201 requires several writing assignments of varying length.  Directions for the assignments will be posted on the class website and reviewed in class.  Late papers will be docked 5% the 1st week they are late, 10% the second week, etc. up to a 20% penalty.  However, you have a 24-hr. grace period on the initial due date for all assignments, during which they can be turned in without a late penalty.  All writing assignments should be submitted in hard copy, in person.  In an emergency you may mail, email, or fax me your paper, but I advise you not to rely upon technology or the postal service to make sure your assignment gets to me on time.  The critique essay and the image/film analysis (but not the research proposal) may be revised after the initial grade and resubmitted, if you wish, for further consideration.  Note that the research paper has a built-in rough draft.  Revision due dates will be posted on the Schedule page.

A Note on Academic Honesty -- Very Important!

All of your work in BGS 201 and every other college class must be your own.  The Roosevelt Student Handbook, which is available from the advising center as well as online, states that "It is unethical to present as one's own work, the ideas, representations, or words of another, or to permit another to present one's own work without customary and proper acknowledgment of sources" (45).  

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and is unacceptable in any form.  It can take many forms in academic writing assignments:  putting your name on another person's paper and presenting it as your own work (an egregious example!); failing to properly cite information from another source (i.e., not giving credit where it's due); failing to put a direct quote in quotation marks (even if it's cited properly); or not adequately paraphrasing the language of an outside source (again, even if it's cited properly).  The latter two examples are the most common forms of plagiarism, and even though in many case they are unintentional mistakes, they're still wrong--and unethical. 

My policy on plagiarism is as follows:  any assignment that contains plagiarized passages, whether intentional or not, will be returned without a grade; the author must scheduled an appointment with me to discuss the assignment and then submit a thorough revision of the paper.  If the revision does not correct the problem, the assignment will receive a failing grade.  The objective of my policy is not to punish, but to help you gain critical skills and confidence in properly summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, and documenting their sources within your writing.  In cases of egregious academic dishonesty, I reserve the right to record a failing grade for the assignment without possibility of revision, a lowered course grade, or a failing course grade (per the Roosevelt Student Handbook, page 48).  We will discuss academic honesty and the ethical use of source materials in 201, and I will be happy to assist you should you have additional questions or concerns.  When in doubt about how or when to quote, paraphrase, and/or summarize, ask.

How I Evaluate Assignments

The following is a summary of the criteria I use to evaluate most kinds of writing assignments. Please bear in mind that no list is universal--each assignment usually demands a few special categories of consideration, and I always make the appropriate adjustments depending on the assignment. For example: in-class writing is graded more loosely in terms of grammar and spelling than is out-of-class writing a creative piece must be evaluated differently than a research paper. Makes sense, right?  I've also developed a more specific evaluation rubric for research papers.

"A" paper: Excellent

• Fulfills and successfully pushes beyond the minimum requirements of the assignment in terms of thoroughness and level of detail
• Defines its purpose/thesis very clearly and addresses a defined audience
• Exemplifies a high level of sophistication in terms of content and style (i.e., goes beyond obvious points, shows originality of thought, tackles a difficult subject, flows logically and coherently, uses mature sentence structure and diction, etc.)
• Demonstrates evidence of careful and thoughtful revision
• Displays excellent overall organization and nearly flawless mechanics
• Makes effective and judicious use of other sources (if required), and documents them correctly
• Is readable, clear, and free from needless ambiguity

"B" paper: Good

• Fulfills the minimum requirements of the assignment, and attempts (not always successfully) to go further in terms of development
• Defines its purpose/thesis adequately and addresses a particular audience (with perhaps an occasional lapse)
• Displays coherent organization, with room for possible adjustment
• Demonstrates some degree of thoughtful revision
• Employs reasonably sound writing mechanics
• Uses and documents sources competently
• Is reasonably free from logical flaws and ambiguity (though minor lapses may occur)

"C" paper: Fair

• Fulfills the bare minimum of the assignment; makes no attempt to go beyond what's easy or obvious
• Defines an audience, but does not address it adequately or consistently
• Defines a purpose, but in an unclear or confusing manner--thesis is ineffective and unclear
• Presents material in a somewhat unorganized fashion
• Demonstrates little thoughtful revision--changes are made only on the surface (e.g., spelling and grammar)
• Documents sources and/or uses visuals, but not effectively
• Lacks clarity--the thought process is obscured and the prose is difficult to read
• Contains a number of stylistic and mechanical weaknesses (e.g., sentence structure may be simplistic and/or repetitive)

"D" paper: Needs a Major Overhaul

• Makes a minimal effort to fulfill the assignment, but fails to do an adequate job
• Lacks a clear purpose/focus
• Is seriously deficient in terms of audience awareness, organization, mechanics, documentation, etc.
• Is difficult to follow--fundamental errors or lack of thoughtful development make reading a chore

Note: A, B, C, and D designations correspond to approximate point (or percentage) ranges: 90-100, 80-89, 70-79, etc.

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Last updated 
01/19/04