Requirements and Grading

Grading | Class Participation | Essays | Intellectual Journals | Honor Code | Procedures
 

GRADING

The methods for assessing your progress also reflect the course objectives. Grading will be based on

1) a mid-term essay (30%),
2) a final essay (30%),
3) an intellectual journal (30%), and
4) class participation (10%).

Grading standards:

A = Excellent; good description, good analysis, and shows original interpretation
B = Good; good description, or good analysis
C = Adequate in the sense of doing minimal compliance with the assignment
D = Poor; did not complete the assignment adequately but shows some effort
F = Failing; did not complete the assignment

CLASS PARTICIPATION

Informed and consistent participation in discussions, both in the recitation section and common meetings, also is very important. This will sometimes include additional short exercises and texts separately listed on the Schedule. It will count as 10% of your final grade. Your recitation section leader will calculate that grade (after consultation with the instructor in some cases).

ESSAYS

The two essays encourage you to study one topic carefully and in its context, as you refine your ability to write clearly and argue persuasively. They will be designed to relate the narrative readings of the course to their religious and historical contexts, in comparison to each other.
Both the mid-term and final exam will be take-home essays of 5 pages; click on those links to see a set of essay questions from which to choose your topic, as well as guidelines on how to write essays. Several mid-term essays that were judged particularly successful  are available here: essay1, essay2, and essay3.

All students are encouraged to write a thesis paragraph ahead of time and to discuss that with the course instructor or your recitation leader. Many students have found that this improves the quality of their writing.
 

 INTELLECTUAL JOURNALS

The journal needs some explanation.

Purpose. The purpose of the assignment is to encourage you to keep up with your reading, enrich discussion especially in recitations (since you will already have something to say), and offer a forum to record your personal responses to the readings, thereby personalizing the course and, at the same time, sharpening your skills in thinking critically and writing fluidly. Some sample topics are included on the Schedule page of the syllabus, but you are free to formulate your own response.

Format. Journal entries should be typed, and you should keep a copy on the hard drive of your computer, to avoid tragedies caused by lost paper. They should be approximately 250 words, one typed page. Please type or write entries on three-hole paper or use a three-hole punch. When your TA returns your journal entries to you (normally within 7 days) you should keep them and collect them all in a thin binder or lightweight folder. On the last day of class you will turn in the whole journal.

Due dates. Ordinary journal entries are due on the day the reading is assigned. You will hand in entries to your recitation leader before class on Tuesdays and Thursdays (at our common sessions), and your recitation leader will return them at a later recitation meeting. The only exceptions are in-class films and approved outside events relating to Islamic civilization; you may submit a maximum of four film or event journals, which are to be turned in at the very next class (for the calendar of outside events, click here). Journals cannot be turned in late. There is no way to make up for lost work in this project. Each journal entry should (1) quote or summarize one passage in one assigned text for that one day, and (2) record your honest and informed reflections on the reading, connecting it to some other concept or topic relating to the course. Each entry should engage the ideas expressed in the text in some direct and thoughtful way.

Grading. These entries will be graded as either acceptable (check) or unacceptable (minus). A check means that you handed it in on time (at the start of the class session) and followed the instructions fully. We do not grade journals for thesis or grammar, as we do other written work. You control how well you do on this journal assignment, since your grade is determined by how many acceptable journal entries you submit (ones graded with a check, that is). Here is the scale:

A=14 entries (scattered over at least 10 weeks);
B=11 entries (scattered over at least 8 weeks);
C= 8 entries (scattered over at least 6 weeks);
D= 6 entries (scattered over at least 5 weeks);
F= 4 or fewer entries.

HONOR CODE

I expect you to follow the guidelines of the UNC honor code, as you promised to do when you signed the statement on the Carolina admission form.
That indicated that you would refrain from "lying, cheating, or stealing" in the academic context.
If you are unsure about which actions violate that honor code see me or your recitation leader--or consult the description of the honor code itself.
Some questions arise frequently:
   Is this plagiarism?
   How much can I talk with my friends about my essay?
Please feel free to ask if you are not sure.

PROCEDURES

As much as possible in a larger class, we will emphasize reading, writing, and discussion. The three class sessions each week include two common sessions and one recitation section.

In many of our common sessions, we will integrate lecture and discussion.
We also will view and discuss  videos, webpages, and selected images.This semester we will use the world wide web in several ways. Most importantly, we have  a course home page. That will contain the syllabus, lecture outlines, course handouts, essay guidelines, and other relevant class materials. We also will set up links on our home page to other relevant sites on the web, so that you can quickly and easily find information. Some assignments also ask you to examine a particular webpage, and for those we will put links on our course webpage to make the process easier for you.
I will provide some background information on the day's topic in each lecture (each lecture outline will be on the course webpage, though these outlines are only skeletons of the lecture to make your note-taking easier, and they do not substitute for being in class).
We also will focus on passages from the assigned readings during class, so it is a good idea to bring that day's reading assignment to class.

I expect you to have read the assignment for that day before you come to class.
I indicate on the syllabus assigned readings and study questions for each session. Please take note of these before you begin reading. They will help focus your attention as you read, and they will serve as the basis for in-class conversations. Those conversations will be continued, and extended, in the weekly recitation sections. Your recitation leaders will say more about what they expect when you meet the first time.
 

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