This course has been designed with two primary lessons about reading and composition in mind:
Thinking is a matter of slowing down and noticing, of paying attention to the object (text, image, idea) at hand.
Writing is a process. Thinking happens through writing. Good writing happens through rewriting. Rewriting happens through time.
The strength of your ideas and your writing will be directly proportional to the amount of time and attention you put into them. The only difference between you and me is that I have spent more time practicing thinking and writing. The goal of this class is not for you to impress me. The goal of this class is for you to develop as writers and thinkers.
Assigning a grade, according to both personal experience and many researched studies, is directly inimical to the goals of this class. Trying to get a good grade on a paper encourages students to believe that just that – the final grade on a paper – is what matters. In fact, the final paper itself matters much less than the process of thinking, reading, and writing that goes into it. This class is designed to value the amount of time and labor you put in over the course of the semester, not just the night before the paper. My hope is that you will end the class with an understanding of how to improve your writing and a continued desire to do so, rather than a letter-grade you can tuck in your pocket and take as proof that you never have to think about writing again.
Grades have been shown to dampen creativity, courage and enthusiasm, to encourage competition rather than collaboration, and to cause students to focus on teachers’ expectations rather than their own work and interests. For all these reasons, the grading system in this course will be labor-based. You will see only one grade throughout the semester – the final grade on your transcript – and that grade will be based on the amount of time and labor you have put into your writing, rather than my own assessment of it.
How Grading Works* The default grade for the course is a “B”. In a nutshell, if you do all that is asked of you in the manner and spirit it is asked, if you work through the processes we establish and the work we assign ourselves during the semester, if you do all the labor asked of you, then you’ll get a “B” course grade. It will not matter what I or your colleagues think of your writing, only that you are listening to our feedback compassionately. We may disagree or misunderstand your writing, but if you put in the labor, you are guaranteed a B course grade. If you miss class (do not participate fully), turn in assignments late, forget to do assignments, or do less labor than what is expected of you, etc., you will get a lower course grade.
“B” Grades: You are guaranteed a course grade of “B” if you meet all of the following conditions.
Participation.
Attendance: You agree to attend all classes, and arrive on time. You are allowed two unexcused absences, and can walk into class late 1-2 times in a semester. Any other absences must be excused and consistent tardiness will hurt your grade.
Discussion: You agree to actively participate in discussions. If, for any reason, you find it difficult to participate in class, please come see me as soon as possible so that we can address this. Active participation in discussion is a requirement for a default grade.
Materials: You agree to bring hard copies of the assigned readings to class.
Work Completion.
You agree to turn in properly and on time all work and assignments expected of you in the spirit they are assigned, which means you’ll complete all of the labor instructions for each assignment.
Extensions: If you find that you cannot turn in your work by the deadline, please email me at least 48 hours in advance for an extension. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to respond if you email me with less than 48 hours before the deadline. This means checking in with yourself and your writing days before the deadline, and assessing how feasible completion is for you.
On the days we peer edit, you must bring your work. No exceptions.
All Work/Labor and writing needs to meet the following conditions:
Complete and On Time. You agree to turn in on time and in the appropriate manner complete essays, writing, or other labor assigned that meet all of our agreed upon expectations.
Revisions. By revision, I do not mean editing. There is a difference between “scalpel revisions,” which is also referred to as editing, and “structural revisions.” We will discuss this further in class. What you need to know for the purposes of grading is that your revisions will most likely require serious structural overhauls of your work. Your piece will change drastically, and it will require a lot more work than just line editing. Be prepared for the kind of labor that accompanies drastic reworking of a piece.
Copy Editing. When the job is for the final publication of a draft, your work must be well copy edited – that is, you must spend significant time in your labor process to look just at spelling and grammar. It's fine to get help in copy editing. (Copy editing doesn’t count on drafts before the final portfolio or first drafts).
To earn an “A” grade, you must be at a default-B already, and will be required to do additional labor that will take the following form:
A 15-20 minute class presentation, including writing about background material and close-reading of the primary text (either "Class Presentation on a Text" or "Class Presentation on Writing")
Meeting outside of class to exchange feedback with another classmate
Completion of a revision plan + full revision for Paper 1
Completion of a revision plan + full revision for Paper 2
A Final Project: either the Creative Art Encounter, or the Image-Text Critical Paper
Each of the additional items that you complete will add .2 to your letter grade. See Table below.
The following will result in failure in the class:
Not turning in one of the two final papers.
Failure to complete more than half of the assignments.
This class will require some major rethinking about how you engage in a class. It's designed to do so. Rather than skimming through the reading, your reading and ongoing assignments will be a major part of your participation. As you read, you will be required to fill out a labor log (on google docs, adding me as a viewer). I understand that class is quite different from what you may be used to, and it may not be for everyone. If you prefer a conventional grading system, I encourage you to enroll in a different class. By remaining in this class, you're agreeing to this contract. I agree to adjudicate it fairly. Let's get started!