|
South Asia Seminar |
Requirements |
| The seminar format distinguishes itself from the lecture format in that students take primrary responsibility for the presentation of the class materials. The instructor will assist students in the preparation of their materials, but will act as their coach in the classroom. |
| Classroom Responsibilities.We will divide the class into teams whose memberships will change several times over the semester. Teams will be assigned subjects to present in class such that on most class days every team will have an opportunity to present at least once. The instructor will keep notes on team preparations and factor this into each student's grade. |
| Materials. We will work primarily from the materials contained on the MU 309 website, but students will avail themselves of other sources. |
Short Essays. Rather than quizzes and tests, students will write six 500-word essays on topics recently discussed in the seminar. Students will chose the topics they wish to describe and will rely on material available in the library. Students will submit their essays electroically roughly every other Friday: 1, 15, 29 February; 21 March; and 4, 18 April. |
| Grading relies on the following standards: |
| A |
Critcically considers the subject, draws from several relevant and reliable sources (and cites them accurately), is clearly and compellingly written, and creatively and logically addresses its questions. |
| B |
Adequately considers its subject, draws on relevant and reliable sources (and cites them accurately), is clearly written, and addresses its questions clearly and logically. |
| C |
Considers its subject, draws on at least one source (and cites it accurately), has clearly written passages, but leaves questions only partially addressed. |
| D |
Has difficulty defining its subject, may or may not draw on a source or cite it, is often incoherent, and seldom addresses the questions it raises. |
| F |
Barely qualifies as an essay. |
|
| Research Paper and Presentations. Each student will prepare and read a paper on a class topic. Presentations will be twenty minutes with five to ten minutes for discussion. Students may then revise their papers based on these comments before submission the week following the end of classes (date to be determined). One quarter of the final grade will be based on the quality of preparation for the classroom presentation. |
| Daily Presentations: 20%. Short Essays: 40%. Research Paper and Presentation: 40%. |