Writing for this course will consist of a book report (5-6 pages), an assigned essay (11-12 pages), a revision of the assigned essay, and two or three reading response/reflection papers (2-3 pages). There also may be impromptu reading quizzes, depending on how well class discussions go. Specific instructions for these assignments will be forthcoming.
Due dates for the writing assignments are:
Book Review: Due in session 11
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Some Guidelines on Preparing a Critical Book Review (PDF)
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Essay: Due in session 17
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Guidelines for Preparing a Scholarly Essay (PDF)
Revised Essay: Due 2 days after session 22
Reading Response Papers: each student will be assigned two or three dates on which they are expected to submit their response papers. These papers will be used by the instructors to initiate discussion during the recitation sections.
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Tips on Writing a Good Response Paper (PDF)
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Example of a Response Paper (PDF)
All written work must be typed, double-spaced, with adequate margins. All papers must be proofread (not just spell-checked!) before submission; papers will be downgraded for careless errors. A writing tutor, Jessica Weintraub, has been assigned to this class. Students who need extra help with writing will be notified by Professor Smith or Mr. Hamilton and, of course, can seek out Ms. Weintraub on their own.
There will be a three-hour final examination covering all material from the entire semester. This will occur during final exam week. Keep in mind that the lectures and readings for this course do not usually cover the same material, and lecture notes are not available in the library. This means that you must take good notes during the lectures to help you study for the final exam.
In this class, only parts of the lectures will make it onto the blackboard, so plan on taking notes on everything whether it is on the board or not. You might want to find a "lecture note buddy" in case you miss a class. There is no mid-term examination, but unannounced quizzes on the reading assignments and films are always possible.
A film review assignment from the Fall '99 version of this course may also be downloaded (PDF).