| 1. |
Contacting
Professor Cousineau –
The easiest way is by email. If you wish to
reach her quickly, use both of her addresses that are
given in the syllabus. If you wish to speak with her during office hours, go to
the Academic Technology Center, Room 232 during the
hours listed in the syllabus. If you cannot meet with
her at those times, ask for an appointment at some other
time.
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| 2. |
Study
hours each week –
Please keep in mind that the relationship between hours
in class and hours of study is the opposite of what it
was in high school. In college the average student
spends 15 to 18 hours a week in classes. That's a lot
less than in high school. And yet college is a lot
harder than high school. This is because college
students have to do a lot of work on their own. The
general rule is that, if you want to get an A, you
should spend three hours studying for every hour
in class (except for lab sciences or studio classes,
where more of the work is done during class). So for
this course, this would be the plan:
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If you want an A, study nine hours per week;
If you want a B, study six hours per week;
If you want a C, study three hours per week;
If you want a D, study fewer than three hours.
(Please be aware that aiming for a D is risky,
since it is too easy to flub one exam and end up
with an F.)
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| Study
time includes: |
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Doing the reading
assignments
Writing answers to the study questions
Making up and studying flash cards
Meeting with a study group (if you want to)
Meeting with a tutor (if you want to)
Reviewing class notes
Reviewing for exams |
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| 3. |
If
you lose the syllabus –
You have two options: Ask Professor Cousineau
for another one or click here
to see it on the website. The syllabus web page has a
link that you may click on to get the syllabus in a
format that can be easily printed.
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| 4. |
If
you lose your books –
Unfortunately, this means that you need to go to
the book store and buy new ones. Books are expensive, but they are necessary for passing
a course. Try not to let this happen to you. Pay attention to where your
books are at all times. When you are not studying or in
class, keep all your books in a safe place.
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| 5. |
The
extra-credit assignments (study questions) –
Study questions are graded according to the
following criteria, in order of importance:
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1. |
There
needs to be evidence that the student did the
reading assignment. Read the chapter or article before
you write an answer to the question, and include
examples from the book in your answer. An answer
that does not appear to be based on the reading
will receive a zero. |
|
2. |
Do
not copy word-for-word from the book. That is plagiarism
and will get you a zero for the answer. |
|
3. |
It
helps if the answer to the question is correct.
A student who gives evidence of having read the
assignment but gets some of the information
wrong will get a fairly good grade. A student
who gets the information right will get an even
better grade. |
| 4. |
Use
correct grammar and spelling. This is a small
part of the grade, but it's important. |
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| 6. |
Making
up a quiz?
Quizzes may not be made up under any
circumstances. However, if you have an excused absence,
the quiz will not be counted.
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| 7. |
Studying
for the quizzes –
The quizzes are on concepts, examples of
concepts, and reading assignments. Each week there will
be one or two concepts from previous weeks. Make index
cards to learn the concepts, and write examples of each
one.
Review all the concepts each week. Review the study
questions on the readings. You may also make up
index cards to help you to keep track of the main ideas
of each of the articles in the book.
Studying
for exams –
The best way to study for exams is to keep up
with the work assigned for each week. When you do the
readings take notes on important points, especially
those related to the study questions. Make up index
cards for the weekly concepts (as mentioned in the
previous paragraph). When it comes time to review
for exams, study your class notes, the study questions,
your notes on the readings, and your index cards.
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| 8. |
Early
scheduling of the final exam –
This is against the policy of the college and
should not be done. Professors who schedule the final
exam at times other than those scheduled by the
registrar are creating problems for everyone. Some
students miss an exam and get an F because they are
confused by the change. Other students end up having two
or three exams on the same day without adequate time to
study.
If students have a problem with the
time that the exam for this course is scheduled,
Professor Cousineau may be able to allow a small number to take their exam at the time of one of her
other courses. Students who wish to exercise this option
must speak with her in advance.
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| 9. |
Missing
the final exam –
Generally students who miss the final get an F
for the course. However, if there were special
circumstances, the student should immediately contact
the professor by email.
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| 10. |
The
Relevance of this Course
A great part of the value of a your degree from
Mount Ida College is that all programs include liberal
arts courses. An educated professional is a person
who can think "out of the box" – that
is, someone who has a variety of cognitive skills. In
addition to the information about life that is provided
by this course, the
assignments help in the
development of skills that will be valuable
to those who hope to go far in any profession.
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| 11. |
Distracting
classmates –
Make an appointment to speak with the professor
about this. She will talk with you about how to handle
the problem in such a way that no one will know you
complained.
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| 12. |
Personal
problems –
Speak with Professor Cousineau. You don't need
to tell her the personal details. She will work with you
to help you make up any material that you have missed.
If the problem goes on too long, however, it might be
necessary to drop the course, rather than fail it.
