Course Goals
There are three learning outcomes for this course, in addition to creating a shared academic experience for students that explores and relies upon the resources of the University of Texas. These outcomes are:
- Reflection on the values and choices of different people and groups living in different social and historical contexts
- Development of knowledge of, and empathy for, diverse intersectional global communities
- Development of analytical and argumentative skills so as to communicate opinions about human expressive works to others
The assignments for this course, therefore, are designed to give students the opportunity both to demonstrate knowledge of the course materials and to offer original and persuasive analytical insights into those works. Therefore, while the capacity to summarize the plots of the texts and to present appropriate details from them is part of a successful performance on the assignments, such descriptive answers alone will not earn students full credit. In order to receive a better than passing grade, students must include analytic and evaluative commentary as well as descriptions of the works and offer clear rationales for their opinions and arguments.
Late assignments are accepted but are held to a higher standard. Students who turn in their papers late have the unfair advantage of having more time to complete the assignment than their colleagues. Their work will be evaluated based upon that extra time, in fairness to those students who turn in their work on time. Since the assignments form a sequence, late assignments will not be accepted after the due date for the next assignment.
Each assignment prompt explicitly requests analytic and critical comments and should go beyond repeating the details of the works. For the essays, in the terms of a basic grading scale of A-F, students who merely repeat details from the works should not expect to receive a grade of better than C. Students who fail to present the details of the work, accurately and with appropriate citation, should expect to receive less than a C. While in some cases students may wish to draw on ideas expressed in lecture or discussed in section, students should develop and present original arguments, explanations, and analyses. Students’ answers may draw on lecture, section, and secondary sources but should not rely upon them exclusively. Students who include commentaries on characterization, imagery and basic themes should expect to receive a grade in the B range.
In order to receive a grade in the A range students should offer analytic and critical comments which go beyond assessing the details of the work in context. They should make clear, and demonstrate persuasively, the larger issues raised by the works both within the context of the texts themselves and/or their implications beyond. An A essay should not only contain full and accurate knowledge of the works, appropriate analysis of plot, character, theme, etc. but also an account of the importance and implications of the conclusions reached by the student. All assignments are graded based on grading standards established by the instructor. Together with the TAs, the instructor assigns all grades and the instructor is responsible for the final assigning of grades. The instructor and TAs will not be looking for particular interpretations or conclusions, but rather we will be looking for a level of sophistication and care in the analysis.
All assignments will be evaluated qualitatively. Therefore, all possible scores (20, 19 and 18 for example in the A range) will be used to reflect the exact strengths and weaknesses of students’ answers. Regarding the essays themselves, no one particular format or structure is endorsed. Students should read the instructions and grading rubrics carefully, since the instructions are intended to help the student to design a structured and successful essay. Both style and content will be considered in evaluating assignments, and students are expected to write as clearly and as correctly as possible. Errors in style and grammar will count against the student especially where these errors obscure content. Students should plan the essay’s analysis and develop an outline of the conclusions they hope to demonstrate. Most strong essays will have a thesis statement and will follow that claim with appropriate evidence and arguments. When students use secondary sources, they will be expected to use the parenthetical format developed by the Modern Language Association. For all assignments for this course, students should use MLA parenthetical citation. Information about that format may be found at the Undergraduate Writing Center. Below is an outline of the basic expectations for students in completing the written and oral assignments for the course.
Grading Guidelines
A – Consistently outstanding work, both oral and written, demonstrated in the timely completion of all assignments. In the written work, the student shows a grasp of the details and the overall features of the works and of ideas which constitute his or her project. The student offers a well-reasoned and persuasive analysis, marshalling appropriate evidence to support and enrich the argument. In addition to demonstrating command of the material and of his or her argument, the student is able to suggest the reasons why his or her approach is of importance to others. This importance may be scholarly in nature or may connect the text and specific argument to other relevant concerns. The writing may be in whatever style best suits the student’s self-expression but should be grammatically correct and professional. In order to receive an A for the class, the student should also have a strong record of attendance and oral participation and should have demonstrated substantial effort and thought in preparing the required oral report with a classmate.
B – Very good work, both oral and written, demonstrated in the completion of all assignments. In the written work, the student shows a grasp of the details and overall features of the works and of the ideas which constitute his or her project. The student offers a well-reasoned and persuasive analysis, marshalling appropriate evidence to support and enrich the argument. However, there remain stylistic and substantive opportunities to improve the style and content of the argument. In addition to demonstrating command of the material and of his or her argument, the student begins to make suggestions about the larger implications of his or her ideas and interpretation. The writing may be in whatever style best suits the student’s self-expression but is not perfectly grammatically correct and professional. In order to receive a B for the class, the student should also have a consistent record of attendance and oral participation and should have demonstrated effort and thought in preparing the required oral report with a classmate.
C – Satisfactory work, both oral and written, demonstrated in the completion of all assignments. In the written work, the student shows a grasp of the details and of some of the overall features of the works and of the ideas which constitute his or her project. The student demonstrates some reasoning and persuasive analysis in approaching the texts and is able to marshal basic evidence to support and enrich the argument. However, there remain substantial stylistic and substantive opportunities to improve the style and content of the argument. The student is not able to offer commentaries beyond the fundamentals of plot and character or to make suggestions about the larger implications of his or her ideas and interpretation. The writing may be in whatever style best suits the student’s self-expression but has moments of real grammatical incorrectness and a lack of professionalism. In order to receive a C for the class, the student should also have a consistent record of attendance and oral participation and should have demonstrated basic effort and thought in preparing the required oral report with a classmate.
D – Unsatisfactory work, both oral and written, demonstrated in the completion of all assignments.In the written work, the student shows little grasp of the details and of any of the overall features of the works and of the ideas which constitute his or her project. The student demonstrates unclear reasoning and lacks persuasive analysis in approaching the texts. He or she is not consistently able to marshal basic evidence to support and enrich the argument. Indeed the student makes basic errors of fact. There are substantial stylistic and substantive faults as regards both the style and content of the argument. The writing only partially exemplifies any style and is consistently grammatically incorrect and lacks professionalism. In order to receive a D for the class, the student may have an inconsistent record of attendance and oral participation and may not have demonstrated basic effort and thought in preparing the required oral report with a classmate. F – Failing work, both oral and written, often demonstrated through the failure to complete one or more of assignments. In the written work, the student shows almost no grasp of the details or of any of the overall features of the works and of the ideas which constitute his or her project. The student consistently demonstrates unclear reasoning and shows no persuasive analysis in approaching the texts. He or she is unable to marshal basic evidence to support and enrich the argument. The student makes consistent basic errors of fact. There are substantial stylistic and substantive faults as regards both the style and content of the argument which obscure comprehension. The writing lacks any style, is consistently grammatically incorrect, and lacks of professionalism. In order to receive an F for the class, the student may have a poor record of attendance and oral participation and may have demonstrated no effort and thought in preparing the required oral report with a classmate.