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| 13. |
Finding
out how you are doing in this course –
You may speak with Professor Cousineau during
office hours to find out your average, or you may
calculate it yourself, using the information given in the syllabus.
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| 14. |
Improving
your grade –
If you are concerned about your grade, make an
appointment to talk with the professor about it. She can
let you know what your average is so far, and can make
specific suggestions tailored to your own needs and the
amount of time available to you.
An important thing to know is how the
grade is calculated. You may find this information in the syllabus. If you are not sure
about how to do the calculation, see Professor Cousineau
during her office hours.
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| 15. |
Extra
credit –
The system of extra credit for this
course is explained in the syllabus.
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| 16. |
Grading
the exams –
The midterm and final exams have the
same format:
10 questions, 2 points each, on
matching concepts with definitions
5 true-false questions, 3 points each,
based on the reading assignments
5 multiple-choice questions, 3 points
each, matching concepts to examples
2 concept identifications, 10 points
each, involving writing definitions of concepts in full
sentences, and giving specific, detailed examples
1 essay question (a choice of 1 out of
3), 30 points
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| 17. |
Making
up the midterm exam –
Make-ups are given only under special
circumstances, to be determined on a case-by-case basis,
and may be longer and more difficult than the original
exam.
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| 18. |
Midterm
warning –
Midterm warnings do not become part of a
student's permanent record. They are a "heads
up," a way of letting a student know that he
or she may be headed for a low final grade or even an F.
If you receive a midterm warning grade in any of your
courses, make an appointment right away to speak with
the instructor. You need to find out the reason for the
grade and ask for suggestions for improving your overall
average as soon as possible.
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| 19. |
Why
the final grade is called "final" –
It is called "final" because that
means it cannot be changed. There are two exceptions:
(1) the professor made a mistake in calculation, and the
student was really supposed to get a higher grade; (2)
the student missed the final exam for a serious reason
and will be allowed a make-up.
However, "need" is not the
basis for a grade. A student who has to maintain a
particular grade average in order to stay in school
needs to get extra help in his or her courses from the
beginning of the semester. Once the final grades are in,
it is too late to do anything about them.
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| 20. |
How
to get a good grade in this course –
Do the readings on time each week.
Make up index cards on the concepts and review them each
week.
Take notes during classes, including discussion classes,
and go over the notes later that day and just before the
next class.
Talk with the professor often. Go to see her during
office hours and ask questions about the course
material. Talking with someone about the things you are
learning helps you to learn more. Asking questions of
someone who knows a lot about the material helps you
even more. (This is not "kissing up."
This is common sense.)
Do the extra credit assignments that are available each
week.
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| 21. |
What
you missed when you were absent –
Sometimes students don't realize how insulting it is
to ask a professor, "Did I miss anything?" It suggests that
there are days when nothing important goes on in class.
It is better to ask, "May I make an appointment
with you to
go over what I missed?"
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| 22. |
The
attendance requirement –
Students who miss more than six classes will
receive an automatic F in this course. Attendance is required because, when it is not,
a lot of students skip class. This is a problem for two
reasons: (1) They are missing information related to
exams and assignments; (2) the other students are
missing their input. This class involves a certain
amount of
discussion and interaction. Each person's presence is
valuable, even if a person is not speaking but is
listening to others. Late arrivals are a problem because
they are disruptive. Students coming in late distract
other students who are listening to a lecture. And on
discussion days, it is an even bigger problem, because
it is hard to set up the small groups when a lot of
people are missing for part of the class and then come
in when the discussion dynamic has already started. They
may say things that have already been said, or not be
able to contribute to the discussion at all because they
missed part of it. This is attendance is required.
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| 23. |
Absent
when sick –
You may be excused from a class without penalty
if you are sick. However, in order to be fair to all
students, it is best if you have some evidence of your
illness. For example, if you saw a doctor, nurse, or
other health professional, bring a note or an
appointment slip. If you are excused from the class, you
will not lose points for that class or for handing in
study questions when you come back to class. However, you will need to make
an appointment with the instructor when you get back to
go over the material that you missed.
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| 24. |
Death
in the family –
You may be excused up to one week for the death
of a close relative. You will be excused from the study
questions for that week. However, you will need to make
an appointment with the instructor when you get back to
go over the material that you missed.
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| 25. |
Religious
holidays –
If you wish to be excused from class for a
religious holiday, you must give the professor, one week
before the holiday, a one-page typewritten essay
explaining the meaning of it. (Be careful not to
"fudge" it. Professor Cousineau's research
area is the sociology of religion, and she knows
a lot about different religious traditions.)
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| 26. |
Other
Questions –
Please
let Professor Cousineau know by email
if you need other information or if you would like
to suggest other questions to add to this page.
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